US F1000 :: Race Reports

Rounds 3 and 4 of the Hoosier Tire US Formula 1000 Championship East took place at newly-repaved Virginia International Raceway this past weekend. Road Atlanta double winner and series point leader Glenn Cooper was hoping to continue his winning streak while Alex Mayer returned from his crash at Road Atlanta with plans to take over the lead. With fresh pavement and cool temperatures for qualifying, teams expected the existing track record of 1:50.107 to fall and the drivers didn’t disappoint. In Q1, Glenn Cooper was the first to dip below the track record but by the end of the session, Alex Mayer had the best time and the provisional pole. Everyone got even faster in Q2 with Mayer and Cooper swapping the top spot throughout the session. Mayer bettered his earlier time but Cooper smashed the track record with a fast lap of 1:48.162.

Final Qualifying grid for Round 3

Glenn Cooper	1:48.162
Alex Mayer	1:48.741
Dore Chaponick	1:50.787
Jeremy Hill	1:51.759
Jason Bell	1:51.950
Alastair McEwan	1:52.329
Tim Pierce	1:54.016
Richard Franklin	1:58.449
Doug Hertz	2:01.532

When the green flag flew for round 3, Mayer immediately jumped out to the lead with Cooper glued to his rear wing. Hill also made a great start to move into the 3rd spot, followed by Chaponick and Bell. Mayer led for several laps before Cooper made a pass in turn 1. Now it was Mayer’s turn to chase Cooper. A short distance behind them, Hill started to fade and allowed Chaponick and Bell to get around him. Bell then set his sights on Chaponick and one lap later made a move, taking over the 3rd position. Meanwhile, a little further back, Hertz had gotten a great start and passed both Franklin and Pierce. Franklin then spun on the second lap and was unable to rejoin the race, leaving Pierce and Hertz to wage a battle throughout the race.
Back at the front, Mayer made his move in turn 1 and retook the lead from Cooper. However, it was short-lived as his car got loose in turn 18 and looped. He gave up several spots but was able to rejoin the race in 5th. Cooper went on to win the race unchallenged, followed by the teammates of Bell and Chaponick.
After the podium celebration, it was determined that Cooper passed under a local yellow and was penalized two positions, promoting Bell to first place and Chaponick to second.

Round 3 Race results:

1	Jason Bell
2	Dore Chaponick
3	Glenn Cooper
4	Jeremy Hill
5	Alex Mayer
6	Alastair McEwan
7	Doug Hertz
8	Tim Pierce
9	Richard Franklin

Prize Fund for Round 3
1st Place	Jason Bell	2 Hooser Tires, 1 Pair Hyperco Springs
2nd Place	Dore Chaponick Jr.	1 Hoosier Tire, $50 Hyperco Certificate
3rd Place	Glenn Cooper	$25 Hyperco Certificate, $25 Sprocket Specialists Certificate
5th Place	Alex Mayer	$15 Sprocket Specialsts Certificate
Pole	Glenn Cooper (1:48.162)	1 Hoosier Tire
Fastest Lap	Alex Mayer (1:48.852)	50% off Sprocket Specialists
Random Drawing #1	Jeremy Hill	1 Hoosier Tire
Random Drawing #2	Richard Franklin	1 Hoosier Tire
Random Drawing #3	Doug Hertz	1 Free Sprocket from Sprocket Specialists
Sunoco Hard Charger	Jason Bell	$150 Cash payout (moved up 4 positions)

Like the previous rounds, the grid for round 4 was set using the fastest lap between qualifying and race 1. Most race lap times were slightly slower than qualifying but Jason Bell found some additional speed in the race and shuffled Hill back one spot to 5th. Hertz also went faster in the race and bumped Franklin back to 9th.

Final grid for Round 4

1	Glenn Cooper	1:48.162
2	Alex Mayer	1:48.741
3	Dore Chaponick	1:50.787
4	Jason Bell	1:50.890
5	Jeremy Hill	1:51.759
6	Alastair McEwan	1:52.329
7	Tim Pierce	1:54.016
8	Doug Hertz	1:57.237
9	Richard Franklin	1:58.449

From the very start of round 4, Cooper and Mayer resumed their battle right where they left off the day before. This time, they weren’t nose to tail for the whole race but were actually side by side for the entire race. While they diced with each other, the teammates of Chaponick and Bell had their own battle with Chaponick holding off Bell for a few laps until giving in to the pressure and handing the 3rd spot to Bell. Behind that battle, Jeremy Hill was running a solid race but unable to mount a challenge. While Cooper and Mayer continued their wheel to wheel duel, Bell slid a little wide and gave up two positions to Chaponick and Hill, rejoining in 6th. This allowed Chaponick to close up on Cooper and Mayer and make it a three-way battle. However, just a lap later Chaponick was forced to park on the main street with engine troubles. The Cooper/Mayer fight continued to the final lap with Cooper taking the checkered flag by a half-car length over Mayer. Hill took the third step on the podium and Bell was able to get around McEwan on the last lap to take 4th.

Round 4 Race results:
1. Glenn Cooper
2. Alex Mayer
3. Jeremy Hill
4. Jason Bell
5. Alastair McEwan
6. Doug Hertz
7. Tim Pierce
8. Richard Franklin
9. Dore Chaponick

Prize Fund for Round 4
1st Place	Glenn Cooper	2 Hooser Tires, 1 Pair Hyperco Springs
2nd Place	Alex Mayer	1 Hoosier Tire, $50 Hyperco Certificate
3rd Place	Jeremy Hill	$25 Hyperco Certificate, $25 Sprocket Specialists Certificate
5th Place	Alastair McEwan	$15 Sprocket Specialsts Certificate
Pole	Glenn Cooper (1:48.162)	1 Hoosier Tire
Fastest Lap	Alex Mayer (1:49.459)	50% off Sprocket Specialists
Random Drawing #1	Doug Hertz	1 Hoosier Tire
Random Drawing #2	Doug Hertz	1 Hoosier Tire
Random Drawing #3	Richard Franklin	1 Free Sprocket from Sprocket Specialists
Sunoco Hard Charger	Jeremy Hill	$150 Cash payout (moved up 4 positions)

Replay XD Video
There’s lots of Replay XD video from VIR posted to the US Formula 1000 Youtube

channel, with more to come.

Championship Points
Cooper remains in the points lead with 99 but Bell jumps into 2nd with 81, dropping Mayer to 3rd with 77 points.

Next Up
After a hectic several weeks, the Hoosier Tire US Formula 1000 Championship takes a break. Action resumes on Memorial Weekend with round 3 and 4 of the West Championship at Pacific Raceway in Kent, Washington.

ViR - April 2014 (Round 3 and 4 East)