ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (September 20, 2012) – Sage Marie, of Huntington Beach, Calif., survived a thrilling three-way battle to win the first B-Spec Shootout Presented by Pirelli World Challenge at the 49th Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ National Championship Runoffs. The B-Spec Shootout ran as a sub-class to the National Championship race in Showroom Stock C at Road America on Thursday. Marie’s No. 45 Honda Racing/HPD/BFGoodrich Tires Honda Fit started third, then spent the race swapping positions with Joel Lipperini’s No. 81 BFGoodrich Tires/Honda/Racelabz/Hawk/Red Line Honda Fit and the No. 10 Continental Mazda of Naperville MAZDA2 of fast qualifier Shawn Young. Marie, who the third Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec race at Miller Motorsports Park this year, crossed the finish line 0.720-second ahead of Lipperini, followed by Young in third place. “When you put these cars together with some good drivers and everybody is having a good time, it makes for a really exciting event,â€� Marie said after the race. “What’s great about B-Spec, too, is that there are so many venues. You can be here at the Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ National Championship Runoffs, you can be in the Pirelli World Challenge races on a big, professional stage. The cars are very versatile, and hopefully that helps them catch fire.â€� The three podium finishers win free entries to every Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car-B race in 2013. In addition, Marie won $3,000 in cash, Lipperini took home $1,500 and Young earned $500 from the Series to support the program. The cars used in Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Club Racing B-Spec class at the Runoffs and the Touring Car-B class in Pirelli World Challenge are identical, except for the tires. Club Racing rules require treaded street tires, while all cars in Pirelli World Challenge run the Pirelli P-Zero slick. To qualify for the prizes, each B-Spec competitor ran special Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec Shootout number boards during the 13-lap race. Jonathan Start, the 2012 Touring Car-B Champion in Pirelli World Challenge, was also a race participant at the Runoffs. Having recently completed its 23rd consecutive season, the Pirelli World Challenge is one of North America's top production car-based racing championships. Divided into four separate categories (Pirelli World Challenge GT, Pirelli World Challenge GTS, Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car and Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-Spec), each race features thrilling standing starts, adrenaline filled door-to-door action and world-class drivers. The Pirelli World Challenge features cars from the world's most popular manufacturers – race-prepped versions of the cars driven on the streets. Sanctioned by Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ Pro Racing, the series races at North America's premier road and temporary street courses. More information on the Pirelli World Challenge Championships is available at www.world-challenge.com. Â