Great Lakes region combined double regional event with Mid West region at Putnam Park. The second race for both regions was held on May 17th and 18th.

Qualifying was challenging and racing was good with over 40 cars on track spread among 13 classes from Super Unlimited to Honda Challenge and GTS.  Navigating through lapped traffic played into the strategy. The AI field was 10 strong with the AIX field of 4.  The top 4 AI qualified within a half a second of each other which promised a good race for the fans who lined the fence to watch.  Dave Algozine was awarded pole position with a 1:18.44 followed by Greg Walker, Matt Erickson, Jay Andrew, Jeff Feit, Scot Young, Todd Rogers, Steve Poe, Kevin Benoit and Mark Kauffman.  The start of the race proved interesting as the field quickly traded positions as the AI drivers out torqued the GTS cars into turn one. Algozine and walker had a very tight battle as they both went side by side through turns 8 and 9. Algozine went two wheels into the dirt through the inside of turn nine and got loose and unfortunately ended up  going off the outside as the wet grass sucked him into the muck created from the heavy rains the day before.  The race was shortened by two sessions following the pace car.  On the second restart Andrew got a strong jump on walker and took the lead to finish the race in first place followed by Walker and Erickson and Feit.

Saturday’s AIX race was lead by Chris Griswold with a blistering 1:15.2 fast lap until lap 4 when his oil pump spud gave up.  Elliott Fisher who started at the back of the pack for not making qualifying won the race followed by Wad Gagich and Tom Schneidau.

Sunday’s AI race started by using the qualifying order from Saturday.  Again the racing was thrilling to watch for the fans as the top 4 or 5 drivers traded position from the start of the race to the finish.  Finishing first was Algozine followed by Erickson within .3 of a second and Andrew down by 2.

In AIX Griswold was able to get his bazillion horsepower machine back together to take the win on Sunday.  Wade Gagich followed in second place then Schneidau.  Fisher had a good run until he stripped an axle spline and had to bow out before seeing the checkered flag.

Next month the series heads to the Grattan “roller coaster” outside Grand Rapids, Michigan.  This will be another exciting show combined with the Midwest region in a dual regional show down with the 3rd race for the championship.

Respectfully submitted,