Jon Miller, co-driving with David Russell in the #99 Automatic BMW M3 sponsored by Weeden Consultants and Fresh From Florida started the season off on a high note. Miller took advantage of a rainy qualifying session to post the 3rd fastest time. Starting from the second row, Jon challenged for the lead as soon as the green flag fell.
“It was nice to be starting up front of such a huge field. I had some bad luck here last year so I was really looking for some redemption. I was focused on making a clean start and settling in to a good rhythm. Coming into turn 1 I had a run on the leader, but I decided to back off and follow him down to the horseshoe. I wanted to push him pretty early in an effort to run with him and gap the cars behind us, or force him into a mistake. I was able to slip into the lead in turn 6 on the first lap and I never looked back. I had such a great car that I was able to build a lead of over 10 seconds at one point. I didn’t need to be overly aggressive with the ST traffic because of this, and it was a real joy to run at the front.”
These were the first laps that Miller has led in Koni Challenge competition, and he led for a race-high 28 laps before pitting to hand off to co-driver David Russell. Russell rejoined in second and fought inside the top 3 until the final laps. He and teammate Jeff Segal in the #09 car worked together, trying everything to get around the two Mustangs in front of them, but the horsepower differential proved to be too much.
“Dave did an awesome job, as always. It was a treat to get to drive with him, because he and I have been friends for a long time. It’s always so tough to be sitting in the pits, watching your co-driver go by. You’ve got to trust that he will do his best and when you get out of the car, it’s out of your hands. I had total confidence in Dave and I was glad to see him and Jeff working together at the end of the race.”
However, with only a few moments remaining in the race, it almost all came crumbling down. Dave was locked in a tight battle with the lead group of GS cars fighting for a spot on the podium, when an ST car lost control at the entry to the bus stop and made heavy contact with the driver’s side of the #99 car.
“I was watching the live Speed channel coverage in the pits and I saw the crash happen with less than ten minutes to go. I couldn’t believe how hard the hit was, and once I recovered from the shock of that, I realized that Dave was still circulating and didn’t even lose a position! I have a bad history in that corner, but this time it was just a bit of body damage, so I was relieved to see the car cross the finish line. “
Miller and Russell pick up valuable championship points with their strong finish and Miller hopes to continue the trend of strong drives at the front of the field and strong finishes for the rest of the season.
Jon’s 2008 plans are not final yet, but he plans to continue to compete for the Koni Challenge GS championship at the next round at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut on May 26th
