The Championship Cup Series (CCS) made its fourth and final visit to Summit Point. The weekend started with the annual MARRC Track Day, finding over 50 riders taking advantage of one of the few Friday motorcycle practices at Summit Point. But the 3-day weekend started on a gloomy note, with sprinkles of rain drifting over the area. But the threat was short-lived, and the sun returned to warm the track. Although sprinkles again returned during the Amateur GT3 on Saturday, the hot sun riegned over the Shenandoah Valley for the rest of the weekend.
Just over 200 racers arrived who chose this event over the Formula USA round at Pocono, and the NASB event at Road Atlanta. And the racing did not disappoint.
The Expert GT1 race proved to be one of the more interesting races of the day. Curious eyes turned toward the grid when Jeff Atwell was forced of the starting line when the safety wire on the oil cap on his Yamaha R1 came loose. After re-installing the clip, he started from pit out while the rest of the pack was entering Turn 1. But by mid-race, Atwell had not only taken his R1 up to the race leaders, but passed them for first place. However, Atwell's luck would not hold out long, because a loose alternator connection caused the battery to drain and lose its charge. The R1 began to lose power, and on the last lap, the 8-second lead he had built during the race dwindled until he was retaken, forcing Atwell to settle for 6th place.
Lightweight SportBike provided close action, demonstrating that the lightweight class is grows more competitive every season. Steve Clark took the early lead, gaining a slight advantage over the rest of the field. But Ronald Gilbert was busy working his way up through the pack, catching Clark and battling with him for the lead. Right behind him came George Puckhaber, and after Gilbert took control of the race, Clark and Puckhaber traded places for the last half of the 8-lap race. Although Clark lead out of Turn 10, Puckhaber's Ducati carried the day, passing Clark on his EX500 just before the finish line.