In Last Lap Duel Kotyk Comes Out on Top!
Jonathan Kotyk and Josh Green both lead on the last lap, but it was Kotyk to lead at the line.
The conditions have changed drastically from yesterday; the track is now soaked through due to persistent rain over night. The rain has stopped, and there are dry spots starting to form on the racing surface, but uncertainly is common on the racing surface. The drivers will have to make the most of their out lap and attempt to gain as much understanding of where they can push and where they will have to be conservative.
The drivers come to the line, the green is waved! Kotyk goes cleanly into the lead, his teammate Aron falls into second, and Josh Green is third. Alex Scaler is fourth, and Charles Anti is fifth.
To the line to complete the first lap, Kotyk has grown the lead to over a second. Green goes down the inside of Aron into turn one, Aron falls to third. Scaler dogs them in fourth. Anti is fifth, but Burton August is just off his tail in sixth. Bob Reid leads masters in seventh, he runs safely in that spot. His championship rival, Mike Scanlan, has fallen to twelfth overall.
Three laps in, Kotyk’s lead, much like the water on the racing surface, is starting to evaporate. The race for the lead is now a pack of four. Green is second, Aron third, and Scaler fourth. August has gapped Anti now, there’s a little more than a second separating the two. Meanwhile, Bob Reid is starting to catch Anti ever so slightly.
At the front, Green takes the lead. There are fifteen laps left to circulate. Kotyk is second, Aron third, Scaler fourth still. Times are falling quickly across the board, as the track improves, it’s a game of wits. Who can find the bits of track with the most grip? Green perhaps is doing the best job of that at the moment. The advantage doesn’t last long though, and Kotyk gets back to lead the race once again.
The leaders cross the line to mark twelve to go, Green gets a run on Kotyk, he goes by before the turn one brake zone. Simultaneously, Aron gets a run on both Kotyk and Green, he passes both and takes the lead for the first time in the race. Green is second, Kotyk Third, Scaler waits patiently in fourth. Green sees an opportunity to get by Aron on the back half of the course, Aron is second at the completion of the lap.
The shenanigans continue, ten laps remain. Green is out front, Kotyk is second, Aron third, and Scaler fourth. Scaler at one point was up to second place, but it didn’t last more than a few turns. Lap times have stabilized, but the sun is starting to poke through the clouds. Surely some extra heat in that asphalt will further improve conditions.
Green and Kotyk now enjoy a little better than a second advantage on the two trailing competitors, Scaler for the moment is in third, Aron is fourth. Kotyk trails Green by a few tenths, but as they two championship contenders pass the flag stand, Kotyk gets a run and goes by Green into turn one. Scaler meanwhile drops two wheels off on the exit of turn three, that lets Aron go by, and in doing so Scaler falls of the tail of Aron and likely out of contention for a podium spot.
The master’s battle is still held by Bob Reid, he’s got a huge lead over second place, Charles Finelli, who is in a tight battle with Tom Schwietz. These three represents seventh through ninth overall.
At the lead, Kotyk is out front, but periodically him and Green trade spots. The lap counter is down to just six. Clearly the top two are biding their time. This race will come down to the last lap or so. Aron runs safely in third, as does Scaler in fourth. August is fifth but well adrift. Anti sits in sixth, he’s not too concerned with seventh place, Reid.
Scaler has now caught third place Aron, he runs his fastest lap yet to do so. The leaders switch spots again, Green had lead for a lap, but it’s Kotyk again at the point.
With three laps left to run, Kotyk has a small lead, it’s around eight tenths of a second. Aron is in third but getting hounded on by Scaler. There is lap traffic ahead, it could play a significant factor in this race for the lead.
They come to the line, the white flag is waving. Kotyk leads, Green is on his tail. There’s nothing between them. Green goes down the inside into one, Kotyk tries to defend, but Green takes the top spot! Scaler now is second, Aron is fourth. On the back half of the track, Kotyk retakes the lead from Green. There’s less than half a lap left to cover. The technical back half of the track isn’t ideal for passing, indeed, Kotyk takes the win! Meanwhile, Aron gets back by Scaler for the third and final spot on the podium. August comes home fifth, and Anti is sixth overall. The master’s win goes to Bob Reid, Charles Finelli in his series return is second, and Tom Schwietz is third.
Charles Finelli, as this is a one off event for him, has turned down his points finish. As a result, it moves Mike Scanlan up to fourth in the master’s division. Scanlan, currently second in master’s points order conceded a fair number of points to Bob Reid. This has allowed Bob Reid to close the gap to just two points. The points lead for Jonathan Kotyk, the overall points leader, has grown to 31 points as a result of his race win.