Ken Sutherland of Sherwood took the victory in Sunday's 63rd Rose Cup Race at Portland International Raceway. The local driver added his name to the long list of prior champions after a masterful performance in the 45-minute sprint race, held in clear weather with temperatures reaching into the 90s.
"There were so many ways, as always, that a race can go, so I was just going to play the scenario that came to me," Sutherland said of his July 14 victory. "But our car was strong. I've been in this race a couple of times with cars that didn't really have a chance."
Sutherland triumphed over a 29-car field of impressive machinery. In Saturday's qualifying sessions, Michael McAleenan of Tacoma, Washington was fastest in his 2018 Lamborghini Huracan, with Sutherland more than a second slower in his 2024 Dodge Challenger. Third place on grid went to prior Rose Cup champion Pieter Baljet of Duncan, British Columbia driving a 2018 Bentley GT3. The second row was completed by the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro of Sam Beswick, also hailing from Duncan. Defending champion Chris Evans of Portland drove a 2022 Ford Mustang, earning 7th position on grid. The balance of the field included Porsche GT3 factory-produced racing cars as well as several visiting drivers from the Trans Am professional racing series.
At the green flag, McAleenan moved into the lead with Sutherland close behind. The Lamborghini had a handling advantage in the corners, but on PIR's long front and back straights, the Challenger had more power.
"As expected, those guys have a lot more horsepower, so they were well ahead of me going into the braking zone," McAleenan explains, "but they brake early because they're big and heavy, so I was able to get back in front by the time we got through the corners. Then it's kind of a cat and mouse game."
After about four laps, Sutherland took advantage of his power and moved past McAleenan into the lead. The two traded the lead back and forth one more time before Sutherland was able to put some distance between himself and the Lamborghini. From then on, the race was set and McAleenan was left to wait for Sutherland to make an error that never came.
"There were a couple of spins and yellow flags that made it tough to pass cars, but he [Sutherland] didn't make any mistakes," McAleenan says. "He drove great grace. So my hat's off to him."
The race proceeded cleanly for the most part, being marred only by occasional mechanical or driver failures. A late-race full-course caution flag with safety car was needed when Craig Hillis of Woodinville, Washington fell victim to PIR's treacherous Turn 12 and bounced his 1993 Porsche 968 off the tire wall. That caution period allowed McAleenan to erase the lead that Sutherland had built up, but after 23 of the 25 race laps, the Lamborghini didn't have enough traction in the corners to get back around Sutherland. McAleenan finished second and Baljet followed up in third place.
"We had that double yellow at the end and then every lap was a little bit closer," McAleenan says. "If we had one more lap, I could have made it even more interesting, but that's the way it goes."
For his part, Sutherland was cognizant of the deep roots of the Rose Cup championship and the great Portland area drivers whose names stretch back 63 years.
"One person I really need to thank is Pat McFall," Sutherland says. "He's been a part of people's names on this trophy before. He's a great coach and crew chief. There's nobody more dedicated to racing than that man. He worked with Willie T. Ribbs and had victories in Trans Am with him. He was with Gary Bockman for years, who's a great driver himself. And then now I'm just very fortunate to have him to work with me."
Sutherland further expressed gratitude to his team and car owners, Curt and Patty Kallberg of Sisters, Oregon and his family.
"To have a car that I knew could win going in felt like a big weight of responsibility," Sutherland says. "I really wanted to get that win for Curt and Patty and maybe for myself just a little. I also need to thank last year's champion Chris Evans, who built the car. He did a fabulous job. Also, Wyatt Fire Protection and of course, my wife Carrie and daughter Emma, and our almighty God."
The 64th Rose Cup Races are already being planned for next summer, and the next big event at PIR will be IndyCar, coming to town on August 23-25. Tickets for IndyCar are available at raceportland.com/IndyCar .
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