Derek Yates relied on superb...
Derek Yates relied on superb reaction times to capture the Outlaw-class win in John Cook's C3.
10.0 Index
Index racing is becoming very popular, as evidenced by the size of the two index classes. The 10.00 Index class saw 22 participants attempting to qualifying for 16 positions. Qualifying was very tight, with Paul Smith Jr. taking the number one position in his naturally aspirated 427ci '98 Coupe. The car is one of Marietta, Georgia-based MTI Racing's developmental vehicles, and it bears the tuner's logo on its doors. The Vette is capable of running in the 9s, but today's focus was on nailing the 10.0 index. Smith came close to doing just that, running a 10.002 in qualifying.
He was followed in the class by Phil Corbin, pulling double-duty after making it to the final round of Outlaw. Dwayne Schultz, meanwhile, drove his flamed Pewter C5 to the number three spot with a 10.01 pass. Jay McCardle was fourth in an East Coast Supercharging-prepped supercharged C5, while David Outten drove his '66 Corvette into the number five position with a 10.03.
After two hotly contested rounds, the semi-finals found Steve Haynes and his 642ci '73 squaring off against Outten in his C2. Haynes cut a 0.010 reaction time on a 10.01 at 127.00 mph pass, bettering Outten's 0.035 on a quicker 10.00 at 134.45. In the other semi-final contest, David Shen beat Dwayne Schultz off the tree then went on to cover the quarter with a quicker 10.036 to Schultz's 10.046.
Paul Smith Jr. grabbed the...
Paul Smith Jr. grabbed the top qualifying spot in the 10.0 Index class. His 427ci '98 doubles as one of MTI Racing's development vehicles.
In the finals, Haynes cut his best light of the day, a 0.009, while Shen posted a none-too-shabby 0.029 in his '65 Coupe. Haynes took the stripe with a 10.07 at 130.70 to Shen's 10.08 at 131.35, taking the class win and a $750 cash payout.
11.50 Index
With very little needed to make today's Corvettes run 11.50, this class was truly for everyone. New Jersey's Rob Zona took the number one spot in his C5 Z06 with an 11.506 pass. In the second spot was Mike Calicchia, who drove his father Louis' supercharged C5 to an 11.59. North Carolina racer J. Smith was third in his C5 Coupe, while James Geer grabbed fourth place in his 396ci Bright Aqua Metallic '95. Wayne Totaro rounded out the top five at the wheel of his Machine Silver '06 Z06.
Paul Major, who campaigns a 7-second C5 in many drag radials classes around the nation, brought his two other Corvettes to compete in the 11.50 index. Unfortunately, his C6 Z06, driven by Angelo Valla, broke at the line in the first qualifying round. His other Vette, a '66, made two qualifying passes under the 11.50 index.
Phil Corbin and his wheelstanding...
Phil Corbin and his wheelstanding '91 made it to the Outlaw finals before falling to Yates.
In the semis, David Matyjasik cut the best light of any competitor in the class with a 0.059. He drove Carolina Auto Masters proprietor Jeff Creech's C5 to an 11.70 at 123.80, defeating J. Smith, who broke out with an 11.45 at 100 mph. In the other semi-final pairing, Ron Leader overcame a 0.038-second reaction-time disadvantage to push his '06 Z06 past Dave Satterfield's A&A-supercharged '04 Z. Leader ran an 11.536 at 109.04 to Satterfield's 11.626 at 118.51.
Matyjasik cut another superior light in the final, posting a 0.103 reaction time to Leader's 0.208. Leader easily overcame the deficit, however, coasting his Z to an 11.95 at 92.18 to better Matyjasik's way-off-the-pace 12.47.
Car Show
The weekend also featured a Vettes-only car show, which was led by Tony Watson of the Beachcombers Corvette Club, with help from The Corvette Club of Richmond. All proceeds were donated to Sonny Parks, a local Corvette enthusiast who was injured in a motorcycle accident.
Local racer Ronnie Jeter took...
Local racer Ronnie Jeter took the Bracket win in his 9-second '75.
Show Winners
Best C1: Jamie Davis, '61, New Church, VA
Best C2: Bill Lakin, '65, Newport News, VA
Best C3: Alan Syslo, '75, Virginia Beach, VA
Best C4: John Davis, '93, Virginia Beach, VA
Best C5: Gary Ballard, '02, Suffolk, VA
Best C6: Lawrence Glover, Clinton, MD
Best Raced and Shown: JR Walker, '03
Participants' Choice Additional Awards
Tom Mroz, '98 50th Resto Mod, King Gorge, VA
Cindy Lakin, '96 Grand Sport Convertible, Newport News, VA
Gil Ozmore, '93 Coupe, Hopewell, VA
Charlie Neal, '94 ZR-1, Williamsburg, VA
Charles Clark, '04 Convertible, Clinton, MD
Richard Hillis, '06 Z06, Carrollton, VA
Looking Ahead
Stay tuned to VETTE and visit www.national.corvettechallenge.info for the latest news regarding the 2008 National Corvette Challenge. For now, you can take part in any of the Challenge's regional series, held at tracks in New Jersey, South Carolina, California, Florida, and Virginia. Visit www.corvettechallenge.info for more information.
The organizers of the 2007 National Corvette Challenge would like to thank Jeff Creech, of Carolina Auto Masters, for being the event's title sponsor. Special thanks also go to Valone Motorsports, RevXtreme, and Zip Products for taking lead roles in sponsoring the Outlaw class, 11.50 Index class, and car show, respectively.