Sebring Cayman Interseries notes

Jim McCormick takes the checker at Sebring

The Cayman Interseries kicked-off its first full season of official competition at this past weekend’s Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Sebring Endurance Challenge, presented by Classic Motorsports Magazine, at Sebring International Raceway, March 5 – 7, where No. 44 Porsche Cayman S driver Jim McCormick swept the weekend’s races despite a strong field of returning and all-new competitors.

Driving his Cayman that sports the classic livery of the famous Martini “Baby" Porsche 935, McCormick started from the pole in each of the weekend’s three races and split flag-to-flag victories in a pair of sprints with a Cayman-class win in Saturday’s three-hour endurance race. McCormick and co-driver Mitch Pagerey led the 46-car enduro race overall and ultimately crossed the finish line in fourth place after a late race caution period.

“This was a fabulous start," said McCormick, who has extensive winning experience in HSR and other historic and vintage racing series. “I couldn’t have hoped or prayed for what happened, but I am sure it is not going to be this easy all season. These guys are very dedicated and unfortunately – or fortunately enough – one is the target if one is in the position I am in right now. I doubt very seriously if it is going to be this way every time and I am looking forward to some good tight racing."

While the respective Saturday and Sunday sprints were trouble-free runs, the endurance race had its far share of excitement for McCormick and Pagerey.

“We had a lot of drama in the enduro," McCormick said. “We had a 90-second lead over the second-place Cayman and were first overall two hours in. The only thing we didn’t want to have happen at that point was a double-yellow. So not only did we get a double yellow at exactly the wrong time, some other competitors got to make their two required pit stops during that caution. We were pretty depressed but I climbed the three flights to the tower to talk to timing and scoring and they said we were in the lead. Talk about drama. I went from totally depressed to totally elated."

McCormick’s Martini-themed ride is one of several front-running Caymans prepared by Porsche Napleton Racing, the in-house race shop operated by series organizers Napleton Porsche of Westmont. Other Porsche Napleton Racing Caymans finished second to McCormick in each of the three races. Will Conniff shared his No. 2 Cayman, which runs the yellow and red livery of the famous Martini “Psychedelic" Porsche 917, with Kevin Roush. The duo finished seventh overall in the enduro and second in the Cayman class.

“The opportunities to learn in this car are amazing," Conniff said. “The crew here and everything they to do to set it up is very good. The Caymans are practically fool proof and you really have to do something nasty to get it out of control. This is a great start to this 2010 season. Sebring was awesome and we had great weather. Last time we were here it rained the whole time, although these cars do great in the rain as well, but it was sure fun to see them run in the dry and great conditions. The Caymans performed really well in the endurance race with McCormick taking fourth overall and I finished seventh overall, so the Caymans are a pretty formidable car. They handle and brake like no other, so it is a lot of fun."

Jim Bacus, in the familiar No. 3 purple and green Martini “Hippy" car, finished second in both sprints but had to persevere through a minor mechanical problem to garner some valuable championship points in the enduro.

“I was lucky to keep it together in the first race," said Bacus, who was slated to share his car with Jack Baldwin in the endurance race. “I lost second gear, but I gapped enough to keep the other guys behind me. We decided we couldn’t get it together for the enduro but realized there were some points to start the race and to finish the race, so we got those and 10th place points as well. Everyone from Napleton worked on my car until after 11 p.m., and when I got in the car Sunday morning and it was better than the first day."

Bacus ran second from the drop of the green flag straight to the finish in the Sunday’s final sprint race.

“I went out there and did my best in the final sprint race but Jim McCormick runs strong," Bacus said. “We still gapped the rest of the field and my Cayman was running strong. We were running some older tires in the last race. I didn’t want to use up all of my tires this weekend, but in the first three laps on Sunday I ran the fastest laps I had run all weekend. As the race went on I was getting some over-steer, so I just managed it. We were out up front so I just managed it and played around with it a little to learn some things for future races. I can’t wait for Road Atlanta."

The No. 80 Cayman S of Bill Riddell and Ron Zitza finished third in the endurance race, just one spot behind the Conniff/Roush entry in the overall order. Riddell also brought his green and white striped No. 80 Cayman, themed after a David Piper Racing Porsche 917, home third in Saturday’s first sprint race. Riddell’s Caymans are prepared by his own RACELINK race-prep shop.

The weekend’s other podium finisher was debuting driver Henry Davis who moved to third from fifth in the last two laps of Sunday’s sprint in his No. 21 Cayman S. His CARS-prepared Cayman sports the classic silver Martini paint scheme as run on that team’s legendary No. 21 Porsche 917.

“This is the first time I have raced this car and the first time I have been involved with the Cayman Interseries," said a delighted Davis after his podium result. “It’s a great series, the people here are wonderful, you get all kinds of support from the group and HSR has put on a tremendous event here. Only in my dreams did I think I would get on the podium in my first race weekend. I was down here in December with a 1965 Alfa but we only ran for a day and broke. So really this was the first time I have been on the track for any extended period of time. I am really proud of getting on the podium in my first real race here. The Cayman is just a tremendous car and it is so much fun to drive. We just took delivery of it about three weeks ago and the guys painted it and did this wrap to it and got it ready to go, but it is just a really fun car."

Davis also showed well in the enduro and anchored a driving team that included fellow Interseries competitor Randy Cassling and Christian Coggins. The trio drove the No. 21 to 10th place overall and fourth in the Cayman class. Cassling also drove his own No. 18 Cayman S, which wears the red, yellow and black colors of the factory Shell Porsche 962s, in the Sebring sprint races. He and Coggins also drove the No. 18 in the opening hour of the enduro before joining Davis in his car.

Next up for the Cayman Interseries is the 34th Annual Walter Mitty Race presented by Classic Motorsports Magazine and sponsored by Mazda at Road Atlanta, April 29 – May 2.