Emerson Thieman nails down Nuotivo at Sprint Series R7!

The Nuotivo circuit would play host to the CalSpeed Sprint Series for round #7 of the 2022 season, and while there were some fresh faces scoring some of the highlights, in the end it would be another driver adding their name to the multi-winner list…

Qualifying and Heat races…

In qualifying it is always about getting the most of the equipment and making the most of every opportunity to start as high up the charts, and for this month Nathaniel Small did exactly that. Clocking fast time in qualifying, Small lit up the time sheets to claim the overall pole position and first starting spot for heat 1, with Jacob Reis backing up his top time from last month with a P2, and Frank Hsu locking down the final pole spot in third. Once the heat races commenced however, it would be a trio of different names at the front, starting with #4 overall qualifier Emerson Thieman scoring the heat 1 win. It was his second ever heat race win, but for Lee Povey in heat two, it would be career heat win #1, The [SE] driver holding off Brett Lopinsky and Heather Perrin in the process. It would also be the first time crossing the line first for veteran racer Jacob Abrams, having come close before but this time securing his first ever heat win in the series…

C-Main

In the C-Main it was Mark Kempkey leading the field away at the start, and holding onto it through the end of lap one. Most of the field would get to battling behind him, save for one driver that was able to break away from the infighting: Brian Langone. Langone would keep the pressure on through the first half of the race, but would finally make his move on lap 5, taking over the top spot, and immediately showing his speed. He would pull away to a comfortable lead -with Kempkey doing the same over third- crossing the line for the C-Main win by nearly 4 seconds at the checkers…

B-Main

The second main of the day would see another break away at the front, but this time it would be three drivers with Gregory Csik leading over Michael Collins to start things off, with Tange Li joining the fray after a couple of circuits. Collins wasn’t in the following mood however, and would take over the lead about the same time Li came into the conversation, and the trio set out on cutting quick laps and gapping the field. This lasted for a handful of laps before Csik retook the top spot, bumping Collins back down to second, with Li still in third. The top two passed and re-passed each other on the final lap, but it all came down to the final corner where Collins made the move, but didn’t give Csik the racing room needed, and he had to avoid the barrier. Tiange Li was also able to get by Csik, and when Collins was put behind Csik for the infraction, Li was the beneficiary, as he was in the right place at the right time…

A-Main

Unlike the dramas of the B-Main, the A-Main would end up being a dominant affair by a single driver, as Emerson Thieman started from the top spot and never looked back. There was a little bit of infighting that bolstered his initial lead, but P2 man and point leader Ivan Martinez put together consistent laps as he gave chase, with Jacob Abrams in third doing the same. It was enough for the Trio to not only hold on top their spots, but gap the rest of the pack that was doing anything but holding station, however  the top three would also form gaps between them across the ten laps. In the end, it was a comfortable podium for all three, with Emerson Thieman scoring career win #2, and perhaps more importantly for him, scoring 10 more points on Martinez for the title. The latter locked in his 5^th podium of the year, while long time CalSpeed racer put up a fantastic run to score career podium number two, dating back to round #3 in 2019…

The CalSpeed Sprint Series is already SOLD OUT for round #8, which will also be the kick-off race for the 2022 Classico Grand Prix Weekend!

Sprint Series Round #7 A-Main Top 10

1. Emerson Thieman
2. Ivan Martinez
3. Jacob Abrams
4. Nathaniel Small
5. Jeremy Aldridge
6. Jack McNeel
7. Brett Lopinsky
8. Lee Povey [SE]
9. Heather Perrin
10. David Mock [SE]

Overall Point Standings Top 10

1. Ivan Martinez              1460
2. Emerson Thieman       1442
3. Jeremy Aldridge          1400   
4. Brett Lopinsky             1382
5. Jack McNeel                1362
6. Joey Andrews              1315
7. Jacob Abrams             1290
8. Leo Ovtcharov             1256
9. Vince Azua                  1237
10. Derek Borunda            1232

SE Sub-Championship Standings Top 5

1. Lee Povey                    1123
2. Luca Zambello             1059
3. Brian Vidales               955
4. David Mock                 946
5. Shane Leistner             940

Summer Series Sub-Championship Standings Top 5

1. Ivan Martinez              300
2. Emerson Thieman       300
3. Jeremy Aldridge          290
4. Jacob Abrams             290
5. Derek Borunda            285