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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The series now takes a mid-season break and is next scheduled to travel to Utah and Miller Motorsports Park for rounds 7 and 8 on July 31/August 1. www.pacificf2000.com |
mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Terminal Velocity Processing Rarick Earns Maiden Victory in Round 6 On Sunday Scott Rarick earned his first pole position of the year and in the afternoon used it to sweep to his maiden victory in round 6 of the Pacific F2000 Series presented by Terminal Velocity Processing and Sierra Tire. Rarick driving the #34/PR1/Van Diemen lead from the start and continued to build his lead throughout the first lap to several car lengths over PR1 Motorsports teammate and Round 5 winner Max Hyatt. Max driving the #22/Performance Drink/PR1/Van Diemen forced his way past Robert Podlesni, #84/Terminal Velocity Processing/Alpinestars/DFR/Van Diemen. Shaun Modisette #26/Carson Trailers/PR1/Van Diemen having started fourth lost that position to Ira Fierberg on the first lap by going wide in the Riverside turn and getting two wheels of course and Peter Hastrup surrendered sixth place to Michael Simpson. The first lap ended with Rarick leading from Hyatt, Podlesni, Fierberg, Modisette, Simpson, Hastrup, Bob Negron, Les Phillips, Peter West and Michael Murphy. Midway through the second lap, Fierberg #27/Barry I Goldstein/CPA/Sparco/DFR/Van Diemen ran wide exiting the Lost Hills/Phil Hill section of the track and when the car came back on the track lost control was barely missed by Modisette but unfortunately Simpson #48/DRF/Van Diemen collided with Ira and the two cars were heavily damaged. This immediately brought out a red flag to clear the track and attend to the driver who both were fortunately not seriously injured and both out of their cars and walking around after the incident. The cleanup took considerable time and the race shortened accordingly. The restart saw Rarick once again move out to an immediate lead with Hyatt second until the field arrived at the location of the previous crash. Hyatt ran wide on exit, as Ira had, but managed to safely return to the track losing two positions to Modisette and Podlesni with the remainder of the field, Hastrup #5/Western Building Materials/Nuttal, Brown & Coutts/Van Diemen, Negron #8/Fengshui5.com/Van Diemen, Phillips #89/Swiss Implant/Porterfield Brakes/Mygale, Peter West #99/Terminal Velocity Processing/DFR/Van Diemen and Michael Murphy #18/Mygale in tow. The race had settled down until the penultimate lap when Podlesni challenged Modisette for second in the first turn as they drove through nearly side by side with Robert just a nose ahead. As they approached the Off-Ramp section there was only enough room for one car and Modisette conceded the position but when he moved over to slot in behind Podlesni, teammate Hyatt sensed and opening and the two collided and retired on the spot. This brought Hastrup onto the Podium to finish third and with it won the Masters Class as he had on Saturday. Rarick held his lead over Podlesni to take the win and also set the races' fastest lap. Rarick not only was the overall winner but also claimed the Expert Class win. Bob Negron was steady, consistent and finished fourth after repairing his car from a sheared axle suffered in the qualifying session this morning. Les Phillips rose from ninth at the start to fifth at the finish and earned the Williams Race Development Hard Charger award. Michael Murphy claimed sixth in his steadily improving Mygale getting past Peter West who finished seventh on the final lap a feat West performed on Murphy on Saturday.
Hyatt Leads from Flag to Flag for Victory in Round 5 Under partly cloudy skies, 70 degree weather and a light breeze from the west, Max Hyatt took full advantage of his pole position to lead from flag to flag to claim victory in round 5 of the Pacific F2000 Series presented by Terminal Velocity Processing and Sierra Tire. Using the inside line into Sunrise, Max driving the #22/Performance Drink/PR1 Van Diemen, took the lead closely followed by Robert Podlesni, #84/Terminal Velocity Processing/Alpinestars/DFR Van Diemen who took advantage of the other front row starter Scott Rarick, for second place. Michael Simpson and Peter Hastrup, who has lamented his starts need work, also lost positions at the start having been overtaken by Ira Fierberg and Bob Negron respectively and at the end of the first lap the order was Hyatt followed by Podlesni, Rarick, Shaun Modisette, Fierberg, Simpson, Negron, Hastrup, Michael Murphy, Les Phillips and Peter West. Simpson #48/DRF Van Diemen got back by Fierberg #27/Barry I Goldstein/CPA/Sparco/DFR Van Diemen on lap one while Phillips #89/Swiss Implant/Porterfield Brakes/Mygale also passed Murphy #18/Mygale. The next time around Rarick #34/PR1 Van Diemen eased his way by Podlesni to retake second place and begin his pursuit of Hyatt. Rarick managed to pull out a small lead on Podlesni while at the same time only managing to close to within a second of Max who drove a strong race and managed to lead Rarick to the chequered flag by 3.429 seconds. Podlesni, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms, drove for all he was worth and was rewarded with the final podium spot and the races' fastest lap. Modisette in his #26/Carson Trailers/Van Diemen slowly began to lose touch with the leading trio and ended up having a lonely race to fourth neither being able to close on those ahead nor having any challenge from behind. The battle for fifth through eight was in doubt for the entire race as Simpson #48/DFR/Van Diemen, Fierberg, Hastrup #5/Western Building Materials/Nuttal, Brown & Coutts/Van Diemen and Negron #8/Fengshui5.com Van Diemen continually changed places with Hastrup prevailing in fifth place at the finish earning himself the Williams Race Development Hard Charger award and the Masters Class victory. Fierberg was sixth passing Negron for that position two laps from the end. Bob Negron was solid in his series return with a solid seventh place finish in his return to the series and was pleased not to have additional drama after a fraught practice on Friday. Simpson who joined the series this year drove well but appeared to suffer mechanical woes and finished eighth. Behind Simpson were Phillips in ninth, Peter West #99/Terminal Velocity Processing/DFR Van Diemen who managed to find a way past Murphy on the final lap for tenth and Murphy eleventh.
Hyatt Leads from Start to Finish for Victory in Round 4 Max Hyatt used clean start from the pole position to take the lead of round 4 of the Pacific F2000 Series presented by Terminal Velocity Processing. Hyatt earned the pole position earlier in the day with a time of 1:16.974, the fastest of the weekend and the only driver to break the 1:17 second barrier. Driving his #22/Performance Drink/PR1 Va Dieman Hyatt was able to slowly build a lead over Saturday's race winner Robert Podlesni easing away a tenth at a time. Hyatt went on to lead from flag to flag for his first series victory during the course of which he also posted the fastest race lap giving him a total of 34 points for his effort. Podlesni, #84/Terminal Velocity Processing/Alpinestars/DFR Van Diemen did all he could to stay with Hyatt pushing the car to it's limit and managed to finish a mere 3.788 seconds behind. For all of his efforts, Podlesni never got quite close enough to make a passing attempt. Just as happened yesterday PR1 Motorsports teammates Shaun Modisette and Scott Rarick battled for the final podium position with Modisette in his #26/Carson Trailers/Van Diemen holding the position initially but was overtaken by Rarick, #34/Van Diemen on lap 4, who managed to edge away to secure third position and with it the Expert (drivers 35-50) Class win. Modisette seemed content to finish forth and consolidate his lead in the championship but Peter Hastrup, in his #5/Western Building Materials/Nuttal, Brown & Coutts/Van Diemen had a different plan. Hastrup, who claimed he still had to work on his starts, initially lost two positions. By lap 2 Peter had regained the lost places and began his pursuit of Modisette. Hastrup, unlike on Saturday was not only able to stay in touch with Modisette but managed to reel him in, passing for fourth place on the thirteenth of fifteen laps. This battle actually closed the gap to Rarick in third and Hastrup mused that had there been another lap... Hastrup's drive earned him the Masters (drivers 51 and over) Class win just as on Saturday. Series newcomer Michael Simpson, #48/DFR Van Diemen had another solid drive to finish sixth and the final car on the lead lap. Michael Murphy #18/Mygale, whose weekend steadily improved and he earned the Williams Racing Development Hard Charger award with his seventh place finish. Peter West #99/Terminal Velocity Processing/DFR Van Diemen drove consistently and finished eighth. Contact on lap 2 between Les Phillips, #89/Swiss Implant/Porterfield Brakes/Mygale and Ira Fierberg, #27/Barry I Goldstein/CPA/Sparco/DFR Van Diemen resulted in the loss of the front wing of Phillip's Mygale causing an off-course excursion at turn 5 and his retirement at the end of the lap. Fierberg continued on but later retired on lap 7.
Podlesni Claims First Win of Season in Round 3 Robert Podlesni of Thousand Oaks, CA was able to convert his pole position into a victory today in round 3 of the Pacific F2000 Series presented by Terminal Velocity Processing. Starting in pole position driving his #84/Terminal Velocity Processing/Alpinestars/DFR Van Diemen was overtaken at the start by PR1 Motorsports teammates Shaun Modisette and Scott Rarick as the field streamed three wide into turn one. Modisette in his #26/Carson Trailers/Van Diemen prevailed and at the end of the first lap Modisette, fresh off his wins in the first two rounds earlier this year, led Rarick, #34/Van Diemen, Podlesni followed closely by DFR teammate Peter Hastrup in his #5/Western Building Materials/Nuttal, Brown & Coutts/Van Diemen. Series newcomer Michael Simpson, #48/DFR/Van Diemen ran fifth followed by Max Hyatt, #22/Performance Drink/PR1 Van Diemen, Ira Fierberg, #27/Barry I Goldstein/CPA/Sparco/DFR Van Diemen, Peter West, #99/Terminal Velocity Processing/DFR Van Diemen, Les Phillips, #89/Swiss Implant/Porterfield Brakes/Mygale and Michael Murphy, #18/Mygale. On lap two Hyatt managed to get by Simpson and West spun elevating Phillips and Murphy as Modisette continued in the lead. Podlesni managed to get by Rarick on lap three for second place and a lap later as Modisette made a brief off- course excursion moved into the lead taking Rarick with him into second. Lap four found Michael Murphy, who had spun between turns three and four, stranded for several laps as emergency crews worked desperately to free his car from it's precarious position centered over a drainage swale between the hillside and the edge of the track. Murphy was finally extricated and was able to continue on and finished tenth. The race stabilized in this order for the next several laps with Podlesni leading Rarick, Modisette, Hastrup having edged away from the battle for fifth between Hyatt, Simpson and Fierberg with Phillips and West in eighth and ninth. Fierberg made his move on lap nine and overtook Simpson for sixth and followed that with a pass of Hyatt for fifth the following lap, a position he would hold to the end. Simpson was not content to follow Hyatt and passed him for seventh on lap thirteen while at the front Podlesni still lead from Rarick who now had Modisette in close pursuit and looking for a was past. Modisette got a huge run on Rarick in turn five used that momentum to carry him around the outside of Rarick through the high speed turn eight and went on to finish second. Rarick went on to finish third and with it took the Expert (drivers 35-50) Class win. Podlesni posted the fastest lap of the race and maintained the gap to the finish and was 3.772 seconds ahead at the flag. It was Podlesni's first win of the season although he was somewhat surprised given the fact that he had not practiced on Friday. He only ran a limited number of laps in qualifying in cold windy conditions and commented, "It was difficult trying to get heat into the tyre in these conditions but with a 1:00 pm start that should not be a problem for the race." "Once I was in the lead and started to build a gap, I tried to conserve my tyres for tomorrow but was worried that the PR1 drivers might close the gap", he stated, "I managed to hold on and I think we will be good tomorrow." Peter Hastrup had a lonely race to the flag once he lost touch with the leading trio. His finish enabled him to take the Masters (drivers 51 and over) Class win. Peter was pleased with the car and the finish and hope to be able to continue his strong performance on Sunday. There was a tie for the hard charger award with certificates awarded to Michael Simpson and Shaun Modisette.
Fontana round one, two Modisette Secures Victory Sweep in Thrilling Pacific F2000 Series Openers
Shaun Modisette might be only 21 years old but he is already a seasoned veteran in the Pacific F2000 Championship Presented by Terminal Velocity Processing. Saturday on the 2.88-mile road course at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California, Modisette, from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., finally claimed his first win. He did so in style, too, emerging from a frantic four-car battle in the early stages of an exciting 15-lap race before taking the checkered flag 1.515 seconds clear of PR1 Motorsports teammate Max Hyatt. "It feels so good," exclaimed Modisette, whose long overdue first win in the #26 Carson Trailer Inc/PR1 Motorsports Van Diemen came in his 44th start. "I definitely have a feeling of ecstasy right now. I'm on Cloud Nine!" Less than 24 hours later, Modisette kept up the great work with another hard-fought success. His second triumph was, if anything, even more impressive, and came after an epic race-long battle with Hyatt, fellow PRI Motorsports teammate Scott Rarick and Dave Freitas Racing interloper Robert Podlesni, who took pole for the second straight day. The same quartet fought out a spirited battle for the lead during the first half of Saturday's 15-lap opener. Pole-sitter Podlesni (#84 Terminal Velocity Processing/Dave Freitas Racing Van Diemen), from Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Hyatt (#22 Performance Drink/PR1 Van Diemen), from Santa Fe, N.M., traded the lead for the first five laps as Modisette, who had qualified second, kept a watching brief in third. On Lap 6, Modisette pulled off an audacious move for the lead by gaining a big draft on the banking and then out-braking Podlesni on the outside line into Turn Three. He never looked back. Well, perhaps that's not exactly true.... "When I saw the others dicing behind me, I just tried to put my head down," related Modisette. "[PR1 team owner] Bobby [Oergel] was coaching me, 'Just keep it clean.' This win means a lot. I couldn't have done it without my family and this entire PR1 team. I owe them a lot." Hyatt took advantage of Podlesni being shuffled out of position, then pulled off his own impressive outside-line maneuver in the Turn Five sweeper to move into second place. Podlesni, hindered by slightly inferior straightline speed, finished third ahead of Rarick, before being penalized one position for a yellow flag infringement. Rarick (#34 PRI Van Diemen), from Santa Monica, Calif., moved up to complete the podium. Rarick also secured the top Expert honors (for drivers aged 35-50). Sunday's race was even more intense as the four-car lead battle continued unabated for 12 laps. The highlight came on Lap 9, when Hyatt took advantage of a monster draft on the banking while running in third place behind Podlesni and Modisette. When Modisette ducked to the inside of Podlesni to wrest away the point, Hyatt somehow stole a march on both of them by diving in between the first- and second-place cars and emerging in the lead! Modisette made his decisive move for the lead on Lap 12. A lap later, Hyatt's bold attempt to retake the point in Turn Three ended in a spin, which relegated him to fourth. "I braked at the same point as usual but the car just didn't stop," related Hyatt. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact he was carrying a lot more speed than usual as a result of catching a prodigious draft from Modisette.... Hyatt's spin also delayed Podlesni, who had to settle for second. Rarick took third, added another Experts class award and posted the fastest lap of the race, worth two bonus points. Veteran Peter Hastrup, who is enjoying his 30th season of racing and will turn 60 later this year, was impressive on both days, earning a pair of fifth-place finishes in the #5 Western Building Materials/Nuttall Brown & Coutts/Dave Freitas Racing Van Diemen. Hastrup, from Madera, Calif., also won a pair of Sierra Tire Masters Class awards (for drivers over 51).
RESULTS -- Rounds 1 & 2 (of 12), Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif., March 7/8, 2009:
Saturday qualifying:
Round 2 (15 laps):
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