2022 Round 18 Cup Results
It's Dyson, just, at Road America!
There is a good case to be made that if Road America had been built in Europe, that it would now be revered as one of the world's greatest race tracks.
Equally one could make the case that if it were located in Formula One's heartland Mr Tilke would have ruined it with acres of tarmac runoff and seizure inducing blue stripes. Instead it remains one of the crown jewels in the US road racing scene, largely unaltered from its original form. We can all be grateful this is so.
The 247 ANZCAR Cup rolled into Wisconsin for its one visit to the undulating 6.4km course in 2022. Of course over the last couple of years one invariably looks to Andrew Dyson for victory anytime the track turns right, but a welcome addition this season has been that of Brenton Hobson, who has emerged as a genuine challenger to Dyson on the road courses.
Hobson would lay down an early marker by taking pole from Dyson, with Pearson lining up on row two behind his teammate. The start would see Hobson get the jump and Dyson slot in behind, with Foster nipping past Pearson for third and almost taking a run at Dyson on lap one. Before the start had even taken place several cars ran off on the final turn, with Martin, Jackson, Douglas and Clark being among those running across the gravel.
Douglas would actually strike Jackson, deranging his rear suspension and putting him out on the spot. The only other action on lap one was Turner dropping it on the exit of turn one, collecting Phelps who then spun later in the lap forcing him to the pits for lengthy repairs.
The end of lap two saw Pearson, who was clearly being held up, nip past Foster into the final turn and then putting in a string of fastest laps in an attempt to catch the leading duo.
Speaking of the leading duo, the pair were pounding around in a class of their own, Dyson appearing to have a slight pace advantage however unable to complete the move, Hobson placing his car exactly where he needed to to protect his lead.
Elsewhere in the field Williams damaged his front suspension in the same place that claimed Turner earlier, and the field had begun to spread out. Tom Freer and Darryn Lobb were working their way forward as the road course experience of both began to show.
All of this was but a sideshow to the battle up front, as both leaders fought for every inch, cars squirming and brake discs aglow. On lap eighteen with the fuel running low, Dyson managed to get alongside Hobson, the pair running side by side and even lapping Tristan Koch while doing so! It was at the end of lap eighteen that both cars headed for pit road, and it seemed somewhat malapropos that for all the effort the drivers had made to go as quickly as possible, the move for the lead was made while the cars were limited to pit road speed. Dyson got out of his pit box faster than Hobson and moved into the lead.
On lap twenty-three Foster, who had been holding fourth place but coming under increasing pressure from the charging Lobb, ran off at the last turn and clobbered the fence, sending him to the pits for lengthy repairs.
None of this phased the leaders though as Dyson led Hobson home, Pearson came in an unchallenged third, with Lobb and Freer completing the top five.
The series moves back to Atlanta this week where this week's podium are expected to feature prominently again. Will Mitch, Natari or one of the Bandits be able to spoil the party, or will Barry Neale make good on his Nashville form? You'll need to tune in to Performance E-Streaming to find out.
Stewards Report
No cautions or protests lodged
There is a good case to be made that if Road America had been built in Europe, that it would now be revered as one of the world's greatest race tracks.
Equally one could make the case that if it were located in Formula One's heartland Mr Tilke would have ruined it with acres of tarmac runoff and seizure inducing blue stripes. Instead it remains one of the crown jewels in the US road racing scene, largely unaltered from its original form. We can all be grateful this is so.
The 247 ANZCAR Cup rolled into Wisconsin for its one visit to the undulating 6.4km course in 2022. Of course over the last couple of years one invariably looks to Andrew Dyson for victory anytime the track turns right, but a welcome addition this season has been that of Brenton Hobson, who has emerged as a genuine challenger to Dyson on the road courses.
Hobson would lay down an early marker by taking pole from Dyson, with Pearson lining up on row two behind his teammate. The start would see Hobson get the jump and Dyson slot in behind, with Foster nipping past Pearson for third and almost taking a run at Dyson on lap one. Before the start had even taken place several cars ran off on the final turn, with Martin, Jackson, Douglas and Clark being among those running across the gravel.
Douglas would actually strike Jackson, deranging his rear suspension and putting him out on the spot. The only other action on lap one was Turner dropping it on the exit of turn one, collecting Phelps who then spun later in the lap forcing him to the pits for lengthy repairs.
The end of lap two saw Pearson, who was clearly being held up, nip past Foster into the final turn and then putting in a string of fastest laps in an attempt to catch the leading duo.
Speaking of the leading duo, the pair were pounding around in a class of their own, Dyson appearing to have a slight pace advantage however unable to complete the move, Hobson placing his car exactly where he needed to to protect his lead.
Elsewhere in the field Williams damaged his front suspension in the same place that claimed Turner earlier, and the field had begun to spread out. Tom Freer and Darryn Lobb were working their way forward as the road course experience of both began to show.
All of this was but a sideshow to the battle up front, as both leaders fought for every inch, cars squirming and brake discs aglow. On lap eighteen with the fuel running low, Dyson managed to get alongside Hobson, the pair running side by side and even lapping Tristan Koch while doing so! It was at the end of lap eighteen that both cars headed for pit road, and it seemed somewhat malapropos that for all the effort the drivers had made to go as quickly as possible, the move for the lead was made while the cars were limited to pit road speed. Dyson got out of his pit box faster than Hobson and moved into the lead.
On lap twenty-three Foster, who had been holding fourth place but coming under increasing pressure from the charging Lobb, ran off at the last turn and clobbered the fence, sending him to the pits for lengthy repairs.
None of this phased the leaders though as Dyson led Hobson home, Pearson came in an unchallenged third, with Lobb and Freer completing the top five.
The series moves back to Atlanta this week where this week's podium are expected to feature prominently again. Will Mitch, Natari or one of the Bandits be able to spoil the party, or will Barry Neale make good on his Nashville form? You'll need to tune in to Performance E-Streaming to find out.
Stewards Report
No cautions or protests lodged
