2020 GLTC Round 2 - COTA Official Results
Abrin Schmucker - Competition Director
Round 2 of the 2020 #GRIDLIFE Touring Cup took drivers out of the frozen north, and deep into the heart of Texas. For many, this was a can’t miss opportunity to drive on the famous Circuit of the Americas in Austin in a combined event with Super Lap Battle USA. While many of the regulars had their cars in pieces, nearly 20 motivated and ambitious drivers made the trek south. 5 rookie drivers joined the series and made their way through the competition evaluation program, to took part in the shockingly competitive battles on track. Many of the cars featured different build styles, with some choosing high downforce and hoosiers, and some choosing low downforce and street tires. Incredibly, all the fastest laptimes of the podium were all within roughly 1 second. We saw great racing throughout the field all weekend. James Houghton in his new K-Tuned Acura TSX was the first driver to campaign a 200TW street tire car at a seriously high level. This resulted in 3 hard fought wins and the weekend points championship. While the 200TW tires came into their own early into the race, no victory was decided until the checkered flag. Early leads were wiped away as the lower treadwear tires of Kaley, Pham, and Yarbrough/Alessandrini, showed their ability to gain speed throughout these supersprint style races. Some of the best racing was fought for P5-P10 and most revolved around Jeremy Boysen. Boysen’s former pro race car (a Mugen RSX) was a fan favorite both on and off the track. Another team fielding an RSX was not so fortunate. Ben Mitchell and Ben Dozeman showed heart as they worked relentlessly to repair and sort out a fresh powertrain in their endurance race prepared home-built RSX, before ultimately succumbing to broken flywheel bolts. Images for this post were graciously provided by BLK Flag Media. Race 3 of the 2020 season is on April 18-19, at NCM Motorsports Park, with tickets available now.
Here is your overall event podium:
TOP QUALIFIERS
161 | Todd Kaley | S2000| 2:29.512
41 | James Houghton | TSX | 2:29.880
525 | Dysen Pham | S2000 | 2:32.192
RACE 1
41 | James Houghton | TSX
161 | Todd Kaley | S2000
857 | DJ Alessandrin / Derek Yarbrough | Miata
RACE 2
41 | James Houghton | TSX
161 | Todd Kaley | S2000
857 | DJ Alessandrini / Derek Yarbrough | Miata
RACE 3
161 | Todd Kaley | S2000
857 | DJ Alessandrini / Derek Yarbrough | Miata
525 | Dysen Pham | S2000
RACE 4
41 | James Houghton | TSX
525 | Dysen Pham | S2000
13 | Ryan Upham | M3