The fourth race of the season was much less carnage-filled than Laguna Seca, but equally as exciting.
In qualifying Slug, Shink, and Rzepka all battled for pole, with the position changing hands five times between them. At the end, Rzepka and Slug set the exact same lap time down to the thousandth. Rzepka’s lap was only faster once you went past the third decimal in the lap times.
Rzepka’s first career pole demonstrates the sheer leap in pace he has experienced between seasons, positioning himself as more than just the leader of the mid pack; he could be a genuine championship contender.
Rzepka misjudged the start, and Slug got a jump and secured the lead heading into turn one. From there, Slug never looked back. He dominated on the way to his maiden win of the season, much needed after a tough first few weeks.
Another driver that is showing more than just midfield pace is James D Carr. For the second week in a row, he held off McKinzie in the closing laps to secure a podium finish. Carr now sits in 4th in the standings, just above Slug and Bajulaz.
David Bauer and Alexander Carver-Robbins finished 5th and 9th respectively, both rookies continuing to impress. Shaun Gurd secured his first top 10 in just his 4th career start. Aaron La continued his quiet campaign at the top of the midfield with a solid 8th.
Bajulaz started 28th due to being disallowed from qualifying, but was able to cut his way through the field and was up to 9th before pit stops. On his way in, he missed his stall completely and eventually ended up finishing 26th. Shink came back down to earth after a flurry of impressive results. A longer pit stop and less pace towards the end of the race saw him finish 7th. McKinzie finished 4th for the second race in a row, showing much better pace after his switch back to the Elantra.
The Alpha Touring Challenge will be at Lime Rock Park next week for a Sprint Challenge.
Alpha Touring Challenge 