Summit Point, July 8

Great weather and a huge crowd greeted the main Honda Challenge feature race for the 5th Annual Hyperfest sponsored by Hankook Tires. Nearly thirty Honda Challenge cars lined up for the Saturday feature race along with several other classes, which brought the field to a record sixty cars.

The heavy traffic provided for both exciting action and caution as the fastest H1 cars had to contend with the much slower Spec Miata class and various other classes. Things looked promising at the start when Flatoutracing’s Jon Kofod, who was making his return to Honda Challenge for the first time in 2006 since winning back to back championships, got a great start and made up four positions in the first few hundred feet.

Kofod qualified a meager 4th in H4, behind the RS Integra of Ryan Jenkins (pole position), Integra LS of Wendell Holmes, and the return of 2003 Honda Challenge Champion Lyonel Kent in his Honda Civic. The standing start proved exciting as Kofod got around both Holmes and Kent in the first few hundred feet and had pulled along side pole sitter Jenkins as the two drag raced to the first corner. Jenkins was able to keep his position with Kofod in second.

On the second lap a double yellow followed by a black flag came out at all stations due to a serious incident involving two Spec Miatas in turn 7. The field was directed back into the pits and re-grided back to their original pre race positions.

This time Kofod was unable to duplicate his great start and had to tuck in behind Jenkins and Holmes for the first few laps. On lap six, Holmes made an optimistic lunge down the inside of a faster H2 car and had contact. The resulting contact forced Kofod to go wide into the dirt in turn one and allowed Kent, Flatoutracing teammate Andrew Zimmermann and 2002 H1 Champion James Evens (H4 Honda CRX) to all get by. Holmes was unable to continue but Kofod got back on track and one by one got by Zimmermann and Kent.

At this stage pole sitter Ryan Jenkins had checked out but Kofod and Evans worked together to catch up to Jenkins on lap eight. Evans got through heavy traffic and got by Jenkins the same lap. It took Kofod another lap to fight through traffic before he too caught Jenkins who was struggling with engine troubles. The final result would be JE Import’s Evans first, Kofod second, and Jenkins holding on to 3rd place. Flatoutracing teammate Zimmermann finished 5th.

“I would have liked to won the race, but it was a tough weekend with over sixty cars on the grid. I don’t think I had a clean lap the entire weekends and qualifying was simply a matter of trying to be cautious in traffic” noted Kofod.

“I would once again like to thank Hankook for their support this weekend. Their tires were perfect once again and we set fastest lap during the race for the third consecutive weekend.” Next up is Kofod’s return to the SCCA MARRS Championship at Summit Point next week where he currently lies second in the championship.