AURORA DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Round 4

Over 40,000 spectators lined the river bank on the Ohio in Lesko Park this weekend to watch Formula 2 and Formula 3 powerboats fight for the title of Central Divisional Champion.  This is a very special venue for the team it is the location we won our first Regional Championship.

The course was a 32 - 34 second 5-pin oval course with a dog-leg on the front stretch.

Due to the high boat count the series opted to separate the Formula 3 class into two qualifying heats consisting of a one-lap time trial and two 10-lap qualifying heats.  Qualifying heats were split by the series, our team was placed in qualifying Heat B along with the majority of competitive teams.  We raced against National Champions Sam Miller and Sam La Banco and Divisional Champion Mike Hooper.  We knew it would be an extremely challenging qualifying heat.


TIME TRIALS AND QUALIFYING

The team was able to secure the second fasted time during the one lap time trial.  We lined up on the start dock for the first of two 10-lap qualifying heats.

As the white flag dropped we were able to run along side the #7 of Miller.   Miller having the inside advantage we were unable to pass and finish a strong 2nd. 

The boats lined up for Qualifying heat B in the reverse order.  We were now at the end of the dock and again finding ourselves at a major disadvantage. With the majority of the teams having championship titles under there belts it was going to be a very hard race.  During the 10-lap qualifying heat boats 2 - 5 were bunched together and running hot.  We finished 4th in qualifying Heat B and an accumulation of points gave us an overall 3rd in our qualifying group.  The series only took the top two boats, we were placed into the last chance qualifier (LCQ) Sunday morning.

LCQ

Eight boats were placed in the 10-lap LCQ and were racing for position on the start dock for the 20-lap final. We had poll on the start-dock and as the flag dropped we were able to hold off the competition and win the LCQ lining us 5th on the start dock.

FINAL

The 20-lap final was the most competitive races of the season, the boats were very closely matched. We grabbed a 4th place finish off the start and pressuring the 3rd place boat while trying to blocking 5th and 6th place. This was the first event of the season we were not on the podium but it had great racing and lots of dedicated fans.

Special thanks to our incredible sponsors including Peters and May, Lucas Oil, Digatron USA, Lithium Pro's and ofcourse our incredible team, Sam Haraway, Claudia Harway, Dave McCormick, Mark Jakob and a special honorary teammate the Good Kenny Lightfoot! 

LCQ: Fighting for 5th place

Fan of the weekend, Aj Johnson

FORMULA 3 NORTH EAST DIVISIONL CHAMPIONSHIPS - HUNTINGTON, WV

The Northeast Divisional Championships were held in Huntington, WV.  Races were run in conjunction with the towns famous Harris Riverfront Park Rib Fest.  The course was a left turn, oval approximately 32 - 34 seconds in length.  Race organizers planned a one-lap time trail, two 10-lap qualifiers and a 20-lap final.

Saturday's Formula 3 program was rescheduled due to water and wind conditions.  The full program was raced on Sunday.

TIME TRIALS

Wind and water conditions died down from the day before.  The team received a strong 3rd place time trials result we then lined up for the two 10-lap qualifying heats.

QUALIFYING

Qualifying Heat 1, the team started 3rd off the dock and raced to a 2nd place finish.  An accident on the course removed two boats (C. Reno and S. DiNicolantonia) from the qualifying heat races.

Qualifying Heat 2, the officiating staff reversed the order of the start, allowing the slower boat a better starting position on the dock.  The team was now positioned third last on the dock and at a disadvantage.  As the white flag dropped we worked our way to second place.  The leader, Sam Miller spun out and race officials had to restart the qualifying heat with four laps to go.  During the restart the pink #8 was out front from the start and not challenged for position.  Overall the team won qualifying and lined up for the final on pole position.

FINAL

The Formula 3 final was scheduled after completion of the Formula 2 final.  The wind picked up and water conditions were rough with white-caps on the water.  As the white flag dropped we were the first to enter the commitment buoy and turns 1 & 2.  However, rough water condition in 3 & 4 allowed us to skip out and we eventually lost the first two positions and settled into 3rd.

It was a strong finish and another podium for the team, however, I have work to do before our next race.  We now slipped from the Formula 3 Series Points Lead into 2nd place.  We are half way through  the 2012 season and must keep fighting for strong finishes in this competitive class.

Thanks to our incredible crew, Sam Haraway, Mark Jakob, Ken Adams, Jr, Claudia Haraway and a special thank you to Dave McCormick for helping on the dock.

Thank you to our incredible sponsors Peters and May, Lucas Oil, Digatron USA, and Lithium Pro's for your continued support.


TELEVISION

The Northeast Divisional Championships will be televised by Fox Sports Net – Ohio to 5.7 million subscribers in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania. The Romesburg Media program will be a thirty-minute program with a highlight segment of the F3 race. The show is scheduled to premier on September 17, 2012 at 9:30 PM (prime time). We will keep you informed on our social media sites.

FACEBOOK

http://www.facebook.com/TammyWolfRacing?ref=hl

Photo courtesy of Jared Romesburg

Photo courtesy of Jared Romesburg

SERIES POINTS LEADER

We were informed by Powerboat Superleague that our team is the current Formula 3 points leader.  We are very excited, this is the first time that we are in the points lead for Formula 3.  Although the margin is very narrow, only 10 points between us and 2nd place we need to take this opportunity to thank our incredible sponsors Peters & May, Lucas Oil, Digraton USA, Teamtech Motorsports, NecksGen, and our newest addition to the TWR family, Lithium Pros.  I personally would like to thank my crew chief, Sam Haraway, Mark Jakob, Claudia Haraway for there dedication and commitment.


Formula 3 is one of the competitive classes in tunnel boat racing in North American.  The team has a lot of work to do and will continue to fight for a competitive and successful season.  

Runner-Up 2012 Regional Championship - Marietta, OH 

The three weeks between events have been spent modifying our set-up and studying race footage.  We hope this makes a positive change and gives us an advantage.


Our next event is the Divisional Championships in Huntington, WV.  The team will stay at the Comfort Inn, 249 Mall Road, Barboursville, WV 304-733-2122.  We invite everyone to join us.


Fox Sports Net will televise this event to over 5.7 millions homes in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania.  The show will premier on September 17 at 9:30 p.m. (prime time).  

During the Divisional Championships, the team welcomes back LaBanco Racing.  Sam LaBanco is a Hall of Champions recipient, won numerous National Championships and High Points Championships.  

In an already extremely competitive class the competition just got a lot tougher.   

First Runner-Up 2012 North American Championship - Pittsburgh, PA

TELEVISION:

The 2012 North American Championships will premier on Monday, August 6th at 5:00 p.m. on Roots Sports.  This will be an hour long program featuring both Formula 2 and 3 classes.  We will keep you well informed of the show schedule.

A fun lap with Skeeter Paste sponsored entry

Thanks to all of our fans, friends, sponsors and team for there continued supports.  You have been wonderful.


Be sure to check our our website:


http://www.tammywolfracing.com/