Membership Magazine of Oregon Region Sports Car Club of ...
Membership Magazine of Oregon Region Sports Car Club of ...
Membership Magazine of Oregon Region Sports Car Club of ...
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Pro Drive at the Rose Cups<br />
By<br />
Todd<br />
Harris<br />
The Pro Drive Racing Team<br />
turned the 52nd Annual Rose<br />
Cup Races into their own personal<br />
playground. As the culminating<br />
event <strong>of</strong> the Portland Rose Festival,<br />
the Rose Cup features some <strong>of</strong> the<br />
best sports car racers in the country.<br />
Many high pr<strong>of</strong>ile drivers have<br />
competed in the event at Portland<br />
International Raceway over the past<br />
half century to the delight <strong>of</strong> local<br />
race fans. This year Pro Drive was<br />
ready to put its name in the record<br />
books.<br />
The co-feature race <strong>of</strong> the weekend<br />
was the Festival Trophy Race presented<br />
by Pro Drive Racing School.<br />
The 24 car field was well represented<br />
by racers from four western<br />
states and Canada. With Pro Drive<br />
Racing School sponsoring the race<br />
I really wanted our racing team to<br />
make a great showing. And we<br />
certainly did that!<br />
The weekend had plenty <strong>of</strong> festivities<br />
<strong>of</strong>f track, including a Friday<br />
night kick-<strong>of</strong>f party hosted by<br />
Rose Cup sponsor and Pro Drive<br />
alum Nick Fluge, plus a Saturday<br />
Hawaiian BBQ hosted by Pro<br />
Drive welcoming all the Spec Racer<br />
Ford drivers from out <strong>of</strong> state. We<br />
wanted to show the out-<strong>of</strong>-towners<br />
that the Rose Cup is a social event<br />
to be enjoyed by the racers as well<br />
as their family and friends.<br />
The Festival Trophy Race qualifying<br />
session was dominated by Pro<br />
Drive, with myself, Steve Fogg and<br />
Johnny Tipton grabbing the top<br />
three positions.<br />
In an unprecedented move at the<br />
promotors request, the top eight<br />
qualifiers were inverted for the start<br />
<strong>of</strong> the race. This meant Harris, Fogg<br />
and Tipton would have to start 8th,<br />
7th, and 6th! And Dan Halloran<br />
was left holding the golden ticket as<br />
he was moved to first on the grid.<br />
“When that green flag falls, the fans<br />
are going to see the widest Spec<br />
Racer Ford ever!” he exclaimed.<br />
At the start <strong>of</strong> the race, the fans in<br />
the Festival Curves grandstands<br />
got their money’s worth with the<br />
field entering turn one three cars<br />
wide! Tipton got pushed into the<br />
dirt at turn two and had to use his<br />
<strong>of</strong>f road skills to keep from hitting<br />
the outside wall. Halloran held<br />
the lead for a lap before falling into<br />
2nd place. But never fear, help was<br />
on the way as I bump drafted Dan<br />
back into the lead on lap four. Fogg<br />
was right behind me while Tipton<br />
worked his way through traffic.<br />
Midway through the<br />
race I had moved<br />
into 1st with Fogg<br />
and Tipton following.<br />
We kind <strong>of</strong> ran <strong>of</strong>f<br />
into the sunset from<br />
the rest <strong>of</strong> the field,<br />
but the race was far<br />
from decided. Fogg<br />
passed me going<br />
into turn one, only<br />
to have me repass<br />
him a couple laps<br />
later. With less than<br />
ten minutes remaining<br />
in the race, Fogg<br />
took the lead again<br />
as the teammates<br />
raced within inches<br />
<strong>of</strong> one another. I<br />
made a final bid for<br />
the lead only three<br />
laps from the finish<br />
and won the race by<br />
a mere three tenths<br />
<strong>of</strong> a second over<br />
Fogg. Tipton rounded out the all-<br />
Pro Drive podium with a 3rd place<br />
finish. Halloran crossed the line 7th<br />
with Goudy in 9th after they made<br />
contact mid race. Finishing 10th<br />
was Irishman William Costello, who<br />
did a few donuts for his countrymen<br />
in the stands after the race.<br />
Weller finished 16th and Freireich<br />
was 20th after a late race spin.<br />
“That was a hell <strong>of</strong> a race!” is<br />
exactly what I said in the winners<br />
circle. “It was all I could do to hold<br />
<strong>of</strong>f Fogg for the win. He and Tipton<br />
have really become top-notch<br />
drivers over the past few years. I’m<br />
proud to have them as teammates.<br />
And today marks the 40th anniversary<br />
<strong>of</strong> my dad’s first Rose Cup<br />
victory. What a cool way to spend<br />
Father’s Day with him!”<br />
This truly was a race weekend that<br />
brought back memories <strong>of</strong> Rose<br />
Cup races from the glory years.<br />
2012 Test Days<br />
$ 400<br />
Sign-up: www.prodrive.net<br />
or call 503.285.4449<br />
March 15<br />
April 27<br />
May 17 No Chicane<br />
July 12<br />
August 10<br />
September 6<br />
June 14 - Rose Cup Test Day - $500<br />
SAVE $100 by pre-registering at www.prodrive.net<br />
• Spec Racer Ford Rentals<br />
• Road Racing School<br />
• Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Coaching<br />
• Skid<strong>Car</strong> Courses<br />
• High Performance Driving<br />
www.prodrive.net • 503.285.4449<br />
Portland International Raceway<br />
Loud Pedal 15
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