Tyler Palmer is the 2011 944 Spec National Champion. The 17 year old phenom demonstrated judgment beyond his years, and incredible versatility adapting to the changing conditions. Palmer finished in P7 for the first qualifying race, P1 in the second qualifying race. In the Championship race, he went from his P3 starting position to first in the first corner, deftly avoiding Eric Kuhns who spinning in after being tapped from behind in slippery conditions. This heads up move was key! Well done Tyler (and thanks!).
Drivers from 4 regions fill the top five - a national Nationals!
P1- Tyler Pamer - SoCal
P2 -Eric Kuhns - MW
P3 - Neal Agran - MW
P4- David Dirks - RM
P5- Phillip Fromme - Texas
Despite changing conditions in almost every race over 4 days, on a track that is legendary for being treacherous in the wet, the only car contact was bumper to bumper, and resulted in *no* damage (got to love 944 bumper shocks!). I can't state how big an achievement this is for the class in these conditions, and at this level of competition - wait until you guys see the in car videos! Conditions changed for every race - 1st qualifying race was wet to dry, 2nd was all dry, and the skys opened 15 minutes before the start of the Championship race.
Cinderella story:
Neal Agran (RL "KLR") buys new axles for this event, “just to be safe”. He then proceeds to shred 3 CV joints over the first 3 days of the event, never completing a full lap in the qualifying races. He then reinstalls the axles he took out, and storms from dead last to P2 in the Championship race, making over a dozen passes, and putting on a clinic on racing in the rain, before finishing in P3. Wow!
Agran also put on an actual clinic, using Traqmate data, satellite views of each corner, and a lot of hard won tips on how to navigate Mid-Ohio at speed. Traqmate data was freely shared throughout the 944 Spec compound, resulting in some fascinating comparisons, and a lot of fast drivers. Despite laying it all out there, Agran still schooled most of the field. 944 Spec sportsmanship at its finest!
The 2011 944 Spec Nationals, was racing at its highest level, done as it ought to be. The performance and sportsmanship demonstrated by 944 Spec drivers was outstanding, noticed by many, and appreciated by NASA. Yes, I'm bragging, but these guys earned it! Racing does not get more clean, exciting, or close! Particular thanks also goes to Bennington Motorsports for their trackside support of the class. Their tireless efforts kept every car entered running for the start of the Championship race, after 3+ days of hard racing.
Over $8,000 of cash and prizes were awarded - AIM data systems, fire suits & surpression systems, Go Pro Cameras, and more than $5K in cash from Toyo, Grassroots Motorsports, and others!
