After a consistent season with five trips to the podium in six races, Huntington Beach, California native Brandon Davis finally took the checked flag this past weekend at Mid-Ohio in his Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra.

Davis started from pole and had excellent competition from the K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 driven by Andy Pilgrim, until lap 17 when Pilgrim’s car suffered mechanical issues.

“I think Andy [Pilgrim] would have been tough, had he stayed around,” said Davis. “Getting out front, I was able to breathe a little bit and just run laps. When I saw that Andy dropped out, I was able to conserve tires a little bit.”

“After being so close for so long, it feels great to finally win this year. We’ve been on the pole but in the races, we just didn’t have the pace to win. So it feels pretty good.”

Rounding out the podium was Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, and James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif, both driving Porsche 911 GT3s.

The win for Davis further solidifies his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 733 points, leading Safronas with 656.

Full race results after the jump:

LEXINGTON, Ohio – Results from Sunday’s 29-lap, 65.481-mile SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Round Seven race, the Toyo Tires Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Presented by Dish Network at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown,  car, laps and reason out (if any).

1. (1), Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 29.

2. (4), Tony Rivera, Missouri City, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 29, -1.396.

3. (3), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 29, -9.592.

4. (16), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 29, -21.311.

5. (5), Dino Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 29, -31.220.

6. (10), Jeff Courtney, Slinger, Wis., Dodge Viper, 29, -41.740.

7. (8), Charles Putman, Mills, Wyo., Dodge Viper, 29, -47.810.

8. (11), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 29, -49.340.

9. (12), Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, Colo., Dodge Viper, 29, -49.849.

10. (14), Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, Conn., Chevrolet Corvette, 29, -1:05.453.

11. (9), William Ziegler(R), Jacksonville, Fla., Porsche 911 GT3, 29, -1:05.649.

12. (7), Ritch Marziale, Tempe, Ariz., Dodge Viper, 28, -1 lap.

13. (15), Mike Hartley, Williamstown, N.J., Dodge Viper, 28, -1 lap.

14. (13), Mike Borkowski, Miami Beach, Fla., Dodge Viper, 26, -3 laps.

15. (2), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Volvo S60, 17, Trans.

16. (6), Eric Curran, Easthampton, Mass., Chevrolet Corvette, 2, Susp.

SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Drivers’ Championship

After Seven of 10 Rounds

Pos., Driver, Car, Points (wins)

1, Brandon Davis, Ford Mustang Cobra, 733 (1)

2, James Sofronas, Porsche 911 GT3, 656 (1)

3, Tony Rivera, Porsche 911 GT3, 643 (1)

4, Andy Pilgrim, Volvo S60, 596 (1)

5, Randy Pobst, Volvo S60, 568 (1)

6, Eric Curran, Chevrolet Corvette, 510

7, Sonny Whelen, Chevrolet Corvette, 405

8, William Ziegler(R), Porsche 911 GT3, 404

9, Dino Crescentini, Porsche 911 GT3, 384 (1)

10, Tony Gaples, Chevrolet Corvette, 380

Pos., Manufacturer, Points (wins)

1, Porsche, 45 (3)

2, Ford, 41 (1)

3, Volvo, 30 (2)

4, Chevrolet, 26

5, Dodge, 16 (1)

The No. 34 Kleinschmidt/Blackdog Racing Chevrolet Corvette topped the standings yesterday during the first round of practice sessions before the World Challenge GT season opener at Sebring International Raceway this Friday. Driver Tony Gaples of Libertyville, Ill., was just as surprised at his finish as anyone.

“It feels pretty good [to be on top], of course, but it also makes me a little nervous,” Gaples said of his unfamiliar position. “I’m wondering why, because I’m just driving like normal.

“The track was a little slippery, which plays into my benefit, because I’m used to driving in the wet. It’s good to be at the top. We’ve been coming here seven years now. It’s my favorite flat track and we usually do pretty well here. It still surprised me that we’re number one though. We get to enjoy for the next eight hours, until the next practice. We always hope to do well, whether that’s what’s happening or not is yet to be seen.”

Gaples ran a 2:11.686 around the 3.7-mile, 17-turn Sebring course on his second to last lap.

The 2nd and 3rd spots for the day belonged to Porsches with Rob Morgan posting a 2:11.771 in his No. 47 EverCleanse/NADA/TruSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 and Tony Rivera finishing with a best of 2:11.855 in the No. 97 Tax Masters/Mirage Group Porsche 911 GT3.

Gunter Schaldach grabbed 4th with a 2:12.083 in the No. 9 Lala Motorsports Dodge Viper with another Corvette (the No.3 Whelen Engineering  machine driven by Eric Curran) rounding out the top five.

With surprises at the top of the pack, there were also plenty of surprises at the bottom with defending GT champ Randy Pobst completing just half a lap in his K-PAX Volvo S60. Other series frontrunners, Andy Pilgrim (Volvo S60), James Sofronas (Porsche 911 GT3) and Dino Crescentini (Porsche 911 GT3)never even got onto the track.

As for the lone Lamborghini entry, the No. 7 Gallardo driven by Dan Pastorini, it finished a distant 20th with a time of  2:30.707.

Full Practice Session results after the jump:

1, (34), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:11.686, 101.149.

2, (47), Rob Morgan, Costa Mesa, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:11.771, 101.084.

3, (97), Tony Rivera, Missouri City, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 2:11.855, 101.020.

4, (9), Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, Colo., Dodge Viper, 2:12.083, 100.845.

5, (30), Eric Curran, East Hampton, Mass., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:12.091, 100.839.

6, (12), Brian Kubinski, Shorewood, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:12.159, 100.787.

7, (5), Jason Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Dodge Viper, 2:12.210, 100.748.

8, (31), Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, Conn., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:12.496, 100.531.

9, (66), Tim McKenzie, Madison, Wis., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:12.671, 100.398.

10, (35), Andrew Aquilante, Phoenixville, Pa., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:12.737, 100.348.

11, (56), Ritch Marziale, Tempe, Ariz., Dodge Viper, 2:12.883, 100.238.

12, (10), Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 2:13.011, 100.142.

13, (99), Jeff Courtney, Slinger, Wis., Dodge Viper, 2:13.264, 99.952.

14, (13), David Welch(R), Kirkland, Wash., Dodge Viper, 2:13.792, 99.557.

15, (05), William Ziegler(R), Jacksonville, Fla., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:16.186, 97.807.

16, (44), Lee Saunders, Lakeland, Fla., Dodge Viper, 2:18.110, 96.444.

17, (24), Patrick Flanagan(G), Laguna Niguel, Calif., Porsche GT3 Cup, 2:20.399, 94.872.

18, (2), Steve Valentinetti(G), Burien, Wash., Porsche GT3 Cup, 2:20.996, 94.470.

19, (06), Joey Scarallo, Smithtown, N.Y., Pontiac GTO, 2:21.096, 94.403.

20, (7), Dan Pastorini(R), Houston, Texas, Lamborghini Gallardo, 2:30.707, 88.383.

21, (1), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, no time.

22, (4), Dino Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, no time.

23, (6), Joe Foster, Lawrenceville, Ga., Lotus Exige S, no transponder.

24, (8), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Volvo S60, no time.

25, (14), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, no time.