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History
Together, Kent and Jesse Prather run Prather Racing
Inc., in Wakarusa,
Kan. (south Topeka). The business was started in 1975 and began as an import repair service.
Kent Prather became known for excellent workmanship, honesty and a knack
for achieving the customer’s goals. The shop first got into racing with
a Formula Vee and became very active in
SCCA
activities.
However, since
Kent’s first car in high school, a ground-up street restoration in 1968,
production cars were the way to go.
Kent
entered G Production in 1980 with his MGA, winning numerous regional races
along with the 1983 Regional Series, MARRS Series and the NORRDIC
Championship. He went National racing in 1984, with a 10th-place
finish at his first Runoffs National Championship event (Road Atlanta).
Kent’s first National Championship came in 1986, followed by number two in
1990.
The Valvoline Runoffs’ move to Mid-Ohio in 1994
didn’t stop the two-time Champion, with Kent
taking his third title in 1995. Kent
had a perfect season in 2002, taking the pole and win in each of the six
Nationals he entered, culminating in a record-tying fourth Runoffs
National Championship.
2003 became a season to do more development in an
effort to go faster and keep up with the increasing pressure in G
Production, despite holding every track record in the Midwest Division.
The results were a back-to-back National Championship, thus becoming the
first-ever five-time G Production
SCCA
National Champion.
The 2004 G Production Runoffs started off positively,
with Kent taking his second-career Runoffs pole. While fighting in the top
three on lap three, another competitor tried an ambitious move and
eliminating all hope of a threepeat.
Son Jesse began his racing career in an MGB in 2000
with seven regional races and wins culminating in the Midwest Division
Regional Championship. He moved to an Elva Courier in 2001 for E
Production. This was a transition into National racing, which led him to
one second and two third-place finishes. In 2002, it was another car for
Jesse, moving to an E Production Mazda RX-7. He won his first National
race and finished 10th a the Runoffs, moving up from 25th
on the grid.
2003 was a transition year for the Prather Racing
RX-7. A new transmission and more seat time for Jesse developed one win, a
second and another trip to the Runoffs. After qualifying 13th,
he moved up to as high as fifth place before finishing seventh—the
highest-finishing RX-7 in the field. With improved suspension design,
Jesse was even more competitive in 2004, taking the divisional title in E
Production. After qualifying ninth, he spun in oil while running in the
top 10. A strong run back up to 12th ended against the tire wall in the
Esses, with the car damaged heavily, but Jesse no worse for wear. In
2005, Kent won his record sixth SCCA National Championship in G Production
in the venerable MGA. For his efforts, he also earned the SCCA President's
Cup--the highest honor bestowed on an SCCA racing driver. Jesse parted out
his RX-7 and teamed up with Don Christman to run his GT-3 RX-7. Things
were going well at the Runoffs before a fuel regulator failed. The two
also raced their "new" MGB in several vintage races, taking a
number of wins. 2006 brought the Runoffs to the
Prather's back yard; Heartland Park Topeka. Coming off his record-setting
Runoffs win at Mid-Ohio, Kent was not one to rest on his laurels,
completely redesigning the suspension on the MGA. He had a good season,
working out the kinks in the new design leading up to the Runoffs. While
Kent improved the MGA, his competitors got faster as well and Kent faced
the challenge of competition that had finally approached the level of prep
that Prather Racing had put on the MGA for years. Kent qualified fifth and
recovered from an early spin (due to contact with another competitor) and
battled rain on slicks to finish sixth. Jesse was to
have taken the season off before building a new F Production Miata for
2007, but when a car he'd built for a customer a couple years earlier
became available, he acquired it in July. With only four races remaining
in the schedule, Jesse hit all of them, winning three and taking the
Divisional Championship. He qualified second on the grid and took his
first-ever National Championship at the Runoffs after a race-long battle
with four-time Champ Steve Sargis, a former nemesis of Kent's in G
Production. Jesse also was honored with the Road Racing Driver's Club Mark
Donohue Award for his success and sportsmanship, helping competitors
throughout the week at the Prather Racing shop. He also received the Dave
Tabor award. In addition to their SCCA activities,
Prather Racing ran a full season of vintage events in its MGB and has
acquired vintage Lola and Chevron Can-Am cars for a customer to campaign
in 2007. In 2007, only a second place finish at the
June Heartland National kept Jesse from a perfect season, which culminated
in his second-straight National Championship in F Production. This one was
even tougher than in 2006. After starting from the pole, Jesse traded the
lead numerous times with Brian Linn's Midget before pulling away at the
finish. Prather Racing enjoyed four cars in the top 10 of F
Production--including Eric Prill (fourth), Bob Bramlage (eighth) and Andy
Hauck (ninth). Kent had some great runs during the
year as well, and his third place qualifying effort at the Runoffs was
spoiled by a bad spark plug during the race. Jesse's wasn't the only
Prather Racing-prepped car to win the Runoffs though, as Chris Bovis took
his first crown in his GT-Lite Honda CRX that received its final race
preparations at Prather Racing.
For 2008, it will be a season of change. G Production
didn't make the numbers in 2007 and all the cars were consolidated into FP
and HP. That means that after over 20 years of G Production races for the
famous MG A, it's off to F Production for Kent. At least he can remove
some of the lead trophies he's earned as the only Six-Time National
Champion in G Production!
Jesse will focus on a new 1.8-liter E Production
engine program for the Miata. He can run the same car, just with more
horsepower! Watch out EP, the red Miata from Kansas is undefeated at
Heartland Park Runoffs...
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