Top Ten Speed Stop - 4th Annual Optima Invitational

Brian Finch was set to compete in his silver second-gen, but an engine fire prior to the event put his Camaro on the bench. Luckily, he was able to borrow Mark Turner’s LS-powered and DSE-equipped ’69 Camaro, finishing in the top 10 for the road course, Speed/Stop, and autocross. This consistency resulted in him securing a Sixth Place overall, which is something to be really proud of, especially in a backup car. We’re pretty sure that cone wedged under his car counts as a “plus one”.

Brian Finch was set to compete in his silver second-gen, but an engine fire prior to the e
Allan Miller of BMR Fabrication brought out his ’10 SS for some track action. On the road course he turned in a best lap of 1:59.049, and he knocked down a 7.846 in the Speed/Stop challenge.

Allan Miller of BMR Fabrication brought out his ’10 SS for some track action. On the road
We really dug Dan Livezey’s flared-out ’60 Corvette. He knocked down a 1:58.199 on the road course and came in 11th at the autocross with a 40.581-second run.

We really dug Dan Livezey’s flared-out ’60 Corvette. He knocked down a 1:58.199 on the roa

Mary Pozzi piloted the Camaro that won the inaugural Optima event and she did well driving her ’73 last year. This year Pozzi, in her completely rebuilt car, killed the autocross with a Second Place run of 39.414 seconds. On the road course she ran a 1:53.102 (11th Place) and in the Speed/Stop Challenge came in Fourth, with a best time of 7.413. This was especially impressive given her lack of ABS. It all combined for a Fifth Place finish, which left her wearing quite the grin.

Mary Pozzi piloted the Camaro that won the inaugural Optima event and she did well driving
Brian Hobaugh’s Wilwood-sponsored second-gen Camaro is absolutely incredible. Its huge 335 front tires just looked sick, and the whole car oozed with a track car attitude. The big tire’s extra grip worked well on the road course where Hobaugh came in Seventh and did even better on the autocross with a Third Place finish. The Speed/Stop tripped him up a bit with an 11th place (7.668) run, but he picked up some big points in the design competition. This resulted in a Third Place overall finish, which we’re sure made him pretty happy.

Brian Hobaugh’s Wilwood-sponsored second-gen Camaro is absolutely incredible. Its huge 335

Top 5 Finishers –Style Category
Name	Vehicle	Place
Phil Gerber	’67 Chevelle	1st
Curt Ukasik	’62 Nova	2nd
JF Launier	’57 Bel Air	3rd
Brian Hobaugh	’73 Camaro	4th
Mike Langford	’01 PT Cruiser	5th

Last year’s winner, Mark Stielow, was back to defend his title in his boosted Camaro. Stielow is a GM engineer and has been busy dialing in his ’69. It has more horsepower and his ABS system is now working perfectly; in his talented hands, the Camaro flew around the various events. On the road course he placed Third, and killed the Speed/Stop with a Second Place finish. On the autocross course he locked in Seventh Place. He has to be pretty proud of his Camaro. Let’s just say that his air-conditioned and mellow-sounding muscle car was downright civilized.

Last year’s winner, Mark Stielow, was back to defend his title in his boosted Camaro. Stie
After all the driving events Mark Stielow was 14 points behind Danny Popp. But Stielow earned 14 points in the design portion of the event while Popp didn’t get any. This resulted in Stielow and Popp being tied for First Place in the final standings. The tie was broken by the rules, which stated that, in the event of tie, the person with the fastest road course time gets the win, awarding Popp the win. Kudos goes to Popp and his crew and we’re already looking forward to next year’s invitational.

After all the driving events Mark Stielow was 14 points behind Danny Popp. But Stielow ear