Spec:RaceAtom 2012 is go!

[toms]

New Season, New Faces, New Winner – Spec:RaceAtom series presented by Honda Racing/HPD kicks off the 2012 racing season

The 2012 Spec:RaceAtom series presented by Honda Racing/HPD is in full swing with Race #1 and Race #2 in the books.  The season opener was greeted by fantastic weather, great track conditions, and an excited group of racers ready to hit the track.

Virginia International Raceway South Course was the location for both races this weekend.  This 1.65 mile course is very well suited to the quick and nimble SRA racecars providing some of the closest racing action that we have seen in series history.

Race #1 took the green flag later in the day, just before 5:00pm, which proved to be difficult conditions for many drivers as track grip levels had changed from previous sessions.  Ben Sinnott and David Chen quickly locked into a battle for 3rd and 4th position while Aaron Elsner and Tyson Bytzek pushed for the top spot.  An error at the mid-point of the race cost Bytzek a shot at the win as he dropped to 5th in the running order.  Bytzek would eventually push himself back into the 3rd position.  After 16 laps of caution free racing the checkered flag fell with Elsner, Chen, Bytzek, Sinnott, and Christian Shield filling the top 5.

Race #2 was held earlier in the day under hot, sunny conditions that provided some heated battles.  The green flag fell at 2:12pm with the #09 of Tyson Bytzek jumping to an earlier lead with Aaron Elsner and David Chen hot on his trail.  Lap #3 saw a brief change in position at the front end of the grid as Elsner had a run coming onto the main straight.  Bytzek quickly put himself back in the front spot on lap #4.  Great racing was happening all through the grid with 10th, 11th, and 12th positions consistently running lap times within 100ths of a second of each other.  16 laps of racing once again went caution free and provided a first time winner to the SRA series with Tyson Bytzek beating Aaron Elsner to the line by 1.034 seconds.  The top 5 for race #2 were Tyson Bytzek, Elsner, Chen, Shield, and Lee Watterworth.

Close racing has become a common theme in the Spec:RaceAtom series – Race #2 saw the fastest laps times of the top 3 competitors separated by only 0.03 seconds! 

Fastest South Course Race Lap: Aaron Elsner 1:13.90 (Race #1)

Race #3 and #4 of the Spec:RaceAtom series presented by Honda Racing/HPD will be held on the fast and flowing Virginia International Raceway Full Course on July 14/15.

For more information on the series please contact:

Mark Swain
TMI AutoTech, Inc.
mswain@tmiautotech.com
www.specraceatom.com
434.822.9130 x303

[NathanE]

very cool. 

any incidents?

[toms]

Not that i'm aware of - but some of the SRA guys do come on here and they might be able to give a personal account?

[NathanE]

even better!

If anyone got video footage I'd love to see the action. 

[toms]

All SRA cars have cameras as standard I believe - so footage certainly exists.....hopefully some of the racers from 'across the pond' will come on and share!