WE'LL DO IT LIVE, BLOG! #GRIDLIFE CHICAGO - TrackBattle Round 3
LIVE UPDATES FROM THE PADDOCK AT AUTOBAHN COUNTRY CLUB
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TIME ATTACK RESULTS
2020.06.28 - 15:30 - End of Heat 6
The Street Mod and Street classes stole the show at the end of the day on Sunday. In last week’s Round 3 Competition Guide, we new that SM was going to be a real barn burner. Shawn Krebsbach, Alex Moss, Jackie Ding, and Ryan Mathews all lined up with a shot at taking the top spot on the podium. At the end of the 1st hot lap, all 4 drivers had put down fast laps. It was Shawn Krebsbach that kept the lead, with an unprecedented class record 1:27.820. As Alex Moss crossed the line behind him, he clocked a 1:27.898. Not wanting to be outdone, Jackie Ding put down a 1:28.119. It was Moss that took a minute to regroup in the pits, and take another shot before the checkered waved. Despite being on pace for another great lap, a broken 5th gear hindered the lap as he clocked a lap in the 1:31 range. In Street Class, Team Twitch and Austin Hertel had been battling back and forth the entire weekend. With Twitched hindered by some traffic on his first attempts, Hertel was quick to capitilize and put down his personal best of the weekend on his way to a Street Class Record 1:32.125.
2020.06.28 - 13:00 - End of Heat 5
Rising temperatures didn’t stop class leaders from going even faster in heat 5. Feras Qartoumy dropped more than a second and put down a 1:25.422. Having battled a misfire issue all weekend, Qartoumy was content to call it a wrap for the weekend. He’ll sit on the sidelines for the last heat. In SM, Alex Moss jumped into second place, with a 1:28.729 and now now only about 0.3s from Krebsbach’s top time in class. With the final session of the weekend left, let’s see who has any more time left to gain.
2020.06.28 - 09:30 - End of Heat 4
Sunday mornings are almost always the ideal session for fast laps in #GRIDLIFE TrackBattle. Drivers took to the track early today, with A-group going hot at 08:40am. With a fantastic first lap, Feras Qartoumy reset the overall top time and TM class record with a 1:26.713. An improvement of more than 0.5s, we’ll see if there’s anything left to gain by the end of the weekend. In SM, we finally saw the performance from Shawn Krebsbach of RS Motors that we were expecting to see. Setting a new class record and taking the lead from fellow competitor Jackie Ding, Krebsbach put down a 1:28.443. In SGT, Coby Shield continues to outmatch his competitors, and reset his class record with a 1:30.946. Second place in SGT is more than 2.5 seconds behind him. The battle rages on in Street class as well, with Team Twitch stealing the lead and record from Austin hertel, as driver Brandon Ranvek posted a blisteringly fast 1:32.475.
2020.06.27 - 21:0040 - End of Heat 3
The rain held off, and drivers didn’t waste the opportunity. Feras Qartoumy continued dialing in his turbo Corvette. By the end of the day on Saturday, he further improved to a class leading 1:27.300. In Street Mod, Jackie Ding improved to a 1:28.804. After a brief off-road excursion, Alex Moss was able to close the gap and put down a 1:29.361 before the checkered flag flew. In SGT, Coby Shield improved to a 1:31.833, and Austin Hertel was able to take the class lead from Team Twitch in Street with a 1:33.295. Tomorrow’s forecast shows high temps, but it looks like the rain is going to stay away. Expect everyone to go faster tomorrow morning.
2020.06.27 - 17:40 - End of Heat 2
Drivers took to the track for what could be the final dry session of the day. With rain in the forecast, everyone was looking to get a banker in the timesheets. Feras Qartoumy managed to retake the overall lead, as he broke the class record with a 1:27.493. Everything was going right for Jackie Ding in the Street Mod, as he threw down a 1:28.967. Jackie’s time was more than 1 second faster than the previous class record held by Shawn Krebsbach. Brandon Ranvek and Team Twitch improved again with a 1:33.269 and furthered his lead in the Street class.
2020.06.27 - 12:50 - End of Heat 1
Drivers wasted no time finding pace on the South Course. In TrackMod, Feras Qartoumy took to an unfamiliar circuit without hesitation and quickly reset the overall Track Modified record with a best 1:28.234. However, that time didn’t stand at the top for long, as Andy Smedegard piloted the MS7 to a blistering 1:27.867 and capturing the class record. In Street GT, Coby Shield was able to shave a half second from last year’s record and lay down a 1:32.979. In Street class, Brandon Ranvek of Team Twitch put down a 1:33.475 and took the class record.
2020.06.26 Run Groups Posted
GLTC
2020.06.28 - 16:00 - End of Race 4
The top 8 from race three in GRIDLIFE Touring Cup were inverted for the forth and final race of the weekend. Jake Price's pole position vanished with a slip-up at the exit of turn three on lap one, while Aaron Leichty snuck through the field to grab the lead from Woody Heimann. But it was the #13 of Ryan Upham that charged through the field late, sneaking alongside Aaron Leichty on the outside of the final corner. Leichty caps off the weekend with his third win - but only by a tenth and a half over Upham.
2020.06.28 - 12:00 - End of Race 3
Aaron Leichty struggled at the start with some light contact into turn 1 and lost several positions. Smedegard continued with pace and was able to create an early lead. Emile Tabb was very quick at the end of the race, but ultimately ran out of time as the checkered flag flew.
2020.06.27 - 21:20 - End of Race 2
The battle between Leichty and Smedegard continued on, with Smedegard making a pass shortly into the race. He wasn’t able to hold onto that lead though, as Leichty continued to show poise through the checkered flag. Laptimes in GLTC are impressive, with cars solidly on pace with many of the higher power time attack cars. With the last 2 races tomorrow, we’ll see if Leichty can keep it together and take the win for the weekend.
2020.06.27 - 16:20 - End of Race 1
As the green flag dropped, Andy Smedegard attacked pole sitter Aaron Leichty. Shortly after the race began, Smedegard was able to make the pass and maintain that lead up until the last lap. As the white flag waved, Smedegard continued to challenge each other, but it was Leichty managed to defend some last minute maneuvers to take the checkered flag.
2020.06.27 - 14:30 - End of GLTC Qualifying
30 cars made their way to grid for the start of GLTC qualifying. Winning Formula’s Aaron Leichty had reported some mechanical trouble prior to qualifying, but was able to make good use of the session on his way to pole position with a 1:32.597. Andy Smedegard was not too far behind in his “trainer” S2000 with a 1:33.743. Making his debut for 2020, Justin Kelly continues to dial in his K-swapped FRS and managed 3rd position with a 1:35.044.