CalSpeedMagFeb2018

SPORT RESULTS 1 38 Cameron Jocelyn 2 28 Thomas Blackledge 3 27 Chris Huerta 4 50 Alyssa Yauney 5 46 Lukas Dziemidok L ike it was in the Pro Class, the battle for the lead in the opening laps for the sport class was fierce, with pole sitter Tony Severson immediately coming under fire, first from Mark Sternberg, and then by Tony Chen. The former pair each led a lap, but it was Chen that was not only able to hold on to the lead, but pull out a bit of an advantage as the jostling for position continued behind him. Chen would go on to lead the most laps in round #2, but as is the case in these IronMan races, leading overall does not necessarily put you in the best position in the end. From the drop of the green it was evident that there was going to be a multitude of different strategies in play; the aforementioned Chen stayed out until the last several minutes after starting 3rd, while Chris Huerta was on the other end of the spectrum, pitting right away on lap one. That early pit strategy seemed to be the right call too, as Huerta was joined by Cameron Jocelyn arears of the field on lap 6, the duo becoming informal teammates for the duration of round #2. While this pair worked together in mostly isolation for the first three-quarters of the event, another pair had linked up and emerged as there primary challengers. While Huerta and Jocelyn elected for an early pit, last year’s Super Series Pro Class champion Alyssa Yauney and 2017 Super Series Rookie of the Year Thomas Blackledge linked up in an effort to charge to the front. Staying out until about lap 45, the duo caught and passed the aforementioned Tony Chen, and maintained the top spot until ducking in for their first stop. Yauney would be the leader, followed by Jocelyn, Huerta, and Blackledge, with the quartet established as the true fight for the overall win. Yauney would be the first to blink for her final stop, and while it was the fastest of the group, her timing put her into traffic while the other three but up their best laps of the race. Jocelyn’s move to be the last to pit would pay off, coming out with a one second advantage, and the overall lead that he would hold onto until the checkers. Blackledge would recover from a slower pit stop to steal second from Huerta, with Yauney settling for fourth in the end. Round 2 FEB. 10