CalSpeedMagApril2018

A pair of Nick’s would lead the Sport Class group of thirty drivers through Short Beach for the first time, with Nicolas Bel and Nick Marascio heading the field at the drop of the green. Their time at the front would come under fire immediately however, as perennial front runners Jose da Silva and Alyssa scythed there way to the front, looking to bounce back from uncharacteristic tough rounds last month. Bel did not give up without a fight however, and the time lost saw former Ironman champion Taylor Hays squeeze his way through, inheriting the lead on lap five. Yauney would eventually link up with Hays a couple of laps later, the duo instantly going to work to gap the field. Contrast to the group at the front, Series point leader coming in Cameron Jocelyn had to do a lot of work, as he started back in 28th after being absent from round #3. It was not the first time he had been faced with this challenge, actually earning a podium in his IronMan debut from the same starting spot in 2017. At the same time Hays and Yauney finally had control of the front, Jocelyn was up to 12th and seven seconds back, having picked up all but two of those positions on track. For pit strategy, none of the front runners elected to pit in the first half of the race, instead staying out until the last handful of circuits before making their first trips down pit road. In fact, the entirety of the top five finishers made their stops in final fifteen minutes, with three of the top five in the final six laps. The highest finisher with the earliest stops would actually be sixth place Lukas Dziemidok, doing back to back stops right about halfway… Back at the front, Jocelyn’s trek to the sharp end made it all the way to third, ironically linking up with the aforementioned Dziemidok who was a lap behind at the time via his altered strategy. There was just no catching the teamwork of Hays and Yauney at the front, the duo trading the lead only to share the work load in staying out front, with former eventually leading the most laps. As it does in many IronMan events, in the end it would all come down to their prowess in pit lane for the sport class win, with Yauney the first to blink. First pitting on lap 48, she would make her second trip down on lap 50, while Hays would go back to back on 50 and 51; The verdict? Slightly quicker stops by Yauney, but faster laps by Hays, giving the advantage to the former champ. It would be Hays’ 6th career Ironman win -moving him even with Adam Nagao for 2nd all time- and the first podium of the year for Yauney. The incredible run -for the second time- by Jocelyn netted him his second podium in a row, and a solid day in the points after missing last month. Round 4 April 28