Utica Rallycross Series (Season Three)

**Season Three** of the Utica Rallycross Series began May 15th, 2015 in Yuma, Arizona and concluded on December 26th, 2015 in Dead Man's Curve, Australia. Tyler Benoit won the championship. Tyler Kulesa won Rookie of the Year.

## Teams and Drivers

Several Teams attempted the Dead Man's Curve event as one-race promoters options, but failed to qualify in the Qualifier race. Those drivers and teams are as follows:

 **Cambodia Racing** | 40
 **Cittadino/ED Motorsports** | 32
 **Forza Turismo Racing** | 35

Utica Arenacross Series drivers who attempted and failed to qualify for Dead Man's Curve are listed on the Season One page for that series.

## Rules Changes

* The field size was decreased from 25 to 20. This was done to decrease race times.
* The schedule was shortened from 20 to 10 races, as many teams felt the schedule was too long and the cost of travel was too extreme.
* The season finale at Dead Man's Curve held a qualifier race, which had not been done in seasons prior.

## Race Reports

**Round 1: Yuma**

The racetrack saw massive changes, as the stadium was expanded during the off-season. The infamous cactus jump was removed and the two-lap structure was abandoned for a one lap, one route circuit. Beightol was the first car on track, but wrecked on one of the new installations. Carter was the first driver to complete the course. The race changed hands between Benoit and Pericles, until rookie Mason Powers surprised the field and took the top spot. Seth Cole usurped his lead two runs later and kept it until the end to score his first career victory.

**Round 2: Elk Horn Pike**

The track saw several changes to improve safety, such as the removal of the "Hole in the Wall" jump. Yuma-winner Seth Cole was the first car up, but performed well despite his handicapped starting position. Kulesa took over the race lead several runs later before rookie Dylan Theroux stole the top spot. William Duncan, who had finished last at the racetrack in both previous attempts, excelled and moved to the top spot. However, time at the top was short-lived, as Nick Pericles set the fastest time shortly afterwards, getting his first career Utica Rallycross Series victory.

**Round 3: Blackpool**

The track stayed nearly identical to the previous year's track, with only minor changes to improve race-flow. The exterior of the track made heavy renovations to accommodate a multi-million dollar vacation resort.

Stephen Carter was the first driver on track. The race lead changed several times early on between Cole, Michaels, Benoit, and Powers. Just past halfway, countryman Nathan Minazuki set an incredibly fast lap, trumping the competition, only Joseph Onesto was able to compete, but fell just short, finishing a close second. Minizuki won his first career race in his rookie season and also became the first non-American to win a Utica Rallycross Series event. Driver Matt Duell set a less spectacular record, finishing the race in the slowest time comparative to the race leader, finishing the race in over double the time.

**Round 4: Paparone**

Alex DiMarco was the first car on track, but quickly lost the lead to Alex Hawkins. Hawkins held the lead for a decent duration until Colin Bartell improved upon his time. Tyler Benoit took the lead just past the halfway point and no other drivers were able to contend with the time set. Benoit won his fourth career race, tying friend and fellow competitor Matt Evans for most career wins.

**Round 5: Budva**

The track saw some layout changes, in addition to the construction of larger, more extravagant facilities. Dylan Theroux was the first car on track, but lost the lead to Joseph Onesto. Season Two winner Adam Dunlap showed his affinity for the course once more by taking the top spot near the halfway point. Stephen Carter passed Dunlap's time before Tyler Kulesa edged Carter out by a mere two thousandths of a second, acquiring his first career Utica Rallycross Series win in his rookie season. Driver Alex DiMarco was released by his race team following the event after finishing in last place.

**Round 6: Dubai**

In the week before the race, two teams had closed down. Theroux Motorsports and Team Spite could not maintain the funds to continue racing, selling the assetts off to Young Motorsports and RaGE Motorsports, respectively. Xavier Singleton was announced as the replacement for Alex DiMarco in Performance Motorsports' #1 machine.

Mason Powers was the first car on track, but was soon beat by Alex Hawkins and Matt Duell. Duell held the lead for most of the event, but seasoned veteran Tyler Benoit managed to overtake his time. Benoit looked to be the sure favorite, but was upset by Joshua Michaels who, in his first race back after running in the Utica Arenacross Series, ran two seconds faster than Benoit, stealing the lead and winning his first career Utca Rallycross Series race.

**Round 7: Sarh**

The Sarh circuit saw massive renovations, changing the entire course layout. Colin Bartell was the first driver on track, who failed to navigate the new track in efficient time. Joseph Onesto took the lead immediately after before Matt Evans surpassed him. Alex Hawkins, though only the seventh car up, took the race lead and held it to the close of the event. Hawkins got his first career win in his rookie season and tied runner-up Matt Evans for earliest starting spot to win the race.

**Round 8: Laos**

The Laos circuit took its tole on the field, as most drivers failed to complete the final jump, having to either double back or end up falling out of the race. Colin Bartell was the first car up, but was easily surpassed by Tyler Kulesa. Matt Evans was the first driver to properly complete the course, crushing Kulesa's time. Matt Duell took the race lead an held it for the majority of the event until William Duncan ran a blistering pace as the second to last car up. Duncan won his first career Utica Rallycross Series race after having participated in every Rallycross event until this point.

**Round 9: Hong Kong**

Once again, Colin Bartell was the first car on track, but failed to finish the course. Alex Hawkins finished the course and quickly took the race lead away, before Tyler Benoit inherited the lead. The previous week's winner William Duncan rode the momentum from his win and took the race lead, but Yuma-winner Seth Cole was able to conquer the track that had injured him in Season One, and won the event. It was Cole's second career victory.

**Round 10: Dead Man's Curve**

   The Dead Man's Curve circuit was modified during the off-season to make the track more difficult. The biggest change came in the form of the format. Forty cars were allowed to attempt the race, consisting of the twenty weekly competitors, ten Utica Arenacross Series drivers, and ten "promoters options."
Forty cars competed in a Qualifier Race that made up the final two straightaways of the circuit. Ron Ourng was the first driver on track, but struggled. Xavier Singleton took the race lead following Ourng before getting passed by Arenacross driver Betty Johnson. Thomas Beatty managed to snag the top spot eight runs later before losing it to Skyler Dixon. Season 2 competitor Anthony McCrury soon afterwards set the top time before the break.

Chris Aurelio was able to climb passed McCrury several cars afterwards, holding the lead for the longest duration before James Silverfox took the race lead. With five cars to go, championship competitor Tyler Kulesa set a fast lap to win the Qualifier. Joshua Michaels, the last car on track, managed to tie Silverfox for second.

Five drivers were eligible for the title going into the qualifier; Tyler Kulesa, Tyler Benoit, Matt Evans, William Duncan, and Alex Hawkins. However, Evans, Duncan, and Hawkins all failed to make the top twenty, missing the main event and ending their title hopes.

The Utica Arenaross Championship was also decided in the qualifier, as it was run as a companion event. Mark Holbert won the championship and James Silverfox, the highest ranking Arenacross Series driver in the event, was credited with a "class victory." Both drivers made the event.

The finale at Dead Man's Curve saw Skyler Dixon as the first car on track. Despite this disadvantage, he managed to finish the course in decent time. After a couple of DNFs before him, Tyler Kulesa managed to finish the race quicker than Dixon, taking the top spot and a bonus point to cushion his lead over Tyler Benoit in the standings. Kulesa held the lead for three runs before Anthony McCrury put down a near lawless run down the hill, gaining twenty-three seconds on Kulesa's time. McCrury would remained unchallenged for the remainder of the event, winning his first career Utica Rallycross Series race in his only start of Season 3. McCrury also won the record for largest margin of victory at 18.76 seconds.

Tyler Benoit was the last car up on track. He needed to finish second or better to beat Kulesa. However, despite a great performance, Benoit only managed to achieve third, resulting in a tie in the standings. Both Kulesa and Benoit had one win apiece, but Benoit had more top fives with seven compared to Kulesa's five. Benoit won his first career Utica Rallycross Series championship after finishing runner-up in Season Two.

## Trivia

* Nine different drivers won a race this season.
* Seth Cole won the most races this season, winning two. He is the only driver to win multiple races this season.
* Tyler Benoit and Seth Cole tie with most podiums this season, with three each.
* Tyler Benoit and Tyler Kulesa tie with most top tens this season, with seven each.
* 240 runs were made this season.
* Of those 240 runs, 40 resulted in a DNF, putting the finishing percentage for drivers at 83.3%
* Budva and Sarh had the highest number of finishers, with all twenty cars completing the course.
* Dead Man's Curve had the highest attrition rate, with only eleven cars completing the course.
* There were no tiebreaker races this season.
* Only nine drivers competed in every event on the schedule.