Greg “Stumpy” Steltenpohl continued his drive to the championship July 3-4 at Mid-America Motorplex in Pacific Junction, Iowa at the CCS Midwest & Great Plains regions twin sprints. Aboard the #256 Honda 600rr, Stumpy cruised to a podium finish of third place in Middleweight Superbike on Saturday as well as five other top five finishes.
“This was my first time at Mid-America and I love the track layout there. It’s very technical and suits my style,” said Stumpy.
In a CCS twin sprint events, the sprint schedule is run twice in one weekend. This made for a very busy weekend for Stumpy. “Usually I run nine races per weekend: two 30 minute GT races and seven sprints,” explained Stumpy. “This weekend I ran sixteen races because the sprints are run twice. There were a lot of crashes and I sometimes felt I was pressing my luck.” Despite the large amount of track time, he finished all sixteen races unscathed and his lap times dropped as the weekend went on.
“The competition was fierce this weekend. Besides the regular fast guys, we had some extra-fast guys show up to compete for the Yamaha money. I knew I would have to perform if I wanted to be anywhere near the front.” Stumpy was joined on the track by CCS Midwest regulars Brian Johnson and Brian Hall as well as Larry Pegram, Shawn Conrad, Larry Denning, Joe Gill and Robert Jensen. “Those guys are unbelievable. There is no better experience than racing with them. I have to thank Robbie Jensen for taking time out to work with me this weekend. He’s easily one of the fastest riders in the country right now and it’s an honor for him to offer his support to me.” Jensen won all five of the Yamaha contingent races at Mid-America.
Tire wear and suspension set-up was the key to Stumpy’s consistent finishes. “Tom Mason of Mason Racin’ Tires had me on the best tire set up all weekend. My Michelins were perfect and the tire wear on this track that supposedly eats tires was great. Again, the guys from Lithium Motorsports were right there to keep me going through that rigorous schedule. Their trackside support is unbelievable.” Stumpy heads back to Blackhawk Farms in South Beloit, Illinois July 17 and 18 for a CCS Midwest round. “If anyone is up for a trip, come on down,” says Stumpy. “You are always welcome at the Team Stumpy pit!”
