2004 Season Races #10 and #11
Portland International Raceway 6/13/2004

We’re midway through the 2004 season, and the 4/Flight S2 Cup series comes to Portland for the Rose Cup Festival races. There is an active S2 group on the Pacific Northwest, and they provide formidable competition. Tom Nelson, Mark Shue and John Bachofner have already joined us at 4 Flight events this season, and Nik Johnson from the UK is using the Northwest Nationals to qualify for the Runoffs and develop the 2004 Van Diemen. The Scuderia Correll team arrived a couple of days early to get some seat time for Scott Brink who hadn’t driven Portland previously. It obviously paid off, as his lap times were among the best DB-5 times ever seen at Portland.

The ever optimistic Portland weather report called for "partly sunny" conditions, and competitors were greeted with the usual cloudy/sprinkling/clearing constantly changing conditions -- although, it was less rainy than sometimes in the past.

National qualifying took place following a small shower with clear skies on the way. All the S2 competitors were on slicks, and the track was drying throughout the session. Nik Johnson turned a 1:21 in those conditions (fifth overall out of 30 entrants), Jeff Littrell was in second spot with a 1:23, then it was the Portland contingent of Bill Bachofner, John Brewer, John Bachofner, who all qualified within a tenth of a second at 1:25. The rest of the grid was David Ferguson, Tom Nelson, Eric Giroski, Christian Nelson, Fred Michael, Scott Brink, and Leo Giroski.

With the damp qualifying session, the grid was a real jumble as some of the faster cars were definitely situated mid-pack for the start. The start had a typical PIR melee, with a couple of DSRs going sideways, and several cars were forced to retire with body/suspension damage.

Both Bachofners got past Littrell for 2nd and 3rd spot while Ferguson and the rest of the pack fought their way through the CSR/DSR chicanes. Littrell got a run on the notoriously-hard-to-pass John Bachofner and John leaned the Swift into the Lola a little bit all the way down the front dragstrip straight. Neither car pulled an inch over the other but Littrell had the inside line and a slightly later braking point into the Festivals to grab 3rd spot and set his sights on brother Bill. A lap or so later Littrell was tucked under the tail of Bill’s Swift out of the Festival curves when Bill missed a shift. The resulting contact put a big hole in Littrell’s Lola nose and almost sent both cars into the grass but they both managed to stay on track.

John Brewer was fighting small mechanical gremlins and both Giroski Tiga Wasps were off early while both Nelsons were driving particularly well. Even Fred Michael’s Reynard looked less evil than usual and he was able to put down some respectable lap times in the new blue and green liveried turtle.

After a few laps, someone dumped oil from the back straight all the way to T12, and this caught several cars out, and forced a full course caution and eventually a black flag all. As the race restarted, it would now be a timed affair, with approximately 20 minutes left. The S2 field was now more bunched. Nik Johnson was in the lead, with a a four-formula car cushion over Bill Bachofner and Littrell. Littrell was able to pass Bill on the restart and began making inroads into Johnson’s lead. At the same time, Ferguson began to make his charge, drafting by the Bachofners on the straight, and setting his sights on the front runners. Having dispatched with cars between them, Littrell and Johnson were having a big battle. Littrell managed to pass Johnson on the outside of turn 5, taking the lead for a couple laps but Johnson was very good under braking very late into the Festival curves and eventually got past Littrell. The two cars left the Festival side by side but Johnson took no mind and used all the racing room to the right, forcing Littrell to back out. Not giving up easily, Littrell put his nose inside Johnson at the next corner but Johnson aggressively took the room he felt he deserved and the ensuing contact sent Littrell into a slow spin. The CSR of John Master tried to go around on the outside, but Littrell was rolling backward and they make contact. Ferguson was just far enough back to slow and squeeze by on the inside.

Johnson was struggling for grip and balance and Ferguson was able to pull along side on the front straight, side-by-side in the braking zone, Nik held to the outside as they entered the festival curve right hander. Ferguson left enough what he thought was enough room on the inside of the left hander, but Johnson’s car is 5 inches wider than everyone else’s and, with two wheel off the ground, the two Van Diemens had side-to-side contact. This slowed Johnson, and Ferguson was able to capitalize and gain a small gap over the next lap. The finishing order was Ferguson, Johnson, Bill Bachofner, John Bachofner, Jeff Littrell, Tom Nelson, Christian Nelson, Scott Brink, and Fred Michael.

Car No	Driver		Make	Qual Time	Qual Pos	Finish
57	David	Ferguson	Van Diemen	1:26.771	6	1
88	Nik	Johnson	Van Diemen	1:21.611	1	2
36	Bill	Bachofner	Swift	1:25.019	3	3
37	John	Bachofner	Swift	1:25.159	5	4
1	Jeff	Littrell	Lola	1:23.548	2	5
20	Tom	Nelson	Swift	1:26.790	7	6
10	Chistian	Nelson	Tiga	1:28.974	9	7
4	Scott	Brink	Swift	1:31.463	11	8
56	Fred	Michael	Reynard	1:29.456	10	9
22	John	Brewer	Swift	1:25.078	4	10
16	Eric	Giroski	Tiga Wasp	1:28.519	8	DNF
17	Leo	Giroski	Tiga Wasp	1:31.588	12	DNF
28	John	Kraft	Tiga		13	DNF

Three Swifts, a Lola, and Ferguson’s Van Diemen were all faster in the National race than Johnson’s Van Diemen, with Bill Bachofner setting fast race lap at a 1:19.868. Unfortunately for most of them, Johnson’s crew was able to cure his handling ills with a new set of tires for Regional qualifying, and he blitzed the field with a "stonking" (UK speak for amazing) 1:18.0 to take the Pettibone Builders Pole Position eagle trophy for the weekend. Littrell was second in S2 with 1:19.3, and Ferguson and Brink were almost tied with 1:19.648 and 1:19.670 respectively. Again the Portland contingent of Bill Bachofner, John Bachofner and John Brewer were all within 3 tenths of a second at 1:20.2, and Tom Nelson, Leo and Eric Giroski, Christian Nelson, and Fred Michael completed the grid, with the SS2 of Larry Bergman in for the Regional as well.

The weather was "partly sunny" for the regional race. A waved off first start (when someone tried to jump the start -- let’s just say it was hard to say what color the car was), gave everyone an additional chance to warm their tires, and when the green flag dropped they went racing. Ferguson was around Littrell quickly, then the two front runners started hammering down the lap times. 1:19.6, 1:19.2, 1:18.8, 1:18.5, 1:18.3 -- Ferguson would eventually set fast lap with a 1:18.2 (a new track record). Johnson’s car was benefiting from some tuning work by Jay Ivey and was now much stronger in the straights, and the Avon tyres (more UK speak) were working well. Ferguson had trimmed his car out for even more straight-line speed but it wasn’t enough to allow the same drafting pass as had worked on the National race. After more banging of bodywork, Johnson came out on top.

Behind him, Jeff Littrell finished third. John Bachofner and Scott Brink battled for much of the race, with tight close quarters racing and a little contact. After a short run through the gravel John caught back up and threw down a Banzai pass to get both Brink and a Radical at the same time. Brink saw it coming and wisely decided that if he turned in he would become a Bachofner shish-ka-bob. Bachofner later admitted that he just barely managed to save it but save it he did, pipping Brink for 4th spot, but Brink has probably learned a thing or two for the next time they meet.

Speaking of which, next time will be at Laguna Seca, always popular and sure to have a large 4 Flight field.

Car No	Driver		Make	Qual Time	Qual Pos	Finish
88	Nik	Johnson	Van Diemen	1:18.034	1	1
57	David	Ferguson	Van Diemen	1:19.648	3	2
1	Jeff	Littrell	Lola	1:19.305	2	3
37	John	Bachofner	Swift	1:20.290	6	4
4	Scott	Brink	Swift	1:19.670	4	5
16	Eric	Giroski	Tiga Wasp	1:21.343	10	6
20	Tom	Nelson	Swift	1:21.193	8	7
10	Chistian	Nelson	Tiga	1:21.809	11	8
17	Leo	Giroski	Tiga Wasp	1:21.325	9	9
56	Fred	Michael	Reynard	1:23.530	12	10
22	John	Brewer	Swift	1:20.515	7	DNF
36	Bill	Bachofner	Swift	1:20.225	5	DNS
84	Larry	Bergman	Tiga	1:25.320	13	DNS

Uncle Freddie's 90th birthday party cost Joe Moran his healthy lead in the 2004 Championship. Ferguson has now tied him up, with Littrell not far behind. See the Standings page for all the details.

For more photos from this event, check out the Photo Gallery