Peter Captures First SCCA C Sports Racing National Championship At Heartland Park

TOPEKA, Kan. (Oct. 13, 2006) – Polesitter Hans Peter, of Overland, Park, Kan., won his first C Sports Racing National Championship at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Kansas, as big as you think in convincing fashion at Heartland Park Topeka. Mark Jaremko, of Spokane, Wash., and Wade Carter, of Woodinville, Wash., completed the top three.

Driving the No. 74 Swift .008 Viking, Carter grabbed the early lead from the outside of row one heading into the first corner. He would hold the lead until Peter passed him in Turn Six on lap four.

Once Peter took the lead in his No. 66 Phenix Label Swift. 014 Viking, he put on an impressive driving display opening up nearly a 7.5-second lead on lap 13 of the 18 lap race. With a comfortable lead over second-place finisher Jaremko, Peter did not have to push the car and didn’t, as Jaremko narrowed the lead to a little more than three seconds on the last lap. Although Peter captured his first national championship by only 1.826-seconds over Jaremko, Peter was never seriously challenged throughout the race.

“I thought that I made a good start, but maybe they caught me during a shift,” Peter said of his start. “I don’t quite know what happened, but they just motored away from me. So I just tucked in behind both of them [Wade Carter and Mark Jaremko] and waited for something to happen. Mark went a little wide and just sort of slid off, so I got inside of him. Then I got up to Wade and just got up underneath him. Then I selected an area of the track where I thought I was quicker and just took him.”

Kerry Jacobsen, of Deland, Fla., and Jim Downing, of Atlanta, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. No. 47 Renny Damon, of Auburn, Calif., won the Sunoco Hard Charger of the race award for advancing three positions throughout the race, starting 10th and finishing seventh.

Now in its 43rd year, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Kansas, As Big As You Think annually crowns the best amateur road racers in North America as Champions. More than 750 competitors have gathered this year to battle for 25 class titles, with nine races on Friday and eight Saturday and Sunday. This marks the first year that the Runoffs is held at Heartland Park Topeka.

Celebrating its 62nd anniversary, Sports Car Club of America is a 55,000 member organization that sanctions and promotes grassroots and professional motorsports events in a variety of disciplines, including road racing, Solo, road rally and rallycross.