Neil Shelton Wins 2008 Rose Cup
Over 600 cars and motorcycles raced, making the 48th annual running of Portland's premiere auto race a thrilling show. Neil Shelton drove to his first Rose Cup crown in the 48th annual Rose Cup race (held Sunday, June 1) at Portland International Raceway. Second place went to the 2007 Rose Cup champion, Todd Harris (of Portland), who drove a highly modified DerHaag Chevrolet Corvette. Third place went to Edward 'Ted' Anthony (of Kenmore, Washington). Anthony raced in a Porsche 'GT-3 Cup' race car.
In Friday qualifying, Shelton earned the pole position, followed by Harris. Harris took the lead for several laps at the start of the race, but Shelton caught up to Harris in the seventh lap. Harris and Shelton then traded the lead several times. After a brief pause to clear a wrecked car from the course, Shelton again took the lead and held it to the checkered flag, claiming a 2.3-second margin of victory.
Shelton, 51, is the son of seven-time Rose Cup winner Monte Shelton. He won this year's race driving the same Porsche 962 race car his father piloted to win the Rose Cup in 2005. The elder Shelton also participated in this year's race, finishing tenth in the Porsche 934 he calls 'Old Blue.'
In addition to the Rose Cup race itself, the Rose Cup Races Presented by Temp-Control Mechanical Corp. also hosted several traditional and new feature races. Including the drag racers, motorcycle racers, and sports car racers, over 600 competitors raced in the biggest Rose Cup event ever held.
Festival Trophy Race Presented by Pro Drive Racing School
The Festival Trophy race rotates each year among the various Sports Car Club of America racing classes. The goal of this feature race is to allow every driver a chance to experience the Rose Cup limelight. This year's Festival Trophy race was sponsored by Pro Drive Racing School at PIR, and featured the Spec Racer Ford class. These purpose-built cars are identical, and used identical sealed engines to create a true 'driver's race.' Bryan Ward (of Portland) won the race, followed by Todd Lamberton (of Portland) and Chris Jackson (of Vancouver, Washington).
Porsche Cup Race Presented by Carrera Motors
The Porsche Cup race was presented by Carrera Motors of Bend, Oregon and sanctioned by the Porsche Club of America. Victory in the all-Porsche event went to veteran competitor Jim Walsh (of Redmond, Washington). Second place went to Chris Pallis (of Mercer Island, Washington).
Additional Events
New on the schedule for this year was the Rose Cup Friday Night Drags presented by Scion. The open drags drew hundreds of new competitors to the Rose Cup event. The drags were held in the same format as the popular Late Night drags, held each weekend throughout the summer.
The winning entries for this first time event:
Burnout Contest: Vicki Miley (Woodburn, Oregon - '68 Chev. Camaro SS)
Lowest ET: Roger Wolff (Dundee, Oregon - '06 Kawasaki ZX-14)
Green Trophy Lowest ET for Alternative Fuel Vehicle: Brian Robands (Camas, Washington - '95 Toyota Supra 9.95 ET = 140+ Mph)
Lowest ET and Quietest: Mark Canty (Vancouver, Washington - '08 Kawasaki ZX 14)
The OMRRA motorcycle race was won by: Bike 37x (ridden by Nathan Hester and Bryan Young).
To bring a new group of automotive enthusiasts out to the event, the Rose Festival sanctioned the first Rose Cup Cruise In, drawing over 200 classic and hot rod cars and motorcycles for a show on the lawn at PIR. Ken Krolikoski of Tigard brought his classic 1932 Packard convertible and took the first-ever 'Rose Cup Best in Show' trophy.
On Sunday, the racing action also included a race by the 600cc Superbikes, sanctioned by the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association and presented by Cascade Tracktime and SDS Performance. The bikes hit speeds up to 165 MPH on the straights, and provided the auto racing fans with a good look at the thrilling world of motorcycle racing.
