Laguna Seca - Finals 2014
After three days of qualifying, the grid was set for the Hoosier Tire US Formula 1000 Championship finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Larry Vollum was the fastest in Q1 and Q2 but everyone stepped up their game in the final qualifier. JR Osborne only took a few laps to jump to the front and then began a battle with Alex Mayer for the top spot. They swapped the pole several times throughout the session. When the checkered flag fell, Osborne was on the pole with a fast lap of 1:23.705.
Final Qualifying Grid
| 1 |
JR Osborne |
1:23.705 |
| 2 |
Alex Mayer |
1:24.442 |
| 3 |
Gary Hickman |
1:24.508 |
| 4 |
Jeremy Hill |
1:24.994 |
| 5 |
Larry Vollum |
1:25.461 |
| 6 |
Lawrence Loshak |
1:25.498 |
| 7 |
Glenn Cooper |
1:25.703 |
| 8 |
Jason Bell |
1:25.725 |
| 9 |
Tyler Thielmann |
1:25.900 |
| 10 |
Randy Cook |
1:25.953 |
| 11 |
Rod Rice |
1:26.090 |
| 12 |
Jose Gerardo |
1:26.240 |
| 13 |
John LaBrie |
1:27.220 |
| 14 |
Dore Chaponick |
1:27.343 |
| 15 |
Ross Wolf |
1:31.990 |
| 16 |
Duane Eitel |
1:34.824 |
Osborne started from the pole and checked out immediately from the drop of the green flag. He built about a 7 second gap to 2nd place starter Alex Mayer and maintained it for the entire race winning the Hoosier Tire US Formula 1000 Championship season finale race in convincing fashion. Behind him Mayer had his hands full with a challenge from Gary Hickman early in the race but after a few laps, Mayer pulled away and Hickman ran alone. However, behind them, Glenn Cooper and Jeremy Hill battled for the entire race, swapping the fourth spot several times throughout the race. Hill finally made a move in turn 2 and held it for the remainder of the race. Cooper's handling started going away but he was able to hang on for 5th. Defending national champ Lawrence Loshak made a one-off appearance but was only able to salvage a 6th place finish. However, immediately after the F1000 race, Loshak jumped into his HP car and won yet another national championship!
Race Results:
| 1 |
JR Osborne |
1:24.701 |
| 2 |
Alex Mayer |
1:25.465 |
| 3 |
Gary Hickman |
1:25.543 |
| 4 |
Jeremy Hill |
1:25.302 |
| 5 |
Glenn Cooper |
1:25.634 |
| 6 |
Lawrence Loshak |
1:25.548 |
| 7 |
Larry Vollum |
1:25.824 |
| 8 |
Dore Chaponick |
1:26.468 |
| 9 |
Jason Bell |
1:26.441 |
| 10 |
Rod Rice |
1:26.456 |
| 11 |
Randy Cook |
1:26.644 |
| 12 |
John LaBrie |
1:27.651 |
| 13 |
Duane Eitel |
1:37.084 |
| DNF |
Jose Gerardo |
1:25.348 |
| DNF |
Tyler Thielman |
1:31.935 |
| DNS |
Ross Wolf |
-:--.--- |
By finishing in 7th, Larry Vollum was able to score enough points to earn the 2014 Hoosier Tire US Formula 1000 overall championship!
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