Smooth Sailing for Heinricy in A Sedan, Moves to Third All-Time With Ninth Runoffs Win

Lexington, Ohio (Sept. 24, 2005) – Any visions that other drivers in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Kohler American Sedan race had of unseating two-time defending champion John Heinricy were gone in a matter of moments after the green flag waved.

Heinricy roared around the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in his Tom Aquilante Racing Pontiac Firebird, opening up a lead as large as eight seconds before settling in and coasting to his third-straight A Sedan title – this one a 2.995-second win over Andy McDermid, of Grand Ledge, Mich. Kristian Smith, of Brighton, Mich., finished third.

While Heinricy, who earned was never challenged, the same couldn’t be said for McDermid, who overcame a spin on Lap 3 that dropped him to 14th. McDermid battled his way back through the field in his Goodyear/Lane Automotive/Red Line Ford Mustang and used a couple of small mistakes from other drivers ahead of him to fight his way back to a podium finish. On the lap prior to his spin, which came after contact with Kyle Watkins, of Broomfield, Colo., who was in his Hoosier/Sensible Auto/Perf Machine Ford Mustang, McDermid set a new A Sedan race lap record with a 1:37.145 (84.492 mph).

As that battle and others unfurled behind him, Heinricy drove a clean race throughout, exercising the same style that had earned him eight championships previously, including the Touring 1 title, his fifth-straight in that class, on Friday.

“I felt fortunate to be on the pole and then be able to get away in Turns Seven and Eight and maintain my lead while other people behind me were beating each other up. That worked out pretty good,” Heinricy said. “This is the 124th win for a General Motors powered car at the Runoffs, and the third for a Pontiac, and I feel really great about having gotten that.”

Jerry Post, of Hoboken, N.J., finished fifth behind fourth-place finisher Watkins.

Jason Vonkluge, of Ann Arbor, Mich., won the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing 14 positions to finish 12th after starting 26th.

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.