The East Coast Honda Challenge visited technical Carolina Motorsports Park for rounds 5 and 6 of the 2006 points season on May 6th & 7th, 2006.

Saturday could not have been much better in regards to weather. Although a threat of rain was seen early on, the clouds soon dispersed and the sun would make permanent appearance!

In H1, the grid was lead by Jason Franza in his #06 ITR on pole with a time of 1:50.9. Following Jason, Chad Slagg in his #14 Civic SI and Kevin Helms in his #05 Civic hatchback rounded out the top 3. Todd Reid in his #11 Civic hatchback and John Oldt in the #75 S2000 would take the 4th and 5th spot. Although Slagg kept the heat for the better part of the race, Franza would be able to hold on from pole for the win with Slagg claiming 2nd. Reid, Oldt, and Helms would round out the top 5, respectively. Franza also set a new H1 track record at CMP. His 1:48.9 marked the first time a Honda Challenge has been able to break 1:49 barrier. (The former record was held by Pete Curpier, with a time of 1:49.3.)

H2 would see its grid remain constant as well. John Whitaker in his #88 ITR would qualify on the pole with a 1:54.6, while Allan Haggai would claim the 2nd spot on the grid with his #81 ITR. The two would battle from the green to the checker, with Whitaker holding on to claim the win.

In H3, John Reamer in his #95 Integra GS-R would take the class pole with a time of 1:58.8. Scott Lear in the Grassroots Motorsports #76 EP3 Civic SI would claim the 2nd spot. H3 would remain unchanged as well, with Reamer taking the win.

H4 saw the return of a Honda Challenge veteran in Lyonel Kent, in his #9 Civic coupe. However, relative newcomer to the series Ryan Jenkins in his #98 Integra RS would show little respect, as he snatched the class pole with a time of 1:55.8! Shane Lovely would qualify in the 3rd spot. Jenkins would hold on for the win, while Kent and Lovely suffered disqualifications due to contact ruled unacceptable by the NASA stewards.

Last but not least, H5 would see three cars in the mix. Beno Rubin in his #8 Civic would qualify on the pole with a time of 2:02.1, while David Lee in the #90 Integra and Keith Edwards in the #46 CRX rounding out the grid. David and Keith were no match for Beno today, as Rubin would cruise to the win. Rubin was just .3 seconds away from a track record of his own, as he ran a very quick 2:00.5 lap on the third lap of the race!

The weather on Sunday would be a different story, as the rain would come and go for the entire day. Earlier in the morning, the decision was made to run a standing start in the wet, in an effort to prepare the drivers for the possibility of rain at the National Championship in September. It was sure to be an interesting day!

In H1, rookie John Oldt would take the class pole position! Slagg, Franza, Helms, and Reid would round out the H1 grid respectively. Slagg would be able to overtake Oldt and never look back. At a blistering fast pace, Kevin Helms would complete a fantastic drive to come from 4th all the way to 2nd. Helms also ran the fastest lap of the race, a 2:00.8! After some hearty grass consumption at turn 10, known as “the kink”, Franza would hold on for 3rd place. Oldt would claim a 4th place finish, while Reid would take 5th.

H2 saw a prideful day, with Allan Haggai being the fastest car overall in the wet qualifying session! Although Whitaker would apply constant pressure, Haggai wasn’t to be denied and would hold on for the class win. Only two H1 cars would finish in front of the H2 field on this day. Way to go, H2!

In H3, Scott Lear would relinquish the driving slot to Per Schroeder in the Grassroots Motorsports #76 SI. John Reamer would again claim the pole, while Schroeder would be slotted in 2nd. Reamer would hold on for the win yet again, despite some minor contact in the race.

In H4, veteran Lyonel Kent would qualify on the pole, while Jenkins would start from the 2nd position. Karl Kondor resumed his driving duties in the #31 Accord and would start from 3rd in class. Jenkins would once again steal the show and would take the win. Kent and Kondor would battle for the entire race, with Kent able to hold on for the 2nd spot.

In H5, old habits die hard, and Rubin just could not be stopped. Rubin would once again claim the win from the pole, with Edwards claiming a 2nd. David Lee would suffer from brake issues during the race, but would be able to hold on for 3rd.

The East Coast Honda Challenge travels to Beaverun Raceway, located in Wampum Pennsylvania for rounds 7 and 8 of the 2006 points season. For more information, please visit www.honda-challenge.com . See you there!

The East Coast Honda Challenge would like to extend its sincere appreciation to King RAT Motorsports, NASA Mid-Atlantic, Carolina Motorsports Park, all corner workers, the spectators, and of course, the drivers, along with their crews and families.