2022 Round Cup Results
Dyson delivers at Darlington!
Photographers and filmmakers call it “the golden hour”, that one hour in either morning or evening where the sun sits at the perfect point in the sky to paint the subject matter in the most dramatic an eye-catching way.
So it was then as the field lined up under the setting sun for the first round of The Chase, it appeared that iRacing's own simulated nature understood the significance of the moment.
Jason Martin would take pole position with Brenton Hobson starting alongside, with Neil Pearson and the part-time 86 car of Wayne Bourke comprising the second row.
As the green flag fell, Martin would jump out to an early lead. Pearson would slot into second, with Hobson, Bourke and Hetterscheid leading a line of cars all doing their best to find their feet early in the race.
On lap eighteen Dyson would make his way past Hetterscheid to claim fifth place, and Bourke would move by Hobson on lap twenty-six, the 88 collecting a stripe on the wall of turn three/four and losing enough momentum to see Dyson slip by also. The leaders had also begun to lap Noddy Tompkins, who dropped low and spun out on lap twenty-eight, bringing out the first caution of the night.
The entire field dropped into the lane for service, however surprisingly the 53 of Foster would emerge in the lead having elected to take fuel only and later reporting some surprise he was the only one to do so. On the resulting restart Foster dropped like a stone, almost immediately finding himself outside the top ten as Martin, Pearson, Dyson and Hobson led the lead pack. The green running would last until lap thirty-nine when Lobb spun on the front stretch, bringing the pace car out again. Several cars would take the opportunity to get a splash of fuel to set themselves up for later in the race.
Martin would lead away once more as Bourke and Dyson disputed second place. A long green run ensued and multiple strategies would play out as each driver tried to figure out the best way to get home. By the time the race ticked over its hundredth lap Hobson was leading and saving fuel hard, attempting to make it home with one less stop than everyone else. Bourke would run second with Dyson third, Pearson fourth and former leader Martin in fifth.
With the strategies too varied and numerous to adequately cover here, notable moments over the remainder of the race were Hetterscheid spinning onto pit road on lap 119 and the retirement of Pearson with connection issues on lap 135.
When all was said and done, Dyson would call it correctly to win by 9 seconds from Foster, who had overcut on each stop to work his way up. Hetterscheid would just hold off Michelmore and Martin for third, while Scurlock would take sixth. Hobson did manage to fuel save his was home but was only seventh, with Urquijo, Phelps and Bourke completing the top ten.
Next week the series moves to Kansas. No regular season champion has ever gone on to take the title since this format was introduced, but Dyson is off to the best start possible.
Teammate Pearson is at the other end of the scale having endured a horror race first up, but he won last time out at Kansas, can he strike back?
Tune in next week to find out.
Stewards Report
Incidents
Lap 27 – Noddy Tompkins
Lap 39 – Darryn Lobb (3rd strike EOL next race)
Photographers and filmmakers call it “the golden hour”, that one hour in either morning or evening where the sun sits at the perfect point in the sky to paint the subject matter in the most dramatic an eye-catching way.
So it was then as the field lined up under the setting sun for the first round of The Chase, it appeared that iRacing's own simulated nature understood the significance of the moment.
Jason Martin would take pole position with Brenton Hobson starting alongside, with Neil Pearson and the part-time 86 car of Wayne Bourke comprising the second row.
As the green flag fell, Martin would jump out to an early lead. Pearson would slot into second, with Hobson, Bourke and Hetterscheid leading a line of cars all doing their best to find their feet early in the race.
On lap eighteen Dyson would make his way past Hetterscheid to claim fifth place, and Bourke would move by Hobson on lap twenty-six, the 88 collecting a stripe on the wall of turn three/four and losing enough momentum to see Dyson slip by also. The leaders had also begun to lap Noddy Tompkins, who dropped low and spun out on lap twenty-eight, bringing out the first caution of the night.
The entire field dropped into the lane for service, however surprisingly the 53 of Foster would emerge in the lead having elected to take fuel only and later reporting some surprise he was the only one to do so. On the resulting restart Foster dropped like a stone, almost immediately finding himself outside the top ten as Martin, Pearson, Dyson and Hobson led the lead pack. The green running would last until lap thirty-nine when Lobb spun on the front stretch, bringing the pace car out again. Several cars would take the opportunity to get a splash of fuel to set themselves up for later in the race.
Martin would lead away once more as Bourke and Dyson disputed second place. A long green run ensued and multiple strategies would play out as each driver tried to figure out the best way to get home. By the time the race ticked over its hundredth lap Hobson was leading and saving fuel hard, attempting to make it home with one less stop than everyone else. Bourke would run second with Dyson third, Pearson fourth and former leader Martin in fifth.
With the strategies too varied and numerous to adequately cover here, notable moments over the remainder of the race were Hetterscheid spinning onto pit road on lap 119 and the retirement of Pearson with connection issues on lap 135.
When all was said and done, Dyson would call it correctly to win by 9 seconds from Foster, who had overcut on each stop to work his way up. Hetterscheid would just hold off Michelmore and Martin for third, while Scurlock would take sixth. Hobson did manage to fuel save his was home but was only seventh, with Urquijo, Phelps and Bourke completing the top ten.
Next week the series moves to Kansas. No regular season champion has ever gone on to take the title since this format was introduced, but Dyson is off to the best start possible.
Teammate Pearson is at the other end of the scale having endured a horror race first up, but he won last time out at Kansas, can he strike back?
Tune in next week to find out.
Stewards Report
Incidents
Lap 27 – Noddy Tompkins
Lap 39 – Darryn Lobb (3rd strike EOL next race)
