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Victoria-area sports car drivers conquer rains in Los Angeles

Bill Okell and Brian Richards post top-five finishes in Sports Car Club of America event
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Saanich driver Bill Okell, driving for a new team this season, posted second and a third-place finishes at a soggy U.S. Auto Club Speedway during Sports Car Club of America races last weekend in Los Angeles. Photo contributed

Rare soggy conditions in California didn’t stop a pair of Greater Victoria drivers from posting solid finishes in the Sports Car Club of America U.S. Majors Tour stop last weekend.

Bill Okell, driving the McKinney Motorsports Nissan 240 SX, finished third in Saturday’s sprint race and followed up with a second-place finish in the GT-3 feature event Sunday. The latter result saw him outrace nine-time national champion Michael Lewis, who wound up third.

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Richards placed third in Saturday’s Spec Miata race, then posted a fifth-place in Sunday’s feature.

The NASCAR-owned U.S. Auto Club Speedway received a record-setting four inches of rain during a torrential downpour that fell through the weekend. It resulted in was major flooding along stretches of the three-mile infield road course.

Both Okell and Richards plan on racing in Bakersfield, Ca. for their next SCCA event, at Buttonwillow race track in late April.


c.vanreeuwyk@blackpress.ca
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