Wika Wins His First Sprint Series in Round 2

January 2019 saw two Sprint Series rounds in the books on Classico CCW and Grande CCW. With Round 2 completed after this past weekend, we’re now beginning to see just who might be the ones to watch for the 2019 season!

Practice/Quali

The question of who would come out on top in qualifying remained a mystery for the entirety for most of the sessions. By the checkered however, honors would go to Sheng Wu for his first pole position in the Sprint Series.

Quali Results

1)	Sheng Wu	1:12.209
2)	Tom Zevin	1:12.375
3)	Frank Hsu	1:12.396
4)	Justin Altman	1:12.485
5)	James Lieser	1:12.501

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Heat 1A

Wu led the pack in heat 1A at the green but would not be left to his own devices as drivers Pietro Moro, Justin Altman, and Doug Yauney stayed closeby within striking distance. There would be no calm behind Wu as the group would shuffle lap after lap. Though the checkered flag didn’t see Wu at the forefront, after penalties were assessed, the P1 position would end up becoming his.

Heat 1A Results

1)	Sheng Wu
2)	Pietro Moro
3)	Justin Altman
4)	Doug Yauney
5)	James Suggs

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Heat 1B

The front-runners in heat 1B were sent into a scuffle at the green flag with Seth Willits falling backwards toward the midpack range. Randy McKee remained in close contact for the lead but it would be Ronnie Swaim Jr pulling all the stops from a start in 7th. He’d take the lead on the one lap where it counted and brought home the heat 1B win over Willits and McKee.

Heat 1B Results

1)	Ronnie Swaim Jr
2)	Seth Willits
3)	Randy McKee
4)	James Lieser
5)	Chase Nickells

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Heat 1C

Heat 1C began with Frank Hsu at the helm but Ayrton Demoss would steal the lead early on in lap 2, staving off most attempts from his competitors as the race wore on. Meanwhile, Ivan Martinez quietly latched onto Demoss’ bumper with Vladimir Orlov following suit– no trouble for him as he made his way forward from P6. Demoss would cross the checkered first for heat 1C, proving to be yet another driver to watch for the championship this season.

Heat 1C Results

1)	Ayrton Demoss
2)	Ivan Martinez
3)	Vladimir Orlov
4)	Tony Wika
5)	Adrian Jones

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C-Main

The result for the C-Main win was pretty clear from the get-go once Devins Baker took the lead. At a pace of nearly 2 seconds quicker than his competitors, his advantage could not be overcome. Meanwhile the P2 battle remained a nasty dogfight amongst a whole slew of drivers with each passing lap. At the finish, it would be Mike Gonzales grabbing 2nd and David Hazlewood with 3rd.

C-Main Results

1)	Devins Baker
2)	Mike Gonzales
3)	David Hazlewood
4)	Shelby Blecker
5)	Christopher Lovell

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B-Main

B-Main started off without a hitch with Zachary Francavilla leading and Mike Skinner in tow for more than half of the race. About midway through however, Lee Nguyen had overtaken several drivers to land right behind Francavilla, only for both of them to receive drive-through penalties. Both performed an unusual but perfectly served trip through the penalty box in tandem that would throw a curveball at the front pack right at the white flag. Matthew McCoy would be the main benefactor of this to grab the win with Skinner in P2 and Matt Steele in P3.

B-Main Results

1)	Matthew McCoy
2)	Mike Skinner
3)	Matt Steele
4)	Heather Perrin
5)	Scott Head

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A-Main

By the time the A-Main was underway, the course boundaries continued to serve as obstacles for drivers. Penalties from four-off passes came really hard at the front, one such landing on a lead driver for a devastating result. Ready in line to take advantage of this opening was Tony Wika; for him, this A-Main was pure forward momentum. About halfway through, he cut his way forward into the lead carrying Willits along with him and Swaim just a few paces astern. The checkered would be Wika’s first in the Sprint Series, Willits following in P2, and Swaim scoring third for his first podium.

Taking into account Spencer Russell’s 2R status, the points now see 3 drivers tied for P1 and 4 tied for P4 on back. There might only be 2 rounds in the books but if points leader by tie breaker, Ronnie Swaim Jr, keeps up this type of consistency, he may go on to score not only the Winter Sub-championship but perhaps also the overall… This is no easy task though.

• Seth Willits – currently geared up for LO206 in Tri-C Karters for 2019
• Randy McKee – always putting down excellent results in the past Sprint Series seasons; this just may become his year
• James Lieser – a previous winner in the Sprint Series; definitely has what it takes to grab another W
• Donnie Clarke – has shown promise during 2018; things look like they’re really starting to click this time around
• Tony Wika – 2-time Grand Masters Champ in the Super Series and now, winner of Sprint Series Round 2

A-Main Top 10 Results

1)	Tony Wika
2)	Seth Willits
3)	Ronnie Swaim Jr
4)	Justin Altman
5)	Ivan Martinez
6)	Pietro Moro
7)	Chase Nickells
8)	Max Demoss
9)	Randy McKee
10)	Nathaniel Small

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Sprint 2019 Current Standings

1)	Spencer Russell [2R]	300	-
2)	Ronnie Swaim Jr	290	(275)
2)	Seth Willits	290	(242)
4)	Randy McKee	285	(256)
4)	James Lieser	285	(245)
4)	Donnie Clarke	285	(208)
4)	Tony Wika	285	(156)