CalSpeedAug2018

S print Series Round 8 took place at a backdrop of less than stellar conditions but certainly with fires ablaze amongst drivers gunning for the championship. Excitement mounted all over the paddock after a hiatus of nearly two months from the last round and we’d soon find out that the championship would begin tightening up with the close of the day’s events… The final qualifying session is typically where drivers find the best times– this time around was no exception. Drivers like RandyMcKee, Spencer Russell, and Tyler Redman starting pulling times better than the 51-second mark, quicker than previous sessions. The latter seemed to be looking good for the majority of the time and would occasionally be ousted here and there. He, however, would come out on top with a 51.510 to add another pole position to his Sprint Series career. The top 4 set off a blistering pace with Sam Hunt at the helm for heat 1C. As this group separated from the rest of the pack, Diego Alvarado glued himself to Hunt’s bumper, going purple lap after lap. He would not leave Hunt alone, attacking at every opportunity he had. Quietly, driver Michael Hottinga lay in wait in the 3rd position. Once the white flag came around, one last attempt at a pass was made through the Esses– it didn’t stick and with that, Hunt scored the win followed by Alvarado and Hottinga shortly behind. On pole in the A-Main after winning his heat race, season points leader Spencer Russell took off with a perfect start with Hunt backing him up. After a lap however, Hunt’s better exit through the Esses put him in position to take an early shot for the lead. Meanwhile, a standout performance from Sicheng Li, having also winning his heat race earlier, kept him steadily in third with Alvarado in tow. There were close packs all up and down the field while the Hunt- Russell pair went further into the distance. The battle for the last step of the podium grew to 8 deep with Li still holding them all at bay. As the white flag arrived, Hunt and Russell were now a couple kart lengths from each other and the final lap would come to a close with Li grabbing his first ever podium in third and Hunt scoring his second win of the season, matching that of championship rival Russell. A Main Podium B-Main Winner Michael Chen C-Main Winner Kevin Erikson Round 8 Aug 11