Event Coverage: Ohio Muscle Car Challenge 2014

Wet and wild on day two!

Wet and wild on day two!

The 2014 Ohio Muscle Car Challenge presented by Orange Cone Racing is officially in the books. The event was held August 16th and 17th, at Pittsburgh International Raceway. This is a newer facility that was the perfect setting for the OMCC.

IMG_0165The PIR track was an amazing place. There is the road course, along with a course strictly for go-karts. There was also a dedicated asphalt surface for autocross and drifting events that had no light poles or other obstructions. Even the bathrooms were top notch, offering showers for those racers who get a little too hot while driving.

One really exciting aspect was the construction taking place. They are currently building a secondary road course track. This will be independent, but will also connect to offer one large course. The designer of Laguna Seca is designing this track too, including the legendary corkscrew corner. We can’t wait to see the racing in years to come from this facility. With cars rolling in and the hotel parking lot filling up, we went to bed Friday excited for Saturday morning.

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The Thunder Rolls – Day One

IMG_9667The event actually started Friday night, with a cruise around local Pennsylvania attractions. The real racing didn’t start until Saturday though, when they unleashed all that horsepower on the road course. After driver safety meetings, tech inspections and other instructions, the racing started promptly at 9:00 a.m.

The setting was like a hunting trip. I got there early, and there was still a layer of fog in from the morning. The rolling hills were green and full of wildlife. They were alive with the sounds of insects trying to find a mate. Camera in hands, I was ready to shoot my prey-muscle cars. With the camera steady, I took a deep breath and centered my sights. Then I heard a rumble in the distance of hundreds of ponies coming down the track. In a flash the car was in my sights and I shot! The perfect picture ensued.

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The setting was surreal as the track was big enough to hit high speeds and offer plenty of racing action, but not too big to where you couldn’t see anything. We walked from one end of the track to the other and could easily see roughly 90% of the entire track. The track itself was nestled on a hillside, which offered some ups and downs thrown in with the turns. The back stretch really allowed drivers to push their cars, reaching speeds well over 100 miles per hour.

Drivers were broken down into four different run groups based on experience and speed. Each group ran for 12 minutes which resulted in each driver running roughly nine laps. The cars were non-stop, sans lunch, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each lap was a battle to get the lowest time possible. There were a few spin outs we witnessed during the day as drivers got more confident and pushed their cars. Nobody was injured, or cars hurt, just a little grass on the underside.

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Crossing It Up – Day Two 

IMG_0475On day two the thunder literally rolled, as we awoke to rain pouring from the sky. After an extremely satisfying day one, everybody was pumped and looking forward to day two at the Ohio Muscle Car Challenge. Cars fired up promptly and headed to the track, not scared of a little rain. We didn’t feel too optimistic as to how the day would turn out, but with rain ponchos in hand, we made our way to the track.

Drivers lined up and after only an hour delay due to the rain, they hit the track. The lot where the autocross was held was completely soaked, with shallow puddles in some spots. To make it even worse, there was one corner that had sand, from a previous drifting event. The first car took the track-a fox body Mustang. Surprisingly, it didn’t spin out. However, just about everybody spun out trying to maintain traction and get a lower time.

IMG_0523At first the fight was really about who could make it around the track without spinning out and maintain grip to the asphalt. Then the racing became even more exciting as the sun popped its head out, drying up the track. The lap times went from the low 40 second range and dropped a few seconds each lap for the drivers.

Eventually the track was dried out, and the fastest racers were completing the lap in the low 30 second range. Each driver kept pushing their machine, gaining a tenth of a second here and there. Even though there was a rain delay and every car competed, each driver was able to get close to fifteen runs before the day was over.

No panel? No care.

No panel? No care.

Kings Are Crowned

IMG_9405With the racing over, the results were compiled and a winner was to be crowned. Gathering in the banquet hall, everybody was eager to hear how they placed. During the entire weekend the cars were scored into two categories: ABS and Non-ABS. This generally meant old cars versus new cars, which made for exciting racing.

At the end of the day, the overall winner of the event was Bryan Johnson, in his 2014 Camaro. He had the fastest lap time on the road course over any car, at a lightening fast 1.03.387 seconds. He was fastest in his class during the autocross, however Chris Jacobs was able to squeak by Johnson in the autocross in his 1966 Chevelle, laying down a 31.936 second lap.

The combined times between the autocross and road course times crowned Johnson as the winner of the event. Also noteworthy is Larry Woo in his 1968 Camaro who won the Non-ABS class but didn’t quite have the speed to beat out Johnson for the overall win.

For a full list of all the results, click here. Below are the combined times from both the road course and autocross, divided into the two classes. Be sure to check out the full gallery of photos below! If you want to see ever more photos, check out the gallery from Day One and Day Two.

Lined up and waiting for the autocross to start.

Lined up and waiting for the autocross to start.

 Grand Champions (ABS)

Place, Combined Time, Driver, Vehicle

1 01:36.469 Bryan Johnson, 2013 Camaro
2 01:42.849 Brian Naumann, 2013 Ford Mustang
3 01:43.950 Zac Crihfield, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
4 01:44.448 Kevin Galigher, 2001 Trans Am
5 01:47.627 Ryan Kirkwood, 1999 Chevrolet Camaro
6 01:48.429 Brian Clark, 1989 Mustang GT

Grand Champions (Non-ABS)

Place, Combined Time, Driver, Vehicle

1 01:38.500 Larry Woo, 1969 Camaro
2 01:39.466 Chris Jacobs, 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle
3 01:39.575 Rich Gregory, 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
4 01:39.651 Ron Schwarz, 1966 Ford Mustang
5 01:40.221 Danny King, 1969 Chevy Camaro Z/28
6 01:40.950 Jim Stehlin, 1973 Camaro
7 01:41.019 Eric Mosco, 1970 Chevelle
8 01:41.450 Bob Bertelsen, 1969 C10 Pickup Truck
9 01:42.635 Aaron Oberle, 1965 Chevelle
10 01:43.082 Tony Ramos, 1969 chevy camaro
11 01:44.151 John Kundrat, 1964 Corvette Stingray
12 01:44.178 Ken Edwards, 1966 Mustang
13 01:45.620 Ramey Womer, 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
14 01:47.015 David Hamilton, 1979 Camaro
15 01:47.030 Lynda Jacobs, 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle
16 01:47.984 Randy Henderson, 1980 Pontiac Firebird
17 01:48.328 Mike South, 1968 Chevy Camaro
18 01:48.572 Tony Clark, 1981 Camaro
19 01:52.559 Ray Thompson, 1968 Chevy Camaro
20 01:56.115 Carl Roeger, 1968 El Camino
21 01:56.279 Nick Kistler, 1969 Chevelle Convertible

All the winners lined up.

All the winners lined up.

 

 

About the author

Tim King

Tim grew up in the garage with his Father. From those early years grew a passion for anything with a motor. Helping his Dad and brother restore a '67 Nova is what fueled Tim’s passion for cars. At the age of 15 he bought his first car, a 1966 Chevelle which he still owns to this day. That car started his journey into the automotive world where he’s done just about everything, from being an auto mechanic to an aftermarket Sales Manager. Not only is he a gear head, but he also holds two Bachelors degrees from Cal State San Bernardino.
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