Rettich Extends Win Streak to Four at Mosport
Scott Rettich continued his winning ways in the SCCA Pro Racing Formula Enterprises Series on Sunday (May 22), scoring the Round Four win at Mosport International Raceway. Joining the Alliance Autosport championship leader in the post-race celebrations were JAY Motorsports teammates Patrick Gallagher and Jim Libecco.
One day after an entertaining opening race at the high-speed Mosport road course, the Formula Enterprises Series drivers returned to their cockpits early Sunday morning for the second run of the Victoria Day Weekend doubleheader. Gallagher, having topped the second qualifying session, led the talented field to the green flag, and promptly made the most of his starting position to quickly build an advantage over his chasing teammates Libecco and Jason Wolfe.
While the dice for second proved fun to watch early on, attention quickly turned to Rettich, having started near the rear of the field after a crash in qualifying. Showing the pace that led him to wins in the opening three rounds, the Ohio racer was up to fourth by lap three. His charge up the charts continued over the next few tours, working his way up to second, before closing the gap to Gallagher.
As the 21-race progressed, the best action on-course was Rettich steadily catching Gallagher, followed by Libecco holding off repeatedly challenges from Wolfe.
Unfortunately for Wolfe, the fight for the final podium spot was decided on lap 12, when he spun in turn five and retired, stuck in a gravel trap, allowing Libecco to run uncontested to the flag.
Out front, the decisive move came on lap 15, when Rettich, having gotten within striking distance of Gallagher, executed a clean pass at the end of the Andretti straightaway to take over the top-spot. From that point forward, the top-three remained unchanged. Rettich scored his fourth win in four starts by nine seconds at the checkered flag. Gallagher added his fourth runner-up finish to his resume, while Libecco scored his first podium result of the year. JAY Motorsports’ Matt Schneider, having defended a late race charge from Work Racing’s Shaun Miller, took home fourth place.
“First off, I have to thank my team, Alliance Autosport,” Rettich said. “They worked very hard all weekend and gave me a great car. I’ve got to thank my parents and all my other supporters, Hoosier, Red Line, Springboro Car Wash and PDI Communications. It was definitely a lot of fun coming up through the pack. I knew I had the car to do it, but I knew I had to really hammer down and push it all race long and do it without wearing out my tires too much.
“Mosport is just an incredible track. It takes a lot of commitment and a lot of faith in the car. I just love this place. It’s very high speed.”
The SCCA Pro Racing Formula Enterprises Series now takes a lengthy hiatus until Labor Day weekend, when Rounds Five and Six takes place at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota on September 3-4. Rettich enters the doubleheader leading the championship fight 545-472 over Gallagher.