Newport Beach’s Bren Wins Super Vee Race

Steve Bren of Newport Beach won the Bosch-Volkswagen Super Vee race at Laguna Seca Raceway Sunday in a victory that boosted him into the series lead.

Bren, who led two other times, took the lead for the final time one lap from the end of the 33-lap event on Laguna Seca’s 1.9-mile road course and defeated Didier Theys of Belgium by 1.193 seconds. It was Theys who Bren passed for the point lead.

Cary Bren, Steve’s brother, was third, followed by Mike Groff and Dennis Vitolo.

Bren, who earned $6,500 for the victory, averaged 101.675 m.p.h. It was his third victory of the season and second in his last three starts.

“My car was handling better in traffic (than Theys’),” Bren said. “We got caught up in traffic (when he lost the lead on lap 29), and I think it was a stroke of luck that I got by (when he regained the lead).”