Sports Car - October 2020

COVER FEATURE

Michael Borden is having a crazy year, but not for the reasons you might hink. This October, Michael will faceoff against some of SCCA’s best racers duringhis very first SCCA Runoffs appearance, allthe while being unwittingly thrust into thelimelight. As SportsCar’s odds-on favorite towin a National Championship his first time out,there’s now a sizable bull’s eye on his back. Butin our defense, Michael earned every inch ofthat target when he bested SCCA heavyweightsJohn Heinricy and Nick Leverone – multipletimes – and then concluded his 2020 U.S.

Majors Tour and Hoosier Super Tour seasonutterly undefeated, all in a class that’s new tohim. Yeah, you could say it’s been a crazy year.

“I finally had enough money saved where itmade sense that I could actually go road racingand make a season of it,” Michael reveals to meof 2017, his rookie SCCA Road Racing season.

“I have always wanted to run Spec Miata eversince I’d gotten into racing because I wantthe competition and I want the close racing.

I didn’t care if I was mid pack, there’s alwaysgoing to be someone to race and have fun.”Runoffs rookie Michael Borden hashad an incredible Touring 4 season thisyear. Now only the Runoffs, and someof SCCA’s best road racers, standbetween him and a perfect record

WORDS Philip Royle | IMAGES Rick Corwine

Michael ran Spec Miata that season, plus2018 and ’ 19, before jumping into Touring 4 forthe tail end of the season and then the entiretyof 2020. Still, Michael confesses, this racingseason has been a surprise even to him.

“I had no idea that I would get the results
that I ended up with at this point throughout the
year,” Michael admits. “I assumed I’d have a lot of
podiums, but to have the amount of wins I’ve had
this year is blowing me away. I’m still shocked by it.
To be honest, I’m trying to take it all in. It’s crazy.”
“I’ve been into cars since I was a kid,” Michael
tells me. “I always had Matchbox cars and toy cars.
Then what got me into racing was playing a lot
of video games. When the original Gran Turismo
game came out, I don’t know if it was the first
night but it was really close to the release date,
I picked it up with a buddy and we stayed at my
grandma’s house and were up until like 5 or 5: 30
in the morning playing. That really grew the car
addiction because that game had so many cars. It
was crazy – you could learn so much about them.”
Fast-forward to 2009 and Michael, now
with a college diploma in hand and job hunting,
was also active on iRacing. Four year later,
the bug finally bit. “I bought a 2007 Subaru
STi and decided to take my Subaru up to
Road America for a winter autocross.”
GAME ON