Coming into the final round of the 2013 Ironman Season, Bill Myers had already secured the top spot in the coveted points championship, but a strong drive in Round 6, coupled with a turn of luck late in the race, would fittingly put him on the top step yet again to close out the year.
A sold out field of 25 drivers would take to the grid for the 2013 closer, which would kick off with the standard 10-minute practice / qualifying session. With several big names in the field, including two-time Super Series Champion Jon Kimbrell and 2013 SKGN Podium Finisher KC Cook, it would be Masters driver Chris Carter setting the mark for much of the session. A late push by Bill Myers and Jay Schreiber would see them fall just shy of topping Carter for pole position, only to be edged by Justin Tolman and Jonathan Vitolo for P2 and P3 on the grid. Come sessions end, Carter would find himself at the top of the charts, preparing to lead the field to green for the 2×2 rolling start.
With the green flag in the air, the top 5 would slowly begin separating themselves from the rest of the field at the front. Carter, Tolman, Vitolo, Myers, and Schreiber would all trade positions near the point in the early going, each working to stay secure in the draft while trying to work out pit strategy based on the strategy of the guys around them. On the move further back in the field would be Nick Haye, moving from his P9 qualifying position up thru the field in efficient fashion. He would join the lead pack putting himself in contention for the win following the pit stop cycles, showing potential race winning pace thru much of the race.
Following pit stops for all lead pack drivers, it would be Chris Carter pulling out a gap on his rivals as the clock began winding down. Behind Carter, a great battle raged between Vitolo, Myers, Schreiber, Haye, and Tolman for the final two podium positions. With just two laps to go, major drama would unfold as Carter, now sitting on a 5 second lead, would have trouble with a lap traffic driver. The result would be a devastating spin by the race leader, dropping him from sure victory to 5th place in the running order.
Meanwhile, the wild turn of events would see Myers inherit the lead coming to the white flag, as his rivals jockeyed for position off his rear bumper. Myers would hold off the charge from Haye in the final corners to take the checkers, with Vitolo, Tolman, Schreiber, and Carter all less than two seconds in arrears. The drama would not end there however, as the final result would be shaken yet again as Vitolo would forfeit his podium finish after scaling out slightly underweight having misjudged just how much water weight an Ironman Enduro in the Fontana heat will take out of you over the course of an hour. Justin Tolman would be bumped up to join Myers and Haye atop the final podium of the season.
While Myers came into the final having clinched the 2013 championship, several other points positions were still hotly contested in the season finale. Ultimately, 2013 Rookie Steve Spring would finish runner up in the Overall Standings, while Bruce Allen grabbed himself a Top 3 finish in his first full Ironman campaign. Full Season Standings, as well as links to all official timing results, can be found on the CalSpeed Karting website’s Ironman Enduro page. Stay tuned for the 2014 season schedule announcement, slated to be made public later this fall.
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