2022 Round Cup Results
Martin takes another at Michigan!
The 247 ANZCAR Cup Series arrived in Michigan a week earlier than planned, courtesy of a late date change with IMS. The 2 mile oval, sitting as it is half way between an intermediate and a superspeedway, normally provides exactly the type of racing one would expect from a hybrid of the two.
Barry Neale would line up on pole position with points leader Andrew Dyson lining up alongside him, with Daniel Hetterscheid and Ryan Jones sharing row two behind them. At the green flag the field jostled for a while before settling in to a single file rhythm. Half distance was fifty laps, at full noise a modern Cup car will run out of fuel in forty-six laps.
In short, any car that could eek out its mileage four laps could save themselves a pitstop if the race ran green. As a result, the pack remained largely together, with Jones, Russell, Dyson, Douglas and Hetterscheid leading the way. Two drivers not looking to hang around were Douglas ans Scurlock, with the latter taking the Camry bearing his own face to the front on lap eleven.
Scurlock would be the first of the front runners to pit at the end of lap thirty-three, committing himself to the two stopper. Hetterscheid would come down five laps later. Most of the leaders would just make it to halfway, with Dyson, Russell, Martin, Raymond at Paton all coming down at the end of lap fifty. Phelps, Foster, Pearson and Jackon would come down a lap later, with Barry Neale having gotten the best mileage of all and coming down a lap after that.
All the fuel saving would be for nought though, as Koby Jordan and Darryn Lobb came together off turn four on lap fifty-nine, bringing the race's only caution. This left a mixed up field coming down pit road. Jackson would stay out while the rest of the field came down for new rubber. Foster would be the only real outlier among them, taking only two tyres and moving from seventeenth to ninth.
The restart would see Jackson lead from Scurlock, who promptly received a black flag for a restart infringement which would drop him out of contention. With the green flag flying on lap sixty-three, the pack (and it was the entire pack) started to squabble over the lead with the sort of flat out racing now afforded by fuel no longer being a concern. Hetterscheid would move to the lead as Jackson faded on his older tyres. The battle for the lead seemingly now involved the top half of the field, with positions swapping and runs being generated to such an extant, listing them all here would take multiple volumes.
The most notable moment came on lap ninety-two, when Pearson would make the fullest of sends underneath Neale, with the two making contact which in the manner taught to us by Newton's Cradle, sent Dyson for a slide. Both Neale and Dyson would gather it all up and continue. At the same time Martin was making a move for the lead on Russell which would be the final lead change of the race. Natari teammates Hetterscheid and Foster would run second and third, with Jones, Russell, Michelmore, Pearson, Raymond, Paton and Phelps completing the top ten.
The series now moves to IMS where we will hopefully have an updated course to play with. With Mitch Motorsports managing to manufacture momentum (mmmm...) all eyes will be on whether that will translate to some right turns this week. Join us then.
Incidents
Lap 59 - Darryn Lobb
Other
Drivers are reminded that ANZCAR rules dictate that upon the race being placed under caution they must catch the pace car as quickly as possible. Typically we have only examined protested instances where a driver has actually been impeded, however we will be tightening up on this as we are seeing too many drivers dawdling around at half throttle when the yellow flies. As a general guide, you should proceed at around 80%-90% of race pace until you are in the vicinity of the pacing line.
The 247 ANZCAR Cup Series arrived in Michigan a week earlier than planned, courtesy of a late date change with IMS. The 2 mile oval, sitting as it is half way between an intermediate and a superspeedway, normally provides exactly the type of racing one would expect from a hybrid of the two.
Barry Neale would line up on pole position with points leader Andrew Dyson lining up alongside him, with Daniel Hetterscheid and Ryan Jones sharing row two behind them. At the green flag the field jostled for a while before settling in to a single file rhythm. Half distance was fifty laps, at full noise a modern Cup car will run out of fuel in forty-six laps.
In short, any car that could eek out its mileage four laps could save themselves a pitstop if the race ran green. As a result, the pack remained largely together, with Jones, Russell, Dyson, Douglas and Hetterscheid leading the way. Two drivers not looking to hang around were Douglas ans Scurlock, with the latter taking the Camry bearing his own face to the front on lap eleven.
Scurlock would be the first of the front runners to pit at the end of lap thirty-three, committing himself to the two stopper. Hetterscheid would come down five laps later. Most of the leaders would just make it to halfway, with Dyson, Russell, Martin, Raymond at Paton all coming down at the end of lap fifty. Phelps, Foster, Pearson and Jackon would come down a lap later, with Barry Neale having gotten the best mileage of all and coming down a lap after that.
All the fuel saving would be for nought though, as Koby Jordan and Darryn Lobb came together off turn four on lap fifty-nine, bringing the race's only caution. This left a mixed up field coming down pit road. Jackson would stay out while the rest of the field came down for new rubber. Foster would be the only real outlier among them, taking only two tyres and moving from seventeenth to ninth.
The restart would see Jackson lead from Scurlock, who promptly received a black flag for a restart infringement which would drop him out of contention. With the green flag flying on lap sixty-three, the pack (and it was the entire pack) started to squabble over the lead with the sort of flat out racing now afforded by fuel no longer being a concern. Hetterscheid would move to the lead as Jackson faded on his older tyres. The battle for the lead seemingly now involved the top half of the field, with positions swapping and runs being generated to such an extant, listing them all here would take multiple volumes.
The most notable moment came on lap ninety-two, when Pearson would make the fullest of sends underneath Neale, with the two making contact which in the manner taught to us by Newton's Cradle, sent Dyson for a slide. Both Neale and Dyson would gather it all up and continue. At the same time Martin was making a move for the lead on Russell which would be the final lead change of the race. Natari teammates Hetterscheid and Foster would run second and third, with Jones, Russell, Michelmore, Pearson, Raymond, Paton and Phelps completing the top ten.
The series now moves to IMS where we will hopefully have an updated course to play with. With Mitch Motorsports managing to manufacture momentum (mmmm...) all eyes will be on whether that will translate to some right turns this week. Join us then.
Incidents
Lap 59 - Darryn Lobb
Other
Drivers are reminded that ANZCAR rules dictate that upon the race being placed under caution they must catch the pace car as quickly as possible. Typically we have only examined protested instances where a driver has actually been impeded, however we will be tightening up on this as we are seeing too many drivers dawdling around at half throttle when the yellow flies. As a general guide, you should proceed at around 80%-90% of race pace until you are in the vicinity of the pacing line.
