2023 Round 33 Cup Results
Hetterscheid Hits the Jackpot in Sin City
Lachlan Urquijo secured the pole position with a returning Daniel Hetterscheid alongside him on the front row. Phil Otto, who had a strong qualifying run, started from 3rd place, while the first of the chase contenders, Ruben Phelps, positioned himself on the outside of the second row. Right from the start, Urquijo began to build a substantial lead, while the chase drivers engaged in fierce battles throughout the field, striving to advance to the front.
A thrilling 3-car tussle for the lead soon developed, involving Urquijo, Hetterscheid, and Phelps. Lap 14 brought some drama as Urquijo got a bit loose and, after contact with Hetterscheid, both drivers displayed impressive car control to keep racing. In this exchange, Phelps took over the lead.
The first caution of the night waved on lap 28, prompting all drivers to seize the opportunity to make a pit stop, fine-tune their cars, change tires, and refuel.
Phelps assumed the lead on the restart, alongside Andrew Dyson on the outside line. Speculation abounded that some drivers might be saving fuel at this point to alter their pit stop strategy if they could conserve enough. Nonetheless, Phelps decisively pulled away, leaving the rest of the pack to duel and strategize about fuel consumption.
Lap 63 brought catastrophe for chase contenders Dyson and Matthew Raymond, as their contact led to a major wreck, ending Raymond's night and causing substantial damage to Dyson's car.
Once again, all cars headed to pit road, locking in the necessity for one more stop to complete the race distance. Phelps led the restart on lap 69, (Giggity) this time with Neil Pearson on the outside line. Pearson managed to overtake Phelps on lap 75 with a strong run off the exit of turn 4, while Urquijo had made an impressive recovery to climb up to 4th place.
The final round of pit stops commenced with around 30 laps to go, following a lengthy battle for the lead among four cars in the laps leading up to lap 100. Hetterscheid pitted first among the top four running cars, followed by Pearson, Phelps, and Douglas.
Upon rejoining the race, Phelps and Pearson found themselves in a tight battle that persisted until the end. Meanwhile, Joshua Carroll-Walden, the first of the pit stoppers, briefly held the lead but was soon chased down by Hetterscheid.
The intense battle for 2nd place between Pearson and Phelps gave Hetterscheid just enough breathing room to secure the race win. With a non-chase driver claiming victory and the struggles of Dyson and Raymond, the competition to reach the season's final race is heating up.
Next week, the series heads to Homestead for a 130-lap showdown.
Race Statistics:
Total Laps: 130
Cautions: 2 For 8 Laps
Lead Changes: 5
Incidents
Lap 28 - Shayne Bowen
Lap 64 - Andrew Dyson
Restarts
N/A Other N/A Post-race Tech
Shayne Bowen - No Submission DQ
Derek Jacobs - No Submission DQ
Noddy Tompkins - No Submission DQ
Top 10 Finishers:
1: Daniel Hetterscheid
2: Neil Pearson
3: Ruben Phelps
4: Dave Douglas
5: Lachlan Urquijo
6: Norman Clark
7: Brenton Henderson
8: Joshua Carroll-Walden
9: Steven Williams
10: Riley Curtis
Lachlan Urquijo secured the pole position with a returning Daniel Hetterscheid alongside him on the front row. Phil Otto, who had a strong qualifying run, started from 3rd place, while the first of the chase contenders, Ruben Phelps, positioned himself on the outside of the second row. Right from the start, Urquijo began to build a substantial lead, while the chase drivers engaged in fierce battles throughout the field, striving to advance to the front.
A thrilling 3-car tussle for the lead soon developed, involving Urquijo, Hetterscheid, and Phelps. Lap 14 brought some drama as Urquijo got a bit loose and, after contact with Hetterscheid, both drivers displayed impressive car control to keep racing. In this exchange, Phelps took over the lead.
The first caution of the night waved on lap 28, prompting all drivers to seize the opportunity to make a pit stop, fine-tune their cars, change tires, and refuel.
Phelps assumed the lead on the restart, alongside Andrew Dyson on the outside line. Speculation abounded that some drivers might be saving fuel at this point to alter their pit stop strategy if they could conserve enough. Nonetheless, Phelps decisively pulled away, leaving the rest of the pack to duel and strategize about fuel consumption.
Lap 63 brought catastrophe for chase contenders Dyson and Matthew Raymond, as their contact led to a major wreck, ending Raymond's night and causing substantial damage to Dyson's car.
Once again, all cars headed to pit road, locking in the necessity for one more stop to complete the race distance. Phelps led the restart on lap 69, (Giggity) this time with Neil Pearson on the outside line. Pearson managed to overtake Phelps on lap 75 with a strong run off the exit of turn 4, while Urquijo had made an impressive recovery to climb up to 4th place.
The final round of pit stops commenced with around 30 laps to go, following a lengthy battle for the lead among four cars in the laps leading up to lap 100. Hetterscheid pitted first among the top four running cars, followed by Pearson, Phelps, and Douglas.
Upon rejoining the race, Phelps and Pearson found themselves in a tight battle that persisted until the end. Meanwhile, Joshua Carroll-Walden, the first of the pit stoppers, briefly held the lead but was soon chased down by Hetterscheid.
The intense battle for 2nd place between Pearson and Phelps gave Hetterscheid just enough breathing room to secure the race win. With a non-chase driver claiming victory and the struggles of Dyson and Raymond, the competition to reach the season's final race is heating up.
Next week, the series heads to Homestead for a 130-lap showdown.
Race Statistics:
Total Laps: 130
Cautions: 2 For 8 Laps
Lead Changes: 5
Incidents
Lap 28 - Shayne Bowen
Lap 64 - Andrew Dyson
Restarts
N/A Other N/A Post-race Tech
Shayne Bowen - No Submission DQ
Derek Jacobs - No Submission DQ
Noddy Tompkins - No Submission DQ
Top 10 Finishers:
1: Daniel Hetterscheid
2: Neil Pearson
3: Ruben Phelps
4: Dave Douglas
5: Lachlan Urquijo
6: Norman Clark
7: Brenton Henderson
8: Joshua Carroll-Walden
9: Steven Williams
10: Riley Curtis
