Mother Nature was not kind to the Radical Cup North America competitors on Saturday as what looked to be a little rain turned into a deluge prompting a very short race two. With only six laps completed on the flooded racetrack, several laps behind the pace car led to a quick green-flag dash to the finish.
While two cars failed to take the green flag and another two were out of the race before the checkered flag flew on the session, 31 competitors tiptoed their way around the 4-mile, 14-turn Road America struggling for traction with each passing lap.
Jon Field (ONE Motorsports) showed his prowess in the Platinum class, turning the fastest lap of the race and scoring the Platinum class victory. Joining him on the podium was Louis Schriber (EVR Motorsports) and Clint Field (ONE Motorsports) in second and third. With rain falling and drivers working hard to keep it on the track, Chip Romer (ONE Motorsports) crossed the stripe in the fourth position, with Jason Plotke (CROWN with APEX) rounding out the top-five.
Nick d’Orlando (GRP) picked up his second victory of the weekend as he held the point in the Pro 1500 ranks to bring himself into title contention as Evan Slater (EVR Motorsports) finished 0.074s in arrears of the Graham Rahal Performance (GRP) driver and stood on the second step of the podium. Jordan Missig (GRP) continued his podium foray with a P3 effort with the Canadian Austin Riley (Racing with Autism) just off the podium in the fourth position while Corey Neveau (Cameron Racing) was fifth.
With his win Friday, Suellio Almeida (GRP) made it two-for-two on the weekend taking his second checkered flag in as many days in Pro 1340 giving GRP the win in two classes on Saturday. Chris McMurray (CROWN with APEX) was back on the podium in second as Jace Bacon (CROWN with APEX), who returned to the series this weekend after a brief hiatus, found his way to the third and final step on the box. Blake McGovern (CROWN with APEX) and Benjamin Blander (RYNO with Team Stradale) rounded out the top five.
“Two for two for both d’Orlando and Almeida after tough conditions limited running, and another win for Jon Field. I’m glad we were able to give the drivers and the fans a final one-lap dash, but I’m glad we give our competitors three races per event, and more practice than any other series this weekend,” said Radical Motorsports’ Tom Drewer.
Race three will roll off the grid at 8:50 a.m. CDT Sunday morning and can be viewed live on the Radical Cup YouTube page.
Be sure to follow the Radical Cup North America social media pages for news, information, photos, and results from the event weekend.
Radical Cup North America events are open to local and regional Radical racers of all ages with eligible cars to participate. More information, including links to register for events and obtain licensing, can be found at www.radicalmotorsport.com. Stay tuned to the Radical Cup social media pages for the latest series news and updates.