Dixon Closes Out PIRC With Race Two Victory!
Brandon Dixon dealt with intense pressure from behind to get the win in race two at PIRC!
Andrew Dobbie sits on pole after smashing the lap record in this morning’s qualifying session. Brandon Dixon wasn’t far behind though, and the two drivers will likely duel again in race two here at PIRC!
The lights are out on the pace car, the green flag flies. Dixon gets the jump on Dobbie, so does the third place starter, Voigt. They cleanly go three wide through turn one. Dixon on the outside has the momentum, he heads into turn three with the lead. Dobbie falls into second, Voigt nearly fell to fourth as Palacio got a run on him down to turn three.
On the third lap, Dobbie has a look down the inside of Dixon at turn three. Voigt is still in reach as is Palacio. The top four are separated by about three seconds.
A few laps later, the lap times are starting to fall as the drivers get into a rhythm. Dixon and Dobbie start to stretch the gap to third place Voigt. The fourth spot of Palacio has fallen back even further. Kerry Jacobsen runs in fifth.
With ten laps left to circulate, Dixon runs the fastest lap of the race. Dobbie is less than a second behind though, and there’s plenty of time left to counter. Voigt is now two seconds adrift of Dobbie. The next time by, Dobbie makes good on that small gap ahead. He sets the fastest lap of the race. The gap is reduced to a half second.
Dixon crosses the line, this signals just six laps left, the gap back to Dobbie is less than a second. Both drivers have run their best laps of the race this most recent time by. Voigt in third has done the same, but he’s five seconds back now.
Dixon may have broken Dobbie. In fact, Dobbie errors! He’s spun! Voigt in third comes upon Dobbie, he has to take evasive maneuvers and ends up off track himself. He goes through the grass and reenters the track in second. Palacio comes around, he finds the yellow flag, and successfully gets around the stricken Dobbie without exiting the asphalt. Dobbie gets moving again, he’s fourth overall.
One lap later, Voigt stops the car off the racing surface, the radiators are full of grass and the car is overheating. Dixon is way out front, Palacio is second, after Voigt’s retirement, Dobbie is third, and Kerry Jacobsen runs in fourth.
As the laps run out, it’s Dixon taking the win! Palacio is second, and Dobbie comes home third!
