In Hard Fought Race Sikes Takes Second Win of the Weekend
Simon Sikes battled fiercly with a multitude of F1600 Series competitors but ultimately he came out the better, thus securing his second race win of the weekend here at PIRC!
Simon Sikes lines up in the first spot with Chris Horan alongside for race two. They went cleanly through turn one, Josh Green and Jonathan Kotyk followed, Dexter Czuba was in fifth, and Bryce Aron in sixth. The top six are already starting to build a bit of a gap, Charles Anti in seventh is just clinging on but with maybe a one second gap to Aron ahead the draft won’t be too much help.
Green and Sikes trade the top spot twice in two laps, currently it’s Sikes in the lead. Czuba and Horan have fallen off the pack, at the front it’s just Sikes, Green, and Kotyk. Czuba hold fourth, Horan fifth, and Bryce Aron is sixth. Seventh place is now held by Burton August, Charles Anti is in eighth, with the leading master’s entry, Scott Rubenzer, in the ninth spot.
Seven laps remain, Czuba is making inroads on the top three. He’s left Horan and Aron, and the gap to the top three has shrunk to just one second.
With six laps left, Kotyk makes an uncharacteristic mistake, he’s off on the exit of turn one. He’s fallen back to sixth, there will be no chance of catching fifth place on pace alone. Josh Green leads, and with Kotyk’s error, a podium for Green could represent a significant swing in the championship standings. At the front, Green, Sikes, and Czuba battle. Czuba is a man on a mission, he came so close to victory in race two, he must be thirsty.
Sikes and Czuba fight. Green might have an issue! Something’s not right into turn three, white smoke billows off his car! Green has slowed, he will have to retire! How the tables have turned!
This time by, it will be three laps to complete. Sikes and Czuba have been battling. Incredibly, that lets Aron and Horan back in the picture. The race for the win has a population of four! Kotyk runs a distant fifth. Horan gets by Aron for the third spot.
The leaders come to the sight, Sikes is back out front, but it only lasts a few turns. Czuba takes the lead into turn three. The top four are nose to tail, it’s six tenths of a second from first to fourth. They return to start finish, it’s the white flag, one lap to run! Sikes leads again, Czuba second, Horan third, Aron fourth. Sikes is defensive into turn three, it pays off, Czuba can’t get by. Horan and Aron watch and wait, but with Czuba and Sikes battling there’s not much room to work. At the line, Sikes is the first to cross! Czuba follows in second, Horan is third, Aron in fourth.
Scott Rubenzer took another win in the master’s category, Bob Reid had a strong run to second, and Dave Petzko brought home the third finishing position.