Loyning Takes Lead Mid-Race En Route to First C Sports Racing National Championship Win

LEXINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 23, 2005) – Arnie Loyning, of Portland, Ore., captured his first National Championship Friday, taking the C Sports Racing class win at the 2005 SCCA National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Eric Vassian, of Atlanta, Ga., and Bill Goldkind, of Holbrook, N.Y., completed the top-three.

Driving the No. 27 Loyning Engine Service Swift Viking, Loyning and polesitter Jacek Mucha went side-by-side into the opening turn. Making contact, Loyning continued, holding the lead ahead of Jeremy Treadway, who moved up from his seventh place starting position. Battling for position, the duo ran nose-to-tail for several laps, before Treadway took the lead on lap four. After briefly falling back, Loyning closed the gap and began looking for a way past Treadway. Entering the esses on lap 10, Loyning got alongside Treadway and retook the lead. Immediately after relinquishing the lead, Treadway slowed and pulled off-course. With a lead of over the 20 seconds, the best battle on course was for second between Mike McGinley and Richard Cottrill. Having secured the position, McGinley spun off-course on lap 17 and making contact with the tire barrier. Unchallenged to the checkered flag, Loyning crossed the start/finish winning by 37.969.

“I think that I left enough room for him and then I looked in my mirrors and saw cars all over the place,” said Loyning discussing the first turn incident. “I was chasing Jeremy Treadway and I knew I could get past him. He was all over the track. He was strong on the straightaway, but I was faster in the corners. He was using all the road. My engine cut out a couple times during the race, but it always restarted. I don't know what was wrong. There were some lights on my dash, but I don't know what they meant! I hoped that my engine would not blow up it a ball of fire----I would have to say that my gearbox broke! It would not have been good for business.” (Note: Loyning builds and sells race engines.)

Cottrill, of Longmont, Colo., finished fourth, and Jim Downing, of Atlanta, Ga., completed the top-five.

Now in its 42nd year, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs annually crown the best amateur road racers in North America as Champions. More than 750 competitors have gathered this year to battle for 23 class titles this year, with eight races being run Friday and Saturday and seven on Sunday.

Celebrating its 61st anniversary, Sports Car Club of America is a 60,000 member motorsports organization that sanctions and promotes grassroots and professional motorsports events of a variety of disciplines, including road racing, autocrossing, road rally and rallycross.