Driver of the No. 55 Boardwalk Ferrari Supercar Life F430 Challenge car, Scott Tucker, held off a slew of tough competitors to capture first and second in races seven and eight of the Ferrari Challenge Series this weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
"The layout of Road America makes it one of the best classic racing circuits out there," Tucker said. "Every driver who races here loves the place; it's so fast and you can really push the car to its limits. It's a great circuit for the fans, as they can see just how amazing these machines are-their speed, their ability to quickly change direction and their braking. We put on a great show in both races, and I can't thank my crew and everyone involved enough; they've all worked so hard this weekend."
After qualifying in first position for Saturday's race seven with a time of 02:24.133-which bested the official track record (02:24.610) that he had set during Friday's fifth practice session-Tucker took a strong lead on the field as soon as the green flag dropped.
By lap three the No. 55 had stretched its lead to six car lengths over second position Zak Brown . That's when the first caution came: Ferrari of Ontario teammates Martin Burrowes and John Farano had collided.
When the race resumed, Tucker continued to run out in front, extending his lead to 10 car lengths over Brown. Further back in the pack Franceso Piovanetti and Bruce Gingrich went for a wild ride on lap seven; both cars sustained heavy damage in the collision and went into the pits. The race continued under green despite the incident.
After starting the race in last position, Ferrari of Houston's Mark McKenzie-first in the Series standings-knifed his way through the field, achieving the No. 8 spot by lap 12. The Texan had qualified in third, but was penalized for missing a mandatory driver's meeting. Now, he looked to grab seventh position, held by Mike Zoi.
In the final minutes of the race, Tucker found himself in the clear. The No. 55 Boardwalk Ferrari Supercar Life F430 Challenge car was a freight train-ahead by 30 car lengths. Tucker took the flag with a time of 02:26.811. In a door-to-door duel, McKenzie launched his last bid to advance in position. He passed Zoi, driving ahead of James Henley in the No. 9 car, as well, putting his No. 27 car in fourth position as he crossed the finish line.
Drivers Brown (02:27.007) and Henri Richard (02:26.409) trailed behind Tucker in second and third, with McKenzie (02:25.934) and Henley (02:26.878) rounding out the Top Five. Going into race eight, Tucker was only 120 points behind Series standings leader McKenzie.
Tucker kept the momentum going as Sunday's race events began, capturing the pole after clocking in a fastest lap time of 02:24.153 during a heated qualifying battle that ended with the top three times-posted by Tucker, Henley and McKenzie-mere tenths of seconds apart.
The No. 55 Boardwalk Ferrari Supercar Life F430 Challenge car was in prime condition during the opening laps of race eight. Tucker gained two car lengths over the rest of the field going into lap two. Meanwhile, McKenzie, who had qualified third, made a quick pass over Henley to take over second position.
Lining up his sights on the race leader, McKenzie prepared to take over first position. Pushing hard to maintain his edge, Tucker drove wide on lap four and dropped two wheels off the track going into turn 11. It was a heartstopping moment for the Supercar Life Racing team; Tucker was doing at least 150 mph. Drifting just a little, Tucker showed incredible self-control, using his superior handling skills to quickly nudge the car back on track. Though McKenzie slipped by on the inside to take over as race leader, Tucker's amazing recovery kept him right on McKenzie's heels for the next 13 laps.
"We definitely put on a good show for the fans," Tucker said. "That's racing for you; never a dull moment. When my wheels fell off track, I knew I had to counter steer as quickly as I could so that I could maintain control and position. Fortunately, I was able to get back on track within seconds."
The first caution waved on lap seven: Ferrari of Beverly Hills' Quentin Wahl had hit a wall in turn 12 with his No. 4 F430 car. While the field maintained a slow and steady pace under the yellow, several drivers in the middle of the pack did change positions.
On the restart, those who couldn't keep up with the continued sprint were left behind. Such was the fate of The Collection's Zoi: A rear-control piece broke on his No. 8 F430, forcing the driver to leave the track on lap 13.
As Tucker continued to pursue McKenzie- both drivers executing flawless races- Steve Hill, who had qualified in ninth position, was making his way towards the front of the pack and took over sixth position. Brown, who had maintained his fifth-place starting position for the majority of the race, could see Hill closing in. On lap 14, Hill overtook Brown's No. 99.
One lap later, Henley dropped back into fourth and Richard drove into third.
Although Tucker pushed hard in the remaining lap, McKenzie held his lead; the Texan's No. 27 F430 crossed the finish line first (02:25.773). Tucker locked in a close second (02:26.248) for the Boardwalk Ferrari Supercar Life Racing team, coming in just 2.9 seconds behind McKenzie. With the win, McKenzie maintained his lead in the Series championship; he now has 1320 points. Zak Brown currently holds second in the standings with 1235 points and Tucker sits in third place with 1175. Dominating for the majority of the weekend over incredible competition, Tucker added substantial points to his chase for his and the Boardwalk Ferrari Supercar Life team's first career series title.
Richard and Henley finished the race in third (02:26.824) and fourth positions (02:26.725), with Hill coming in fifth (02:27.475).
"At any road race, strategy and fuel mileage play a big role," driver coach Ed Zabinski said. "There are so many opportunities to make mistakes, especially in a 45-minute race. Scott did a great job this weekend; his quick thinking and incredible handling saved the car from a potentially sticky situation in today's race. We gave our home track our all and ended with two podium finishes that allowed us to narrow the gap in the Series standings."
Tucker will travel next, along with the Supercar Life Racing team, to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., for the eighth race of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season, Sunday, July 19. The Porsche 250 presented by Legacy Credit Union will air LIVE on SPEED TV at 3:00 p.m. EST. Races nine and ten of the Ferrari Challenge Series will follow, July 24 through 26, at Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Mt. Tremblant, Quebec.
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