tcambio
09-15-2010, 08:48 AM
Buras Stays Perfect, Stout Clinches Touring Car Title at VIR
ALTON, Va. - In a thrilling day of World Challenge Championships action during the Race-Keeper VIR Grand Prix presented by MTM Special Ops Watch at VIRginia International Raceway, Todd Buras, of Melbourne, Fla., capped a four-for-four season in Touring Car, while Robert Stout, of Brownsburg, Ind., secured the Touring Car Drivers’ Championship.
http://world-challenge.com/files/news/thumbnails/10-wc-VIR-50r2_300x300.jpg (http://world-challenge.com/includes/tng/pub/popup_image.php?id=KT_thumbnail1&n=0)
Buras earned his fourth win of the season with a VIR sweep.
The Touring Car battle was wheel-to-wheel between Buras’ No. 50 Irish Mike’s Racing/Krispy Kreme Volkswagen Jetta GLI and Stout’s No. 18 DG-Spec/Scion/TRD/Lucas Oil Scion tC. At the checkered flag, Buras won the battle, but Stout won the war in taking his first World Challenge Touring Car Drivers’ Championship.
As the lights went out for the standing start, both Stout and Buras got away cleanly from their positions on the inside line of the Touring Car field. A slow to accelerate No. 44 Motorsports Solutions Acura TSX GTS machine of Tommy Sadler bottled up the rest of the Touring Car field, making contact with Stout’s teammate Greg Shaffer in the No. 36 DG Spec/Scion/TRD Scion tC. Shaffer spun off course and ended his day with contact in the guard rail, and the ensuing bottle neck collected the No. 67 SaferTeenDrivers.com Honda Civic Si of Shea Holbrook and ended her day as well.
That activity provided a gap for Stout and Buras to get away and turn the race into a heads-up battle between the two. Buras led the first lap, but Stout moved to the inside in Turn 10 after a run through the uphill esses to slide into the Touring Car lead and earn the Invisible Glass Clean Pass of the Race.
Buras reclaimed the lead on lap four and the two battled side-by-side and nose-to-tail for the middle portion of the race. Stout ran off track on lap 13 trying to make a pass for the lead and dropped back behind the Buras, but immediately began to close that gap while Buras continued to turn fast laps. Buras turned the fastest Touring Car lap in a time of 2:13.989 (87.858 mph), but the late-race caution put Stout right back on Buras’ bumper.
Stout took the lead on the restart, which came on lap 18 for the Touring Car drivers. Buras reclaimed the lead for good just one lap later, giving Buras four wins in as many tries in an Irish Mike’s Racing Volkswagen Jetta GLI.
Buras swept the season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, but was injured in a racing incident just a few weeks later. This weekend’s sweep at VIR was Buras’ return to racing.
“We went door-to-door, lap after lap,” Buras said. “He [Stout] led, I led. I was really getting out to a comfortable lead and then the yellow came out for what looked like a piece of a bumper cover on the track. On the restart, he got it again! But this time I was able to get a run and then out-brake him into the rollercoaster. It should make for great TV. What a competitive field.
“I have to thank Irish Mike’s Racing for letting me come back and do this. I have to thank Krispy Kreme and of course, my family for being understanding and letting me come back from the injuries and go racing this weekend.”
The runner-up finish was enough to clinch the Touring Car Drivers’ Championship for Stout, who at 18-years-old became the youngest World Challenge Champion in Series history. Scion clinched the Touring Car Manufacturers’ Championship on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s an honor to be a Champion here in my rookie season of World Challenge,” Stout said. “It’s been an awesome season. We’ve had a really competitive car all season long. I have to thank my crew and all my sponsors. I love everything about this racing and this series. The racing is so great. You have to really work for it every time. It’s just such an honor to be here as the Champion.”
Robb Holland, of Denver, Colo., earned his second podium finish of the season in the No. 22 3Zero3 Motorsports/Track Pro/Emich VW Volkswagen GTI. Holland avoided the incident at the start and pulled away in third place, remaining there for the entire race.
Michael Pettiford was the third Volkswagen in the top four, placing the No. 41 Go 4 It Racing Schools/Hawk Volkswagen Jetta GLI one position off the podium. Pettiford battled with Brett Sandberg in the No. 28 Whitehall Stable Acura TSX in the early laps of the race, then raced Branden Peterson to the finish after the restart. Peterson finished fifth in the No. 64 Competition Clutch/Supertech Performance Honda Civic Si.
Charlie Solomon earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for improving his position 10 spots overall in the No. 21 Dr. Natasha.com/DC Racing Mazda RX-8, finishing sixth in Touring Car. Sandberg finished seventh, while Don Istook finished eigth in the No. 01 Revo Technik/Carbotech Volkswagen GTI. Istook also earned the Optima Batteries Best Standing Start for improving eight positions on the opening lap.
With only race wins and bragging rights on the line, the World Challenge Championships GT, GTS and Touring Car classes return to action in two weeks for the Toyo Tires World Challenge Utah Grand Prix presented by Bondurant, October 1-3, at Miller Motorsports Park.
For more information, please visit www.world-challenge.com (http://world-challenge.com/). The race will be broadcast along with the season finale from Miller Motorsports Park Saturday, October 30 at 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Versus.
ALTON, Va. - In a thrilling day of World Challenge Championships action during the Race-Keeper VIR Grand Prix presented by MTM Special Ops Watch at VIRginia International Raceway, Todd Buras, of Melbourne, Fla., capped a four-for-four season in Touring Car, while Robert Stout, of Brownsburg, Ind., secured the Touring Car Drivers’ Championship.
http://world-challenge.com/files/news/thumbnails/10-wc-VIR-50r2_300x300.jpg (http://world-challenge.com/includes/tng/pub/popup_image.php?id=KT_thumbnail1&n=0)
Buras earned his fourth win of the season with a VIR sweep.
The Touring Car battle was wheel-to-wheel between Buras’ No. 50 Irish Mike’s Racing/Krispy Kreme Volkswagen Jetta GLI and Stout’s No. 18 DG-Spec/Scion/TRD/Lucas Oil Scion tC. At the checkered flag, Buras won the battle, but Stout won the war in taking his first World Challenge Touring Car Drivers’ Championship.
As the lights went out for the standing start, both Stout and Buras got away cleanly from their positions on the inside line of the Touring Car field. A slow to accelerate No. 44 Motorsports Solutions Acura TSX GTS machine of Tommy Sadler bottled up the rest of the Touring Car field, making contact with Stout’s teammate Greg Shaffer in the No. 36 DG Spec/Scion/TRD Scion tC. Shaffer spun off course and ended his day with contact in the guard rail, and the ensuing bottle neck collected the No. 67 SaferTeenDrivers.com Honda Civic Si of Shea Holbrook and ended her day as well.
That activity provided a gap for Stout and Buras to get away and turn the race into a heads-up battle between the two. Buras led the first lap, but Stout moved to the inside in Turn 10 after a run through the uphill esses to slide into the Touring Car lead and earn the Invisible Glass Clean Pass of the Race.
Buras reclaimed the lead on lap four and the two battled side-by-side and nose-to-tail for the middle portion of the race. Stout ran off track on lap 13 trying to make a pass for the lead and dropped back behind the Buras, but immediately began to close that gap while Buras continued to turn fast laps. Buras turned the fastest Touring Car lap in a time of 2:13.989 (87.858 mph), but the late-race caution put Stout right back on Buras’ bumper.
Stout took the lead on the restart, which came on lap 18 for the Touring Car drivers. Buras reclaimed the lead for good just one lap later, giving Buras four wins in as many tries in an Irish Mike’s Racing Volkswagen Jetta GLI.
Buras swept the season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, but was injured in a racing incident just a few weeks later. This weekend’s sweep at VIR was Buras’ return to racing.
“We went door-to-door, lap after lap,” Buras said. “He [Stout] led, I led. I was really getting out to a comfortable lead and then the yellow came out for what looked like a piece of a bumper cover on the track. On the restart, he got it again! But this time I was able to get a run and then out-brake him into the rollercoaster. It should make for great TV. What a competitive field.
“I have to thank Irish Mike’s Racing for letting me come back and do this. I have to thank Krispy Kreme and of course, my family for being understanding and letting me come back from the injuries and go racing this weekend.”
The runner-up finish was enough to clinch the Touring Car Drivers’ Championship for Stout, who at 18-years-old became the youngest World Challenge Champion in Series history. Scion clinched the Touring Car Manufacturers’ Championship on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s an honor to be a Champion here in my rookie season of World Challenge,” Stout said. “It’s been an awesome season. We’ve had a really competitive car all season long. I have to thank my crew and all my sponsors. I love everything about this racing and this series. The racing is so great. You have to really work for it every time. It’s just such an honor to be here as the Champion.”
Robb Holland, of Denver, Colo., earned his second podium finish of the season in the No. 22 3Zero3 Motorsports/Track Pro/Emich VW Volkswagen GTI. Holland avoided the incident at the start and pulled away in third place, remaining there for the entire race.
Michael Pettiford was the third Volkswagen in the top four, placing the No. 41 Go 4 It Racing Schools/Hawk Volkswagen Jetta GLI one position off the podium. Pettiford battled with Brett Sandberg in the No. 28 Whitehall Stable Acura TSX in the early laps of the race, then raced Branden Peterson to the finish after the restart. Peterson finished fifth in the No. 64 Competition Clutch/Supertech Performance Honda Civic Si.
Charlie Solomon earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for improving his position 10 spots overall in the No. 21 Dr. Natasha.com/DC Racing Mazda RX-8, finishing sixth in Touring Car. Sandberg finished seventh, while Don Istook finished eigth in the No. 01 Revo Technik/Carbotech Volkswagen GTI. Istook also earned the Optima Batteries Best Standing Start for improving eight positions on the opening lap.
With only race wins and bragging rights on the line, the World Challenge Championships GT, GTS and Touring Car classes return to action in two weeks for the Toyo Tires World Challenge Utah Grand Prix presented by Bondurant, October 1-3, at Miller Motorsports Park.
For more information, please visit www.world-challenge.com (http://world-challenge.com/). The race will be broadcast along with the season finale from Miller Motorsports Park Saturday, October 30 at 3 p.m. (Eastern) on Versus.