Round #5 for the CalSpeed IronMan Series was not only the halfway point in the season, it was also the deciding round for the best 4 out of 5 Winter Series sub-championship. Five drivers came in with a shot at it, and in the end, it would be one of the challengers stealing away the title in the closing laps…
Chris Carter would lead the field away for the start of the race on Tecnico, leading through the Esses, hairpin and sweeper, before a little contact from P2 starter and Winter Series hopeful Ayrton Demoss saw him demoted a spot back. Demoss would elect to take his first pit stop on the same lap he served his penalty, with Chris Fox inheriting lead duties. Whether or not the stop was according to plan for Demoss, it didn’t seem to hurt him, being joined by Chase Nickells right away. His strategy would take another turn after serving another penalty for excessive barrier contact a couple of laps later, making his second and final stop on lap 9.
During that time, his father Max Demoss had actually made it into the top spot, with Chris Fox staying right with him; the man on the move however was Donnie Clark. Clark had worked his way through the pack and started to bridge the gap them, and the pair of leaders a couple seconds up the road. By just passed the quarter distance Mark, he was on them, but then a mechanical saw him start to lose speed, and he was forced to pit for a kart swap. His new ride underneath him, he re-entered the fray back in 3rd, and started to get back to work.
Meanwhile, out front it was about who could get through the traffic the best, as leaders Demoss and Fox were able to work through them at leisure with a solid advantage on the chasing pack. Eventually the advantage would go Demoss’s way right around the halfway mark, and he was able to start eking out an advantage over the chasing Fox. This also allowed the chasing pack -led by the aforementioned Clarke and Evan Lawrence-to reel in Fox, working through the traffic and dispatching him as well. Shortly after doing so the first of the front group would head down pit road, this being podium contender Evan Lawrence, while the rest decided to stay out for at least a few more laps.
By this point the chasing pack had grown to include Alyssa Yauney, Sean Fite, and Emerson Thieman, the group of 5 running about 5 seconds back from the leader, Demoss. With about 15 minutes to go the pit lane became busy, first with Clarke -who like Lawrence- went for the back to back pit strategy, coming out right with early leader Ayrton Demoss. Demoss had been on a charge since his second stop, working though the pack and snagging draft whenever possible, putting himself in position to fight for a podium, or more in the late stages. Clarke pushed to stay with him, but would make a couple of mistakes to slip off the back, and then things really became interesting in the final laps when leader Max finally pit.
Making his final stop on lap 55, The elder Demoss would come out in front of his son, but with an elbows out move that showed he races his dad as hard as anyone else, Ayrton stuck the pass the very next lap, and held on for the win. Not only that, he would claim the 2022 Winter Series title as well, joined by his dad Max in second, with Clarke settling for third.
Round #6 of the CalSpeed IronMan Series is the first 2-hour race on the schedule, with spots still available, so sign up today!
Reg Here: https://calspeed.configio.com/search?cid=343
IronMan Series Round #5 Top 10
- Ayrton Demoss
- Max Demoss
- Donnie Clarke
- Chase Nickells
- Evan Lawrence
- Alyssa Yauney
- Sean Fite
- Emerson Thieman
- Chris Fox
- Samuel Hunt
Overall Point Standings Top 10
- Ayrton Demoss 294
- Donnie Clarke 270
- Diego Morales 270
- Chase Nickells 256
- Bill Kreig 251
- Alyssa Yauney 249
- Andres Prieto 246
- Jose da Silva 235
- Sean Fite 234
- Kiron Chakraborty 226
Winter Series Final Top 5
- Ayrton Demoss 354
- Donnie Clarke 345
- Diego Morales 345
- Chase Nickells 331
- Alyssa Yauney 312
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