Modified Tuner Shootout - Final Results

Once the smoke cleared and the scores were tabulated, GST Motorsports once again found themselves being crowned Modified Tuner Shootout AWD and overall champions. This three-peat as king of the Shootout is a testament to this tight-knit team's ability to build a well-rounded race car that not only makes tons of power but also delivers that power to the road in a very usable way. Of course, it doesn't hurt having a top-notch driver like Gary Sheehan behind the wheel, but it's the dogged determination of Mike Warfield and his crew of merry men to continually find new ways to make their legendary GC Impreza faster and stronger that's key to their continued Shootout success.

During their previous two attempts at Shootout glory, World Racing has had more than their fair share of bad luck. Two years ago, while looking like a possible overall winner, a snapped axle on the dragstrip ended their chances. This year's effort wasn't without its challenges, from Rado's frustration on the autocross course to the gearing and setup problems on the dragstrip and the fire-shortened time attack session, yet somehow this professional outfit managed to keep their driver cool and their amazing Scion tC in the hunt, the reward being the FWD class championship and a second place finish overall. Perhaps we'll be lucky enough to see World Racing's new AWD Scion tC in action at the Shootout next year.

Tage Evanson is the hardest working man at Firebird during the Shootout, since it's also NASA AZ's biggest race weekend of the year. And yet despite all the added pressure and demands on his time, somehow Tage managed to win the autocross event, finish an astounding second place in the drag event and place an impressive fourth in the time attack. These consistently high placings meant Tage finally cracked the top 3 overall, having placed fourth overall last year and fifth overall the year before.

Full-Race nearly had a three-peat of its own with a third top 3 finish in a row, but Tage's surprise performance on the dragstrip was just enough to bump Full-Race's R14 down into the four spot and second in the AWD group. Still, the R14 showed huge performance potential, so we're hoping to see it in action again next year, since Full-Race owner and engineer Geoff Raicer will no doubt work tirelessly to further refine its setup. In fact, rumor has it that Geoff's planning to build a full-on race version of his R14, since the car he used this year was originally built as a street car and still retains much of its street car interior and amenities.

AQ Motorsports proved the old adage that to finish first, first you must finish. AFI Turbo's S2000 was looking very strong until we heard those first signs of trouble during the drag event, but a good performance in the time attack would've secured a RWD class championship and a top 3 finish overall. But as we've already explained, it wasn't meant to be for AFI and that opened the door for AQ Motorsports' S2000, which is a sort of sister car to AFI's given that both run AFI turbo kits. So really it was a win for AFI and AQ in either case, both cars showing just how attractive and competitive a platform the S2000 really is.

At the bottom of the overall ranking we had our hard-luck teams. UMS Tuning finished in ninth place because of the DNF it suffered during the autocross event, and then Tony wisely decided to safely get the car through the remaining events without incurring any further damage. Coz Motorsports was also dealt a severe blow by having its time attack session spoiled by the fire, but Jim's performance on the dragstrip and his good cheer throughout the weekend was more than enough for a number of the Modified crew to declare his NSX their personal favorite.

Sportcar Motion didn't have much luck either, with a thrown connecting rod bringing what should have been its strongest event to an abrupt and messy end. We definitely expect bigger and better things from SCM next year, since Renzo and Loi are now focusing their efforts on their supercharged EG. I think these guys are finally tired of being horsepower underdogs!

Thanks to NASA AZ, UMS Tuning, AFI Turbo and title sponsor Continental Tire for all the sweat equity and support! Let's do it again next year.