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Maxxis Cup Supermiata 2016: Season Recap
Photo: CaliPhotography
The field entering turn 3 at Auto Club Speedway this past Sunday.
Maxxis Cup Supermiata is a regional, Miata-based spec racing series with events in California
and Nevada. Began in 2013, the series focuses on low-cost, competitive racing and a
supportive community of drivers. The series is sponsored by Maxxis Tires and run on their
RC-1 competition tire. Events are hosted and sanctioned by Speed Ventures .
The Maxxis Cup Supermiata 2016 campaign came to a dramatic conclusion last weekend at
Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Heading into the final round of the season—with eight
tightly contested weekends already complete—all three top spots in the season points race
were yet to be decided.
Crowning the 2016 Season Champ
Rolling into Auto Club Speedway on the final weekend of the season, points leader William
Chen needed to take just one podium OR finish no lower than second place in each race to
hold off hard-charging Sonny Watanasirisuk. Once the green flag dropped all three races were
incredibly close—with multiple lead changes—and in each one Watanasirisuk and Chen
finished 1-2.
And with that Chen put the finishing touches on a consistent 2016 campaign to become the
Maxxis Cup Supermiata 2016 Season Champion. It’s Chen’s first series championship after
finishing 3rd in 2014 and 2015.
Photo: CaliPhotography
William Chen #3 and Sonny Watanasirisuk #18 battled for the title down to the final checker.
Second place overall went to Sonny Watanasirisuk, who claimed his third runner up title in as
many seasons. Chen’s margin of victory was just two points, barely withstanding
Watanasirisuk’s heroic final weekend.
Rookie Dennis Uebersetzig earned third place overall with a remarkably consistent and
competitive season. Coming into the final weekend, Adam Gershon had an outside shot to
steal third place. But Uebersetzig finished his season strong with three 5th place finishes to
hold onto the final overall podium spot.
The Year in Review
The 2016 season saw high water marks for competition and participation. The year kicked off
with Round 1 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park and featured a busy grid of 18 cars—a Maxxis Cup
Supermiata record. Participation remained high throughout the year, and numerous new
competitors joined the fold. A dozen drivers new to the series took green flags this year, and
several more are putting the finishing touches on cars in time for 2017.
Maxxis Tires increased their support in the series signing on to become the title sponsor.
Series organizers and the folks at Maxxis see long-term value in the strategic partnership,
while in the short term drivers see lots more free tires!
Photo: Matthew Hyatt
Emilio Cervantes #1 muddles through the puddles at Buttonwillow in January’s season opener.
Additional highlights from 2016 include:
A Wet Start to the Season: A wicked rainstorm turned the January event at Buttonwillow into a
wet affair, indeed. Saturday’s races were contested on rain tires, but Sunday was a complete
washout with things looking more like a marsh than a race track.
Vegas Baby: In April, we ventured outside of California (just barely) to spectacular Spring
Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV, for an epic weekend on the sprawling 3.4-mile
Mansell course.
Sharing the Track: We shared the tarmac with several other groups this year, including the
Teen Mazda Challenge at Sonoma in July, a competitive group of Spec E30 folks at
Buttonwillow, and gentlemen from the Alfa Romeo Club of Southern California at SMMR.
Gourmet Dining: Saturday night BBQs in the paddock are a Maxxis Cup tradition, but this year
we went gourmet. Chef Andrew Wong took over the grill this year and treated racers to some
downright delicious dinners. Everyone is looking forward to next year’s menu.
Rookie of the Year
Kyle Koh is the 2016 Maxxis Cup Supermiata Rookie of the Year. Koh all but guaranteed the
honor by winning a race in his very first series event, Round 7 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.
Mechanical issues kept Koh from competing at Round 8, but he made another excellent
showing at the season finale including a 4th place finish in one of this Sunday’s sprints. Koh
figures to be a big factor in 2017’s championship race.
Photo: CaliPhotography
Adam Gershon #15 and Kiem Jhien-Tjong #118 were among the drivers who took home free tires this weekend.
Road Warriors
Maxxis Tires provided a set of RC-1 for racers with the highest participation in 2016. Originally
the prize was slated for the top five drivers plus one rookie, but Maxxis generously threw in
two extra sets allowing eight drivers to take home fresh rubber with which to start 2017.
Looking Forward to 2017
In many ways, Maxxis Cup drivers and organizers are looking forward to more of the same in
2017: big fields, close racing, friendly competition, and excellent Saturday night BBQs in the
paddock. The 2016 season set the stage for continued success with this winning formula.
There is also something new and exciting coming for 2017. Next year will debut an additional
class of Maxxis Cup Supermiata racing. “S1” class, as it will be known, will introduce forced
induction thanks to a spec turbocharger kit designed by Trackspeed Engineering featuring a
Borg EFR6258 turbo. No fewer than five cars are already under construction with plans to
debut at the season opener in January. The current class will now be known as “S2”.
2017 Schedule
Maxxis Cup Supermiata tentatively will kick off the 2017 campaign January 28-29 at
Buttonwillow Raceway Park. The official schedule will be released shortly and will be posted
here: Maxxis Cup Supermiata Schedule SuperMiata
Maxxis Cup Supermiata 2016 Final Points
1 William Chen 401
2 Sonny Watanasirisuk 399
3 Dennis Uebersetzig 308
4 Adam Gershon 297
5 Emilio Cervantes 240
6 Anthony Bedegi 232
7 Grant Heathman 196
8 Bill Brinkop 170
9 Kiem Jhien-Tjong 167
10 Joe Xie 164
11 Alan Tseng 117
12 Andrew Kidd 101
13 John Adams 99
14 Erin Kennelly 81
15 Albert Gavieres 76
16 Howard Chai 73
17 Greg Nelson 66
18 Scott McIver 64
19 Jay Kidd 63
20 Tom Ricketts 62
21 John Mueller 57
22 Kyle Koh 54
23 Jason Ballance 52
24 Ray Duangploy 41
25 Lawrence Golomb 39
26 Ritchie Wimmer 32
27 Jane Scarcello 22
28 Pablo Maida 11
11-11-2016, 08:02 PM
2016 Maxxis Cup Supermiata recap
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