| Chip Herr of Lititz, Pa., has recently obtained his | | | | straight Toyo Cup award. |
| first win of the 2007 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED | | | | Sofronas said, "I really wanted to try to get a win |
| World Challenge Touring Car Championship season | | | | for [Tecmark team owner] Walter [Swick], but |
| in Round of Three at Lime Rock Park, part of the | | | | second is obviously the next best thing. On the |
| SPEED Touring Car Classics. James Sofronas of | | | | start, I got a heck of a launch and Chip closed the |
| Newport Beach California together with Jeff | | | | door and I had to lift or else I would have plowed |
| Altenburg of Ellicott City, Md., has completed the | | | | him. He made a nice move. My car was loose in |
| podium. | | | | the beginning and it was a little hairy the first five |
| Everything was going right for Herr from the | | | | laps, but Walter set the car up to be good over a |
| very start that the lights went out; he has gotten | | | | long run. I was able to cut a couple of quick laps |
| a great launch in his No. 17 STaSIS/Clear Capital | | | | to try to chase Chip down, but it wasn't enough |
| Audi A4 and beat polesitter Pierre Kleinubing into | | | | to get up to him. All the while, I had Jeff behind |
| Turn One to take the lead. Kleinubing slotted his | | | | me, so I tried to click off my laps, hoping Chip |
| No.1 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura | | | | would make a mistake, but he didn't." |
| TSX behind Herr for four laps but was able to | | | | On the other for Altenburg the race was an even |
| pass Herr on the fifth lap due to some mistakes | | | | finish. He started third and finishes third. However |
| made by Herr. | | | | the current point leader has a close call with Seth |
| Herr said, "I came into Turn Six and there was a | | | | Thomas of the No. 38 BimmerWord BMW 325i on |
| car in the wall. I saw the marks and thought the | | | | the restart. Thomas had the jump on Altenburg |
| accident happened at the turn-in. I turned in a little | | | | going into Turn One and tried the outside line on |
| bit early and hit grass and dirt and got into a | | | | the No. 72 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development |
| four-wheel slide and had to jump on the brakes. | | | | Mazda 6. The pair made a slight contact before |
| He just went right inside of me on the downhill. I | | | | Thomas finally went off course in the Esses with |
| almost put it in the wall. I had to back out of it | | | | a flat tire. |
| and he didn't. He knows what to do, that's why | | | | Altenburg said, "On the restart, Seth Thomas got |
| he's good." | | | | a great run on me and we went side-by-side |
| Shortly after Kleinubing took the lead, a full course | | | | through Turn One. The second part of Big Bend |
| yellow came out when the No. 11 3R-Racing | | | | tightens up. He was on the outside, maybe half a |
| Dodge SRT-4 of Robb Holland and the No. 96 | | | | car back and we made a little contact. I was |
| Tindol Motorsports/Pesco Inc. Mazda 6 of Charlie | | | | worried my day was over, but it turned out it |
| Putman came together in West Bend. Miraculously | | | | might have been the end of his. When Pierre fell |
| both drivers walked away uninjured. | | | | back, that took a little bit of my aggression away. |
| On the lap 10 restart, it was Kleinubing with the | | | | I don't know that I had anything for |
| great launch going unchallenged in Turn One and | | | | James--probably not." |
| slowly pulling out a lead over Herr which reached | | | | The remainder of the race for Altenburg was |
| 2.514 seconds by lap 16. But Herr would not just | | | | much relaxed and the podium finish help extend |
| let Kleinubing get ahead farther and trumped | | | | his lead in the Championship to 26 over |
| Kleinubing’s fast race lap with one of his on. | | | | teammate Randy Pobst who finished 11th place. |
| Then on lap 26 it happen, Herr shot by a slowing | | | | With the win Herr lies in third, specifically 14 points |
| Kleinubing on the front stretch. As Herr led by 1 | | | | behind Pobst. |
| 3.207 second over Sofronas, Kleinubing headed to | | | | Adam Pecorari of Aspon, Pa., has place two Audis |
| the pits. | | | | in top five by wheeling his No. 19 STaSIS/Centre |
| Herr said, "I said 'thank you' on the front straight." | | | | Parts Audi A4 to a fourth place finish. This is a |
| Kleinubing after checking under the hood rejoined | | | | career best for the SCCA SPEED Touring Car |
| the field and finished 19th. The crew was able to | | | | newcomer who also collected the Piloti Rookie of |
| repair the defending SCCA SPEED Touring Ca | | | | the Race Award. |
| Champion’s running problem. From there it | | | | And after a long battle with the No. 97 |
| was all smooth sailing for Herr. He took his fourth | | | | Mazdaspeed/Tindol/Oakley/Sparco Mazda 6 of |
| career-win by 3.211 seconds over Sofronas in the | | | | Charles Espenlaub, peter Cunningham of Grafton, |
| 44-lap, 67.32-mile race. Herr was also been able to | | | | Wis., has obtained fifth position in his No. 42 Acura |
| set the fastest lap of the race at 58.646 (93.919 | | | | Certified Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura TSX on the |
| mph) on the 1.53 mile road course. | | | | final lap when the Espenlaub ran wide passing the |
| Herr explained, "It feels great. I love Lime Rock. | | | | Esses. |
| Every time I've come here, I've done well. This is | | | | Espenlaub then returned to the track in time finish |
| a momentum course that takes a lot of guts and | | | | sixth ahead of Kuno Wittmer of Acura RSX, Ian |
| you have to know your car. STaSIS has really | | | | Baas of Audi A4 , Michael Galati of Mazda 6 , and |
| worked with me to get the car right and with a | | | | Jason Martinelli of BMW 325Ci---they completed |
| new teammate, we've been able to share data | | | | thetop ten. |
| between the three of us. Pierre had a strong car | | | | More results: |
| and he actually started pulling away from me. I | | | | Stan Wilson of Mount Joliet, Tenn., finished 13th in |
| didn't know if I should try to burn the car up and | | | | the No. 92 sorted Performance Dodge SRT-4, |
| track him down or risk having [Sofronas] catch | | | | collecting both the Sunoco Hard Charger and the |
| me. I was going to be happy with a podium, but | | | | B&M Shifters Holeshot Award given for advancing |
| then Pierre had his problem and came back to | | | | 10 positions in the race of which five were |
| me." | | | | derived from the start of the race. |
| And after passing off current point leader | | | | And lastly, Mazda the maker of high-quality Mazda |
| Altenburg immediately on the start, Sofronas | | | | distributor rotor continues to lead the |
| played a more relaxed and consistent race in his | | | | Manufacturer’s Championship by 23 points |
| No. 29 Global Motorsports Group BMW 325Ci | | | | over Acura and Audi who are now both at |
| which has equaled his career-best finish second | | | | second place. BMW on the other hand is currently |
| which last happened at Road America in 2005. | | | | on fourth with nine points. |
| The finish has also earned Sofronas his second | | | | |