USTCC East Charges into Pittsburgh International Race Complex for Round 4 of the East Series
Wampum, PA – The United States Touring Car Championship East Region’s second season continued with a Round 4 Double Header at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex (also known as PittRace) in Wampum, Pennsylvania. The event was a testament to the grit and determination of the five teams that entered, each placing cars in all four of the classes. Last season’s PittRace events claimed many USTCC cars. This year, every team had something to prove.
Mark Young of Liberty Autosports entered his striking blue and white sixth-gen Camaro in GT. Doug Cornelius fielded the Liberty Autosports Mustang in TC. Coyote Black in the Mezzanine Motorsports Cayman and Andrew Conner in the On Q Racing 325i represented the ST contingent. Martin Szwarc in the Braci Racing Honda Civic rounded out the grid in SP.
Round 4 saw a new USTCC entrant, Mark Young, prepare to set a Guiness Book World Record for the oldest Rookie Pro Racecar Driver. The fast 2.78-mile Full Track featuring 19 challenging turns was bathed in clear blue skies and slightly elevated track temperatures – perfect conditions for this feat. Unfortunately, Mark’s Camaro suffered a weekend-halting incident during the Friday test session, so he and Doug decided to split the weekend in the Liberty Autosports Mustang to keep his world record attempt alive.
The Saturday Feature race was a thrilling event, with the USTCC cars spread throughout the 25-car field. At the drop of the green flag, Coyote powered his way forward, with Andrew hot on his heels. Doug elbowed his way through the diverse Big Bore field in his TC Mustang, while Martin Szwarc battled an overheating issue caused by a malfunctioning thermostat. At the end of the day, Porsche took the top spot from BMW as Mezzanine Motorsports’ Coyote Black crossed the line first, securing a well-deserved overall victory for the hard-working team.
However, the highs of Coyote’s success would be cut cruelly short once again. The Mezzanine Motorsports Cayman S suffered a catastrophic engine failure during Sunday Morning Qualifying, bringing his weekend to an abrupt end. Andrew in the red On Q Racing BMW 325i was able to secure a 1st place Feature Race finish due to Coyote’s misfortunes.
Mark Young took over from Doug Cornelius and was able to run a clean race to bring the Liberty Autosports Mustang home with a 1st in TC and set a hard-earned Guiness World Record. Braci Racing’s Martin Szwarc ran his freshly repaired Civic to a strong finish within the Big Bore class and took home a well-deserved 1st in SP.
Round 4 was a thrilling event that left drivers and fans on the edge of their seats. With a wide range of manufacturers on track, the fans were sure to pick a favorite or two.
The teams are now gearing up for Round 5 at Watkins Glen International in September. This promises to be an adrenaline-fueled race that will test the limits of both man and machine. Who will come out on top? Find out on September 16th-17th.