Peter Portante Wins National Run-Offs
New Britain, CT – Young Peter Portante has spent all but a few of his years in auto racing. Beginning with Karting at age four, the Plainville, Connecticut resident has won in every vehicle he’s competed. But on Sunday, September 22nd, Portante may have garnered his most impressive result to date by winning in the Formula Continental® race at Road America during the 50th running of the iconic SCCA National Championship Runoffs ®.
Celebrated throughout the racing world as one of the truly unique events, the Runoffs crown the Champions of amateur road racing in the United States.
It was the maiden Runoffs race for the 17-year-old Portante, who averaged 102.997 mph after leading nine of 13 laps. “It’s a great trophy to have in a small trophy case,” Portante said. “It’s going to be a lot of work to keep improving, though.”
Portante – driving the ArmsUp Motorsports No. 24 Hoosier Tire/Innercity Lines Van Diemen RF01 Ford – spent the first half of the race challenging David Grant, with both swapping the lead several times around the 4.0-mile, 14-turn track. On Lap Six, Portante made the final lead change and quickly established a six-car length lead from which he never looked back.
“I am proud of this accomplishment,” Portante continued, “It’s good to win at such a young age, but you have to keep improving – you can’t plateau.”
After becoming a multiple champion and the winningest driver at Stafford Motor Speedway (Conn.) in the Wild Thing Karting Series, Portante went on to capture wins in Legend Car competition as well as the Allison Legacy North Championship in 2011.
In 2012 he captured the Skip Barber National Shoot-Out which pits drivers from all over the country in identical equipment as well as competitions within speaking, presentation and marketing. Portante won the event which provided funding and sponsorships that has allowed him to race this 2013 season in the USF2000 Championship powered by Mazda with Belardi Motorsports of Indianapolis, Indiana.
As a rookie in the #41 Belardi Auto/MAZDASPEED Motorsports/Intercity Lines racer, Portante has certainly been tested this season. “I have had a crazy lack of luck this season,” he explained. “We’ve been taken from several top finishes by multi-car crashes or just didn’t get the qualifying laps I needed to start near the front. But I have learned much and gained a great deal of confidence in my abilities.”
The next race on the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda schedule is at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas, on October 5-6. This will be the season finale for the USF2000 Championship of which Peter Portante is optimistic.
“Though I’ve never raced on the concrete surface of Reliant Park, I am told the 1.7-mile, 10-turn circuit is similar in many ways to the Sebring Raceway in Florida where I began my season.
Portante has also raced this season with his family owned team at Stafford Motor Speedway in NASCAR Late Model (oval) competition and has one event remaining on the schedule.
Peter Portante competes with support from California Scents/Beurre & Sel/B&R Electrical Contractors/Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza/Northern Construction/Velez Computer Systems/Pagliacci’s Restaurant).
Sources: Rick Raducha/Driver Connection Marketing