CalSpeedJuly2018

T he Sport Class of the 2-Hour IronMan contest would lead off with Diego Morales at the helm, following right on the back bumper of the Pro Class as they went through the Bus Stop corner for the first time. Morales would be teamed up with none other than 2016 Super Series champ- Miles Calvin, trading his driving duties in the Sport class for the Pro Class in the second half. His lead off was a solid one too, maintaining the top spot for a handful of laps before linking up with regular 2018 front runner Chris Huerta. The pair would also have company in the form of Lukas Dziemidok and Jose da Silva, while former podium finisher Anthony Severson and Evan Karp hung on just off the back of the lead group. A bit of infighting on the tenth circuit would see da Silva come out on top, allowing him to squirt away to just over a second lead when all was said and done. While things would quiet down a bit at the front, Jose would be able to maintain his lead, while drivers from further back in the field methodically reeled in front pack. By lap 15, Sean Fite, Alyssa Yauney, and Taylor Hays had infiltrated the top ten, the podium finishers from the previous round looking to continue their winning ways. On lap twenty it was still da Silva out front, with Huerta and Karp linked up and managing the distance, but they all were now chased by a pack that ran eight deep. Led by Yauney, the chasing pack worked to reel in the top three, but things weren’t as tidy as they could be, and the group of eight began to whittle down as the laps clicked off. In fact in just a few laps, it was down to a trio of challengers; Yauney, Fite, and Morales. Of the group, Morales was the first to blink, coming down pit lane on lap 30, the rest of the group holding to the trend of late-run pit stops. Unfortunately for Morales, that would be the last time he would be in the top five in class, as the front group continued to work without him. Instead those first pit stops from the lead group would not come until inside the final ten minutes of the first half, but by that time traffic had really shook things up at the front. While there was no change at the lead, 2nd on back had a face lift; Yauney now led the charge, followed by Huerta, Fite, and Karp, albeit now almost five seconds astern of the lead. Pit stops would do nothing else to shake up the order, and when things resumed after the red flag stoppage for a scoring issue, the race took on a different complexion. The start of the second half of the event saw the second drivers of the two- driver squads already in the seat, making for some new faces -but same teams- in the fight for the win. As one of the solo entries, Yauney took over the lead from da Silva’s teammate and 206 Masters champ Mark Connell from the get go, while Huerta, Fite, and company slotted in line. By lap ten a lead group had formed consisting of Yauney, Connell, Dziemidok and Adam Nagao, who had taken over driving duties for the aforementioned Taylor Hays. Unlike the jockeying for position in the first half of the event, the second half was more about clicking off laps, and being in the right position in the end for a strong finish. The near processional run saw virtually no fight at the front, with the lead group staying unchallenged, with the only change being it shrinking down to three as Dziemidok slipped off the back of the group. Not even pit stops threw much of a wrench in things, and it was Alyssa Yauney coming up with her first IronMan win of the season, with Adam Nagao and Taylo Hays rebounding with the luck of the red flag to snag second, while Mark Connell’s steady drive to third earned a podium for him and Jose da Silva. Round 7 July 21 2 HR