Rich Wesorick
Enthusiast
VIPERSPEED DRIVERS KNOX AND LOTH FINISH 1-2 AT HALLETT
In his first ever visit to the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit this past weekend, Texan Dan Knox won the SCCA T1 race in his No. 10 Bobby Archer Motorsports / ViperSpeed Viper. The victory was Dan’s second consecutive win in a National T1 race after obtaining his National license just a month ago. Dan’s win was not the only thing the ViperSpeed team had to celebrate though, as Dr. Deborah Loth’s second place finish in her No. 23 Bobby Archer Motorsports / ViperSpeed Viper clinched the Midwest Division T1 Championship for her.
Qualifying for the T1 race was held Sunday (8/18) morning and was bittersweet for the ViperSpeed team. Dan Knox grabbed the pole in the T1 class, which included the Corvette Z06 of fellow Texan and SCCA Runoffs competitor Kevin Mixon, while Dr. Loth did not even post a qualifying time. During the first lap of the qualifying session, the right front shock broke on Loth’s Viper. Following the qualifying session, the ViperSpeed crew worked feverishly to repair the broken shock because they did not have a replacement part with them. With only a few minutes to spare before the start of the T1 race, the repair work was completed and Dr. Loth drove up to the grid.
Without a qualifying time, Dr. Loth was forced to start the race, which included 28 cars from the GT1, GT2, GT3, AS, EP, T1, and T2 classes, from the back of the field. Unsure of how her repaired shock would work, Loth took it easy through the first half of the race. Meanwhile, Knox and Mixon had a pretty intense battle and traded the lead in T1 several times. As Loth became more comfortable with her car’s drivability, she picked up the pace and began gaining on the T1 leaders. Midway through the race, Loth passed Mixon for second place and also set the fast race lap for the T1 class with a time of 1:25.5. Loth was unable to catch up though to her ViperSpeed teammate Knox who drove an excellent race on his way to a five second margin of victory.
All in all, it was a very successful weekend for the ViperSpeed team. Just like her mentor Bobby Archer, Loth won the T1 Championship in her Division and will likely not race again until the Valvoline Runoffs in September at Mid-Ohio. Knox, who is also trying to qualify to race his Viper in the Runoffs, will get his first look at the Mid-Ohio track this coming weekend in an SCCA National T1 race on Sunday (8/25). With T1 podium contenders John Heinricy, Tom Lyons, and Scotty White all planning to enter this weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio, Knox will get a good look at some of the competitive Z06’s that will be racing in the Runoffs.
More information on Bobby Archer, Dr. Loth, and Dan Knox can be found at www.bobbyarchermotorsports.com and www.viperspeed.com.
In his first ever visit to the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit this past weekend, Texan Dan Knox won the SCCA T1 race in his No. 10 Bobby Archer Motorsports / ViperSpeed Viper. The victory was Dan’s second consecutive win in a National T1 race after obtaining his National license just a month ago. Dan’s win was not the only thing the ViperSpeed team had to celebrate though, as Dr. Deborah Loth’s second place finish in her No. 23 Bobby Archer Motorsports / ViperSpeed Viper clinched the Midwest Division T1 Championship for her.
Qualifying for the T1 race was held Sunday (8/18) morning and was bittersweet for the ViperSpeed team. Dan Knox grabbed the pole in the T1 class, which included the Corvette Z06 of fellow Texan and SCCA Runoffs competitor Kevin Mixon, while Dr. Loth did not even post a qualifying time. During the first lap of the qualifying session, the right front shock broke on Loth’s Viper. Following the qualifying session, the ViperSpeed crew worked feverishly to repair the broken shock because they did not have a replacement part with them. With only a few minutes to spare before the start of the T1 race, the repair work was completed and Dr. Loth drove up to the grid.
Without a qualifying time, Dr. Loth was forced to start the race, which included 28 cars from the GT1, GT2, GT3, AS, EP, T1, and T2 classes, from the back of the field. Unsure of how her repaired shock would work, Loth took it easy through the first half of the race. Meanwhile, Knox and Mixon had a pretty intense battle and traded the lead in T1 several times. As Loth became more comfortable with her car’s drivability, she picked up the pace and began gaining on the T1 leaders. Midway through the race, Loth passed Mixon for second place and also set the fast race lap for the T1 class with a time of 1:25.5. Loth was unable to catch up though to her ViperSpeed teammate Knox who drove an excellent race on his way to a five second margin of victory.
All in all, it was a very successful weekend for the ViperSpeed team. Just like her mentor Bobby Archer, Loth won the T1 Championship in her Division and will likely not race again until the Valvoline Runoffs in September at Mid-Ohio. Knox, who is also trying to qualify to race his Viper in the Runoffs, will get his first look at the Mid-Ohio track this coming weekend in an SCCA National T1 race on Sunday (8/25). With T1 podium contenders John Heinricy, Tom Lyons, and Scotty White all planning to enter this weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio, Knox will get a good look at some of the competitive Z06’s that will be racing in the Runoffs.
More information on Bobby Archer, Dr. Loth, and Dan Knox can be found at www.bobbyarchermotorsports.com and www.viperspeed.com.
