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MADISON, Ill. - Jim Victor and Pat McGinnis made their 2009 race debuts in fine fashion scoring a second and a third place finish respectively at the
SCCA St. Louis Region "Wins" National. The ArmsUp Motorsports team was greeted with extremely cold weather and rain for their three day stint at the
Gateway International Raceway. The cold combined with Rain forced the team to skip Saturday's regional to save the equipment for Sunday's national
run. McGinnis was able to score a podium finish in his maiden outing with the team in a brand new car. Victor, who scored a win in the final race of
last season, picked up right where he left off 2008 with a solid drive to second place capping off a fast opening weekend for the Iowa
native.
The festivities started on Friday with a test day at the Gateway roval. Jim Victor proved he would be one to watch over the weekend by
laying down some very fast laps. Victor's best time of 59.4 on Friday sent the SCCA Timing and Scoring staff in search of the Formula Continental
(FC) track record to see how close the Iowa native had come to the lap record. The answer was under four tenths of a second off the track record that
was set in 2000 by Vanina Ickx, daughter of sports car legend Jacky Ickx. Pat McGinnis used the test day to acclimate himself to his brand new Van
Diemen FF2000 Zetec car that was prepared at the ArmsUp shops over the winter.
Both drivers had expected to use Saturday's regional to tune up
for Sunday's national race but Mother Nature had other plans. A day long rain combined with cold weather forced the ArmsUp team to sit the day out to
save the equipment.
Sunday morning the weather had scarcely improved with temperatures in the 30's and a wintery mix falling on the circuit as
the cars rolled out for qualifying. Running conservatively, Victor and McGinnis would place third and fourth on the FC grid with their work cut out
for them in the race.
The track had finally dried up and the temperature had come up to a balmy 45 degrees as the green flag fell on the race.
Victor and McGinnis began picking off competitors one at a time as they moved through different classes of cars in search of the FC leader. As Victor
cleared traffic he began reeling in the leader as the laps wound down. Unfortunately the driver of the Smith Barney car would run just short on time
and settle for second with McGinnis trailing his teammate in the third position.
"I'm really happy with the weekend," Jim Victor said after
the event. "This shows how well Gregg (Borland) is able to adapt a car to meet the needs of the track. We were under four tenths off the track record
in 40 degree weather. I think this was a preview of the potential this team has for the 2009 season. The race went very well, I just ran out of time
at the end to run down the leader. The car came back in one piece and now I have my next event at Blackhawk Farms to look forward to in
May."
The ArmsUp Motorsports team will now head to the scenic Virginia International Raceway April 18th through the 19th. Revere Greist, John
Greist and Jeff Pietz will look to extend the ArmsUp Motorsports podium streak to three for three on the season.
Formed in 1995, ArmsUp
Motorsports is one of the premier SCCA Formula Continental and Formula Atlantic racing teams. Based in Elkhart Lake, Wis ArmsUp Motorsports is a full
service prep shop for Formula Continentals, Formula Atlantics, and Vintage racing cars. For more information please visit the official ArmsUp website
at www.ArmsUpMotorsports.com.
Jim Victor opened his 2009 season with a solid second place run at the Gateway International Raceway.
(Photo Courtesy Jacques-O-Lot Photography)
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