Talladega is one of the few tracks where you only remember you even have a left foot when pulling into the pits…
If you think the same way, then you have clearly never sat at the wheel of a virtual Nascar machine that has won here.
At 'Dega, if there is anything you do forget about, it is the right foot pressing non-stop on the accelerator pedal. That one you only remember when it is time to refuel or to slow down during a caution…
Potential entrants for Round 10 of the Pro Cup series
1. Pab
2. Adriano Forza
3. Kostya Shapov*
4. Sergey Lobanov*
5. Alex madlopt
6. Dmitry Isaenko
7. Johny
8. Alexandr Chistov
9. Igor Menshikov
10. Eugeny Dmitriev
11. Pavel Vdovin*
12. nascardude
13. Andrey Efimenko*
14. Tik
15. Nikolay Evstigneev
16. Konstantin Voronin*
17. Serge Nascar
18. Dmitry Misyura*
19. Sergey Lulukov
20. RacerX
21. Alex Verba
22. Komisarchik Sergey
23. Sergey Frolov*
24. Andrey Shirshov*
25. Frank Bakulov
26. Sergey Anti
27. eR*
28. Patrick Budweiser*
29. paradoxx spb*
30. Pavel Muraviev*
31. Edd Mogilevich
32. Alexander Schokin
33. Wild Slick
34. Eugene Mozgunov
35. Ivan Balakhonov*
36. Ruslan Bayramkulov*
37. KAN42
38. Alex Arzamasov
39. Normunds Sarma*
40. Alex Shurikus*
41. Dima Andreev
42. Egor Rom
43. Igor Ivanov (OverDriver)
44. Dimon Borisoff
45. Sergey ZP
46. Merang
• *Rare guests in INL WRI races
• Driver – takes part in INL WRI races
On paper we could have a starting field that any server on planet Earth would envy. But it seems that a full house, with every «vacancy» on the grid filled, remains only a dream. Perhaps a miracle will happen at Talladega and at least a couple dozen drivers will take part in the race.
Qualifying results:
1. #33 Alexander Schokin:50.044s.
2. #24 Butt-head:-00.046
3. #74 Tik:-00.084
4. #01 Oliver Driver:-00.182
5. #46 Pab:-00.267
6. #42 Igor Menshikov:-00.297
7. #23 Alexandr Chistov:-00.347
8. #113 Sergey Anti:-00.358
9. #72 Sergey Lulukov:-00.550
10. #9 Merang:-00.559
11. #3 KAN 42:-00.683
12. #85 Sergey Lobanov: no time
13. #5 RacerX: no time
Round 10 at Talladega, previously postponed because of provider problems, failed to live up to the hopes pinned on it. There were fewer entrants at the start of the race than in the first, failed attempt to hold it. And the battle for the win came down to a fight between just two drivers.
After the first third of the distance, the already thin field shrank by four cars.
Collisions first put #85 Sergey Lobanov and #72 S.Lulukov out of the race, and then #23 A.Chistov and #42 Menshikov joined the ranks of the unlucky.
In the first case the culprit was #85. In the second, more likely than not, it was #01 O.Driver.
By half distance only two real contenders for the win remained: #74 Tik and #33 Schokin. Everyone else was a lap or more behind.
After visiting the pits with 15 laps to go, they waged an extremely tense duel from then on, depending in no small measure on whose side the lapped cars would take.
The decisive moment of the fight between #74 and #33 came on the final lap of the race.
#33 A. Schokin was leading, running behind #3 and #24. #74 Tik, in his turn, with the active support of #113 Anti, kept attacking him on the outside.
Coming off T4, with the finish line, as they say, within arm's reach, both cars running ahead of the leader abruptly swung to the outside, robbing #33 of the draft and «handing» it over to #74 Tik.
All that was left for LICH in this situation was to open his mouth in mute astonishment and watch the express train roll past him, with race winner Tik sitting in the third carriage.
Tik's second win of the season came to him at the fastest track of the championship. And here it is worth recalling that he scored his first success at the slowest track, Martinsville, winning that race in a showdown with the very same rival as at 'Dega.
Race results:
1.#74 Tik: 94 Laps
2.#33 Alexander Schokin:-00.140s.
3.#24 Butt-head:-1L
4.#3 KAN 42:-1L
5.#113 Sergey Anti:-2L
6.#5 RacerX:-3L
7.#9 Merang:-4L
8.#46 Pab:-6L
9.#01 Oliver Driver:-23L (Accident)
10.#42 Igor Menshikov:-78L (Valve)
11.#23 Alexandr Chistov:-79L (Accident)
12.#85 Sergey Lobanov:-88L (Accident)
13.#Sergey Lulukov:-88L (Accident)
HG Salutes !!!
What happened on the last lap of Round 10 deserves to go straight into the «help for rookies» column. In their place, we would get hold of a replay of that moment at any cost.
Let us suppose Schokin did not lose the draft by accident. In that case, a craftier combination could not have been devised.
Tucked in behind Kan and Mozgunov, LICH was probably confident he was protected from Tik's attacks.
In the end, his vigilance gone, #33 A.Schokin found himself completely alone against four rivals well versed in superspeedway warfare, and lost.
Why it happened is clear as day.
LICH is the championship leader, and it suited Kan to have him score as few points as possible.
A win for Tik suited everyone. That's racing. Nothing personal.
Driver interviews.
#74 Tik – 1st place.
Awesome finish. Anti helped a lot — never left me without the draft. Special thanks to him.
#33 A.Schokin (LICH) – 2nd place.
Everything was fine until the last caution — the fuel had only just started to last lap for lap... After that all I could do was rely on the goodwill of #24 and #3 over the final laps. The goodwill was not on my side.
#113 S. Anti - 5th place.
I drove this race the way I used to manage two years ago. Guessed wrong on the caution before the long run, didn't refuel, sped entering the pits, plus drove right past my crew since their stall was first in line. I didn't even deserve a top-5. After the last cautions I tried not to get in the leaders' way and decided to help Tik — LICH already has 3 wins. Up ahead Mozgunov was also doing battle with Kan, and along the way they were helping Schokin, but on the last lap everyone went to the outside.
Congrats on the win, Tik!
#01 O.Driver - 9th place.
I was running such a fever I could barely make out what was happening on track. Especially toward the end.