A Weekend Full of Excitement
The event of the summer, King of the Mountain presented by Summit Racing Equipment, is the ultimate conclusion to the Autocross Season! Starting with Muscle on the Mountain and then Autocross Challenge, our entire season has been leading to this event, and the stakes are high! With 120 cars from 28 states and 2 Canadian provinces, UMI Motorsports Park was the ultimate racing testing ground for man, woman, and machine. You could feel the excitement in the air. The most elite pro-touring drivers in the country gathered in Clearfield County to compete for the $25,000 prize and the title of King!
Table of Contents
About King of the Mountain
This year, Summit Racing Equipment teamed up with UMI Performance for our premiere event! The King of the Mountain presented by Summit Racing Equipment competitors were split into four classes: Early Class Presented by A Plus Powder Coaters, Mid Class Presented by Elkhart Performance Engine and Chassis, Late Class Presented by Gordon Automotive Specialties, and Super Late Presented by After Dark Speed. A diverse range of cars and trucks all fought through the qualifying rounds on Friday and Saturday for their place in the 48-car Turnone Shootout.
King of the Mountain Autocross Livestream
The biggest Autocross event of the year, King of the Mountain Presented by Summit Racing Equipment, was live streamed for an audience of thousands. If you missed the action you can watch it now on our youtube channel!
Thank you to our broadcasting sponsor Viking Performance!
The King of the Mountain TurnOne Shootout
Only the top 12 cars from each class are granted a spot in the Turnone Shootout, which is the only UMI event shootout to take place at night under the track lights. This event draws in a large crowd of spectators both in person and online, as the entire event is broadcast on UMI’s social media pages!
The Shootout Qualifiers
The 48 car Shootout Qualifiers in each class came in the form of familiar faces and unexpected contenders. The evening began with the traditional four-wide salute to the fans, with parade laps around the oval led by the Turnone Corvette. This parade included all competitors from each class, with the fastest qualifier from each category at the forefront!
King of the Mountain 2024 Shootout Bracket
Battle of the Classes: Class Rounds
This shootout format resembled a F1 knockout style bracket. Round one for each class of the Turnone Shootout ran twelfth place cars through first, with the top 6 moving onto their 2nd run. The fastest 2 drivers from each class moved on to the next round. The top 2 face off in round two where the winner wins the title of Class King and moves onto the championship round to battle for the King of the Mountain!
Early Class Results
Early Class Sponsor: A Plus Powder Coaters
- Competitors: Bob Bertelsen, Steve Eich, Ron Scott, Brian Stephens, Nathan Johnson, Chris Mulberry, Justin Nall, Mike Wolf, Rick Goshert, Derek Kiefer, Sean Aldinger, Aaron Oberle
- Finalists: Steve Eich and Bob Bertelsen
Early Class King: Bob Bertelsen (Time: 55.851)
Mid Class Results
Mid Class Sponsor: Elkhart Performance Engine and Chassis
- Competitors: Chris Jensen, Mathew Radman, Brian Johns, Chris Smith, Chris Wheatcraft, Jason Smith, Ryan King, Don Chaffin, Tyler Gibson, Mike Casino, Kyle Nett, TJ Lawson
- Finalists: Chris Jensen and Smitty
Mid Class King: Chris Jensen (Time: 53.694)
Late Class Results
Late Class Sponsor: Gordon Automotive Specialties
- Competitors: Jeremiah Thomas, Geoffrey Wolpert, Scott Baker, Dave Schotz, JJ Mallrich, John Vitamvas, Jason Frank, Tim Gordon, Devon Whitman, Jeff Gordon, Jon Nwanagu, Sam Strano
- Finalists: Jeremiah Thomas and John Vitamvas
Late Class King: John Vitamvas (Time: 54.191)
Super Late Class Results
Super Late Class Sponsor: After Dark Speed
- Competitors: Shawn Krebsbach (KOTM 4.0 champion), Duke Langley (first time here), Josh Luster, Doug Rowse (multi-time SCCA National Champion), Cody Hunt, Jamie Elliott (9000 rpm big horsepower screamer), Brian Peters, Erik Strelnieks, Ryan Mathews, Justin Peachey, Aaron Shoe, Eric Peachey
- Finalists: Cody Hunt and Shawn Krebsbach
Super Late Class King: Shawn Krebsbach (Time: 51.880)
Battle for King: Championship Round!
The excitement reached its peak in the Turn One Shootout finale round one. It’s time for the classes to battle one another! The Class Kings get 3 runs to try to win the title. The three runs are then added together, and the competitor with the fastest overall time will be Crowned the King of the Mountain! This round was truly drama-filled as all Class Kings faced either penalties or technical issues.
Early Class Competitor
Bob Bertelsen
Early Class King, Bob Bertelsen, has competed in many KOTM shootouts but has never made it this far. Bob is racing his impressive “Green Mamba,” a neon green 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. In his first run of the championship rounds, Bob faced a DNF after getting into the grass. He was able to come back strong in his second and third runs. Both runs were executed cleanly and functionally, which is more than can be said for other competitors. Great Job Bob on your well deserved win!
Run 1: DNF
Run 2: 55.359 Clean
Run 3: 60.342 Clean
Mid Class Competitor
Chris Jensen
The Mid Class King, Chris Jensen, was the fastest qualifier and maintained that momentum throughout the shootout. Chris is racing his 1986 Mazda RX-7. He is no stranger to the Turnone Shootout; in 2023, he took 2nd place in the mid class. During the Championship Round, he completed the first run with minimal cone hits. Trouble began to brew on his second run; Chris passed the start line onto the course but progressively slowed down. By the time he reached turn two, he had to be pushed back to his grid spot. Unfortunately, Chris was unable to complete his second or third runs. He raced fast and hard all weekend and won the Mid Class Title. Great job, Chris!
Run 1: 54.160 + Cones
Run 2: DNF
Run 3: DNS
Super Late Class Competitor
Shawn Krebsbach
The 2023 King of the Mountain, Shawn Krebsbach, returns each year to fight! Last year and this year, his impressive skill granted him the title of Super Late Class King. Shawn is racing his 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9. Dubbed “the fastest man at UMI Motorsport Park”, Shawn ran an impressive 51.880 during the class rounds of the shootout. Shawn was also the fastest qualifier for his class, and with that momentum, it was no wonder he made it all the way to the championship rounds. His first run of this round was very alarming; it was obvious he was having engine troubles. He was able to complete it slowly but cleanly. It looked like he was back in the conversation on his second run, where he was able to speed up, but he also hit a cone. Unfortunately, his technical problems were too severe, and he was not able to complete his last run. Shawn is a force to be reckoned with. Great job, Shawn!
Run 1: 59.700 Clean
Run 2: 52.321 + Cones
Run 3: DNS
Late Class Competitor
John Vitamvas
John Vitamvas and his co-driver, Sam Strano, have demonstrated how fast their 2005 Mazda RX-8 can be. Last year, Sam won King of the Mountain, with John close behind, taking second place in the Late Class. This year, John took the lead, becoming the Late Class King. He rose to the top of his class, making it into the Championship Rounds. John started off bumpy, hitting three cones in his first run. However, he excelled in the second and third runs, both of which were clean and completed! He was the only Class King to complete all runs (without a DNF) in the Championship Rounds, and with his speed, he was able to become the King!
Run 1: 54.131 + Cones
Run 2: 52.862 Clean
Run 3: 53.541 Clean
The 2024 King of the Mountain Champion
John Vitamvas won the 2024 title of King and the $10,000 check! He celebrated with a wing walk and a victory lap around the track while fireworks lit up the sky.
Congratulations to this year’s King, John!
MOTM 2024 Results
2024 Shootout Gallery
Saturday Qualifying Round Gallery
- Uncategorized
- September 12, 2024
