2019CalSpeedMagazineApril

F or the second month in a row, the fourth round in the 2019 IronMan Series would be heading in the clockwise direction, this time taking on the Sportivo layout for the only time this year. Adam Nagao would lead the field away at the start, but it would be Ayrton Demoss emerging as the leader by the end of lap one. Demoss would maintain the top spot over the opening handful of laps before reigning Super Series champ Alyssa Yauney took over on lap 7, making the most of her favorable sixth place starting position. Demoss would reluctantly give up the spot to fall to second, only to lose that spot to a charging Paulo Franca one lap later. Franca had been on a mission since the drop of the green, working his way up from the 11th position to sit second by lap 8, and steal away the top spot from Yauney on lap 9. Yauney would battle back a few laps later, stealing the lead away for herself once again on lap 13, and holding it until Franca mounted a counter attack on lap 16. The infighting from the lead duo had helped bring fellow title rival Sean Fite into the mix, taking a bit more time to get to the front from a P16 starting spot. Still, the lead trio had a healthy lead on the large trailing pack led by Taylor Hays -who had started 27th- and it was now that things settled down at the front. Yauney switched from being the rival, to the on-track teammate with Franca, and the duo clocked lap after lap with Fite in tow at the start. Slowly but surely, Fite would begin to fall off the back of the lead two, and soon it became a two-horse race at the front, with Fite all alone in third. The turning point came with about 10 minutes to play, when Alyssa blinked first for the pits, making her first stop just after cutting the fast lap of the race, and just before the leaders caught a small group of traffic. Franca would stay out, instead deciding to race his way through, having collected the help from Luis Calderon, who was on an alternate strategy. While Franca battled traffic, Yauney cut laps in clean air; but the advantage to Yauney was minor until Franca became mired in an on-track battle with the aforementioned Hays. Franca would fall to 2nd from his dice with Hays, but insult to injury would come after he lost the 3rd spot via contact in the pits. Yauney would cruise to the win -the 5th of her career- and with it some very valuable points. Second place would go to Sean Fite, who essentially cut laps by himself after losing the lead, taking the gift of second with a smile. Franca would have to settle for third, but walks away the point leader in both overall, and the Winter Series, to be decided next month. Round 4 - April 27