Published: August 21, 2007 10:11 am         

Matt Felten Wins

Felten holds ground at Sizzler Autocross event

WILEY FORD, W.Va. - Cumberland's annual July Summer Sizzler autocross usually catches visiting autocross hotshots in their best peak season form.

This year, however, an unusually well-prepared field awaited five-time National SCCA Solo2 Champ Larry Shauf from Hollidaysburg, Pa. and veteran McLean, Va. driver Chuck Sieber, leading to some surprising results at the fourth of six events in the Miller Lite Cumberland Airport Autocross Series.

On Saturday, local driver Matt Felten's B-Mod class Reynard Ford, coming off a ninth-place overall finish at the Polish Mountain Hill Climb, paced the 90-car field and captured Fast Time Of The Day (FTD) with a 46.961 second pass.

Defending national SCCA D-Mod champ Larry Shauf's Coventry Climax powered Lotus finished a distant second, 1.759 seconds back. The third fastest on the day was Jason Becker, driving the BMW Coupe that carried him to FTD here in May. Rising Capital Area Cobra Club star Fred Kelley claimed his first Cumberland top five, finishing fourth, just ahead of the ZO6 Corvette of Virginian Jim Harris.

Sunday was a different story as Chuck Sieber pushed his Buick V6 powered E-Mod Lotus down into the 45-second range to grab FTD for the day. Shauf made it a pair of seconds on the weekend, clipping still-hot Matt Felten by a scant .095-second margin. Kelley repeated his fourth-place finish. Car owner John Felten snagged another top five to put on the family Reynard's resume.

The tightly contested Street Mod category provided an entertaining battle all weekend long, with Karl Loper driving his black Camaro to the class win both days. Pennsylvania standout Tracy McCabe and local Mustang driver Ken Bane swapped second and third place, with McCabe grabbing second on Saturday, Bane on Sunday.

Other double winners for the weekend in contested classes included Buddy Haines (BS Nissan), Larry Zajdel (DS Audi TT), Alex Kelley (ES Mazda), Rob Robeson (HS Dodge), Bill Nyga (DSP Corvette), Dave Williams (EP Porsche), Sieber (EM Lotus), Shauf (DM Lotus), Matt Felten (BM Reynard), Paul Pryzborski (ST BMW), Becker (SM2 BMW) and Fred Kelley (XP Cobra).

Local Saturday winners in contested classes included Andy Lindner (GS Dodge). Local Sunday winners in contested classes included Ed Lutman (FS Thunderbird) and Gary Miller (SS Z06 Corvette).

Local drivers in the Saturday top 25 included John Felten, 10th; Tink Phillips (XP Daytona), 14th; Loper, 15th; Pete Harrison (AS Honda), 19th; and Gary Miller, 22nd.

Local Sunday top 25 drivers included Greg Honeycutt (BM Reynard SF), 7th; Miller, 10th; Phillips, 11th; Loper, 12th; Bane, 13th; Steve Hotchkiss (AS Corvette), 16th; and Harrison, 19th.

Complete results can be found on-line at nationalroadrally.com.