By Jeff Pederson-Pedal Down Promotions

(PEDAL DOWN PROMOTIONS) August 19, 2020 – After enduring two trying days filled with multiple mechanical maladies, Plymouth, Wis. driver Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing reversed course by roaring to a victory in SCCA F1600 Formula F race two on Sunday, Aug. 16, during the SCCA Cat in the Kettle Majors at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Aug. 14-16.

Bartz and his Pure Energy Racing team were plagued by mechanical gremlins during test day on Friday, which kept their Petty blue No. 33 machine off the track for the majority of the day.

“This weekend turned out to be a major test of patience and willpower as we started the weekend on the test day on Friday with multiple issues,” Bartz said. “Due to us putting in a new engine this weekend, we unfortunately spent much of the weekend working to get the car running properly. Clutch issues and cooling issues left us with only a half a lap completed on the test day Friday. After working from sun up until sun down, we finally got the issues resolved.”

Once the mechanical issues were sorted out, Bartz was able to turn a few laps in the first of the weekend’s two SCCA F1600 Formula F races on Saturday, Aug. 15 before encountering another setback.

“On Saturday we began the day with qualifying and with little to no track time the day prior, this session doubled as a shakedown to verify nothing was wrong or loose and the first test of the new engine,” Bartz said. “Overall, for the first session of the weekend we ended up a respectable fourth in qualifying. I was confident we would be able to move up to the front during the race on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, an oil pressure sensor failure caused me to retire from the race early due to not wanting to damage the engine,” he said. “We were able to verify later that day that the sensor itself was just bad and the engine had normal oil pressure. With the all good on that front, I looked forward to redeeming myself on a tough weekend so far on Sunday.”

Through all the trials and tribulations thrown their way on Friday and Saturday, Bartz and Pure Energy Racing team turned things around in a big way on Sunday.

“For Sunday morning’s race, due to us posting no times in the race, we ended up starting fifth,” Bartz said. “I ended up having a great start and was able to work my way up to the lead by halfway through the first lap. From there, I was able to put my head down and drive to a commanding victory.

“All in all, it was definitely a character-building weekend,” he said. “With all the work we had done over the weekend, the win on Sunday felt that much more satisfying.”

As one of the showcase race weekends of the SCCA season, Bartz was thrilled with the victory on Sunday leading into the crown jewel SCCA National Runoffs at Road America in October.

“The Cat Majors is an SCCA majors tour race where the best of the amateur racers in the U.S. come to compete,” Bartz said. “It is similar to the June Sprints with the only major difference being that the June Sprints is a public event while the Cat Majors weekend is a private SCCA-only event. It still draws the same level of talent, although this specific weekend we did not have any pro teams show up to compete.

“This year my performance definitely was better than in previous years,” Bartz said. “We have been working hard over the offseason and during the season to keep improving the car and are definitely starting to see the results come from that hard work. I believe the engine was a key factor in our performance this weekend and it will definitely help our efforts this year at the SCCA Runoffs at Road America in October. David Hobbs Honda came on board as a sponsor recently and helped us pay for this engine, so I owe my results this past weekend to their support.”

Bartz, who has tallied over 100 race victories in his karting and SCCA racing career, and his Pure Energy Racing team will now use a nearly two-month break from racing to prepare for the prestigious SCCA National Runoffs at the team’s home track.

“Our next race is the winner-take-all SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America October 9-11,” Bartz said. “This is the race we have been preparing for all season and I feel as though we have prepared ourselves well to be able to compete for my end goal for the season, which is to win the runoffs. All the pieces are coming together and I am very excited to compete with some great competition from all across the country.”

Sponsors for the 2020 Pure Energy Racing team include: David Hobbs Honda, CapN SHIELD, Harper Drain & Septic Service, Kearney Driver Development, Hoosier Tire and Pedal Down Promotions.

For more information on Jeff Bartz and the Pure Energy Racing team, contact Pedal Down Promotions via email at pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, by phone at 920-323-7970 or by visiting www.pedaldownpromo.com.

Pedal Down Promotions is a full-service public relations and media services company devoted to helping its clients effectively communicate with targeted audiences through press releases, newsletters, profile and feature articles, website and social media content development, printed media, editing and layout, graphic design and book publishing services.

For more information on Pedal Down Promotions, email pedaldownpromotions@gmail.com, visit www.pedaldownpromo.com or call 920-323-7970.

2020 Pure Energy Racing Upcoming Schedule

Oct. 9-11 – SCCA National Runoffs, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.

 

2020 Pure Energy Racing By The Numbers

Races – 7

Race Victories – 1

Top Five Finishes – 3

Top 10 Finishes – 6