Utica Rallycross Series (Season Four)

**Season Four** of the Utica Rallycross Series began April 4th, 2017 in Yuma, Arizona and concluded on June 21st, 2017 in Dead Man's Curve, Australia. Chris Dodd won both the championship and Rookie of the Year.

## Notable Changes

Budva, Sarh, and Laos were removed from the schedule due to complaints from drivers and fans over the quality of racing. They were replaced with Meijendel, Nairobi, and Tel-Aviv respectively. Paparone and Dead Man's Curve made slight changes to their circuits in preparation for the new season.

The Rookie of the year system was changed. Prior to season four, making at least one start negated ROTY eligibility for the following season. Season Four changes the rule to be more than two starts negating ROTY status.

Drivers who are mathematically eligible to win the championship going into Dead Man's Curve will be locked into the main event and will not partake in the qualifier. This change was made in response to Season 3, when Matt Evans, William Duncan, and Alex Hawkins all missed the finale.

## Race Reports

**Round 1: Yuma**

The hilly stadium dirt track returned to the schedule with no changes from the previous year. It was the fourth year in a row the track held the season opener.

The first car to take to the track was rookie Anthony Lopez who, like Carson Beightol the year before, struggled heavily with the step-jump. Unlike Beightol, Lopez managed, after several attempts, to clear the jump and finish the course. Chris Aurelio, the second car up, easily beat Lopez' time and held the top spot for awhile.

Defending winner Seth Cole was third up on track, and hoped to reclaim the victory. However, Cole's vehicle flipped during the long jump late in the course, which would eventually result in Cole finishing in last place. He was joined by the only other retiree of the event, Nathan Hudson, who was returning to the series, albeit with a name change.

Season Three title contender William Duncan soon took the fastest time away from Aurelio, before being upset by a returning Estavas Cortez, back after a long absence from the sport. Cortez' time at the top was short-lived, however, as rookie Chris Dodd surprised the field with a blistering run that edged Cortez by three-one-hundreths of a second. The remaining seven cars, with the exception of a returning Ray Davis, were unable to breach the top five, and Chris Dodd got his first career win in his first start.

**Round 2: Elk Horn Pike**

Elk Horn Pike returned to the schedule unchanged from the previous year. Canadian rookie Mark Holbert was the first driver to take the course, finish cleanly, albeit slowly. Finnish driver and fellow rookie Conrad Wilsson usurped the lead as the third car up before being bested by Robbert Pieete.

Pieete held the lead for most of the event until the late stages, where Tyler Kulesa set a fast lap to beat Pieete by two tenths. Kulesa fended off the hard-charging attempts by Tyler Benoit and Chris Dodd and secured his second career Utica Rallycross Series victory.

Three drivers failed to finish the course. Nathan Hudson, following up an early exit at Yuma, Matt Evans, who was off to a slow start to the year, and William Duncan, once again being bested by the Canadian street circuit. Canadian countrymen Mark Holbert and Sean Angel both struggled, finishing outside the top ten.

**Round 3: Blackpool**

Zachary Fitzwater Sr. was the first car to take to the track, but surprised the field by setting a record time. Estavas Cortez, the fourth car up, was the closest anyone would get to Fitzwater, as the remainder of the field was unable to catch the Australian rookie and Fitzwater became the first driver to win a race from first on the grid order.

Four drivers failed to finish the course. Anthony Lopez finished last after flipping on the first jump. Season 3 winner and countryman Nathan Hudson continued his streak of DNFs with an early exit. Colin Bartell and Joseph Onesto both wrecked on the final jump of the course. In Onesto's case, he was tracking close to the top times when the wreck occurred.

**Round 4: Meijendel**

The track was a new edition to the schedule after it was pitched to the league by the Meijendel Park Services.

Chris Aurelio was the first car to take to the track, but was bitten by the first-car curse and had one of the slowest times of the event. Dutchman Robbert Pieete was second to bat, taking the top spot at his home circuit before soon being usurped by Seth Cole. Cole held the lead for awhile until rookie Anthony Lopez shocked the field by topping Cole by almost a second, stealing the race lead.

Lopez hung on for the majority of the event, and looked to be unbeatable, but the final car up Mark Holbert was able to tackle Lopez' time and take the victory. It was the third time a non-American won in the Utica Rallycross Series.

Four drivers failed to finish the course. Matt Duell, Joseph Onesto, and Colin Bartell continued on their downtrodden season with DNFs and Sean Angel flipped his car uusually early into his run.

**Round 5: Paparone**

The circuit made a slight change to the final, hilly stretch of the course, leveling out a bump that caused cars to flip coming to the line.

Matt Evans was the first driver to take to the track. The run was clean, but the early starting spot was a disadvantage for the struggling veteran. Rookie Sean Angel soon surpassed Evans to take the lead. Chris Aurelio and William Duncan, two drivers looking for a mid-season turnaround, both took hands at leading the field, before Meijendel winner Mark Holbert edged them out, becoming the first driver of the event to break 45 seconds.

Ray Davis was the only driver to come close to Holbert's time, but was two tenths slower. Holbert went on to win the event, which was his second career victory and his second in a row. All twenty cars finished the race.

Following the race, a tiebreaker run had to be done between Sean Angel and Robbert Pieete to settle eighth place. It was the first tiebreaker event of the year and the first since Season one. Pieete took not only the spot, but also set the track record.

Chris Dodd lost the points lead following a lackluster performance, resulting in Mark Holbert and Ray Davis tying for the points lead, with Holbert edging by win count.

**Round 6: Nairobi**

The track made its debut on the schedule, replacing Sarh's race date. Rookie Anthony Lopez lacked funding going into the event and sold his equipment to Arenacross driver James Silverfox. The event also saw Neal Evans, father of Matt Evans, make his debut in the #17 following Evans' decision to temporarily scale-down his racing program following a lackluster Season 4.

Sean Angel was the first car to take to the track, putting down a relatively slow 41.99. Robbert Pieete soon bested Angel by over two seconds. After some close attempts by Seth Cole and Matt Duell to dislodge the top spot, veteran driver Stephen Carter became the first driver to break 39 seconds with a 38.91, taking the top time.

Following Carter, drivers struggled to crack the top four, including points leader Mark Holbert, who went off-course on the reverse-banked hairpin. Following Holbert, Colin Bartell made a surprising challenge for top time, coming just short of Carter and taking second, his season best finish. Carter held on to the top spot and after a disappointing run by defending champion Tyler Benoit, Stephen Carter secured his first career Utica Rallycross Series victory.

Two drivers failed to finish their runs. Nathan Hudson, who struggled in every race prior, secured his fourth DNF of the season. Conrad Wilsson flipped his car on the first jump, securing last place. Season debut drivers Neal Evans and James Silverfox finished twelfth and fourteenth respectively, both catching a rut before a jump and resulting in slower lap times.

Following the race, a tiebreaker run had to be done between Sean Angel and Tyler Benoit to settle fifteenth place. It was the second tiebreaker event of the year and second in a row for Angel. Angel only beat his previous time by four tenths, but Tyler Benoit surprisingly capsized his car, failing the run and giving Angel the spot.

The points shuffled heavily following the race, with Stephen Carter leaping up to the points lead from seventh the week prior.

**Round 7: Dubai**

Stephen Carter, the previous week's winner, was the first car on track. In great fashion, he set a time comparable to the track record set by Joshua Michaels the year prior. Robbert Pieete and, surprisingly, Nathan Hudson came close, but the times dropped off over the next few runs.

Matt Duell set a fast time, but made heavy contact with the cockpit of his car on the finish line arch, injuring Duell and causing him to sit out for the rest of the season.

Duell was followed by Sean Angel, who had been struggling in points all season long. Angel shocked the field by unexpectedly becoming the first car to break 39 seconds, easily securing the top spot.

The remainder of the race was wreck-heavy, with Chris Aurelio, William Duncan, and Conrad Wilsson ending up in the bay, Neal Evans flipping his car on the roof of the second building transfer, and Tyler Benoit wrecking a mere inches from the finish line. Mark Holbert crashed in a similar manner to Matt Duell, but luckily escaped with no injuries and finished the run.

Only Colin Bartell offered Angel a challenge, but came up short to finish second. Sean Angel secured the victory upon Wilsson's marina crash as the final run of the day. Carter's podium finish was enough to keep the points lead.

**Round 8: Tel-Aviv**

Tel-Aviv was the third and final debut circuit of the season, taking place on the streets of Tel-Aviv and focusing more on wheelsmanship than jumps.

Neal Evans was the first car to take the course, finishing in just over a minute. Mark Holbert, the third car up, was the first competitor to break a minute, taking the lead away from Evans. Holbert held the lead for a few runs before Blackpool winner Zachary Fitzwater Sr. upstaged him by a second.

Soon afterwards, Chris Dodd edged Fitzwater out to take the top spot. His time at the top was short-lived, however, as fellow rookie Conrad Wilsson surprised the field by breaking 57 seconds and taking the lead.

The biggest surprise, though, would come several runs later, as Kaytlyn Stringer, who was making her first Rallycross Series appearance as a replacement driver for the injured Matt Duell, stunned the crowd by setting the fastest lap of the day, nearly breaking 56 seconds. Only Seth Cole could put up a challenge, but came up short by a few tenths, leaving Stringer the winner of the event.

No drivers wrecked out of the race, but Elk Horn Pike-winner Tyler Kulesa and Dubai-winner Sean Angel made notable on-track blunders that drastically slowed down their lap times. Colin Bartell also flipped his car on the highway off-ramp, but was able to right himself and continue.

**Round 9: Hong Kong**

Hong Kong returned to the schedule for it's fourth consecutive season and Tyler Benoit, who was scorned for the win in Season 1, wast he first to take to the track. He finished solidly, taking the top spot.

Points leader Stephen Carter was the second car up, but an issue on the bay jump flipped his car over, giving him a crippling DNF finish. Other championship hopefuls smelled blood in the water, as many would look to capitalize on Carter's poor result. Carter was followed out of the race by the third car up, Nathan Hudson, in his last scheduled appearance of the season, ending it as it started.

Benoit's time at the top was short-lived, as championship hopefully Chris Dodd took the top spot with a fast lap. Dodd held it for two runs before Colin Bartell shocked the field with a faster lap. Bartell hung on to the lead for awhile, as few could challenge his time. However, Season 3 winner Seth Cole, now a master at the Hong Kong circuit, usurped the top spot.

Cole was looking at his first win of the year until Ray Davis surprised the field and beat Seth Cole's time with three drivers to go. The two DHL-Aurelio Rallysport drivers made a solid effort, but failed to dislodge Davis from the top spot. The win was Davis' second and first since Sarh in Season 1.

Cars surviving the bay jump, but missing the checkpoint became a recurring theme, as Mark Holbert, Estavas Cortez, Kaytlyn Stringer, Joseph Onesto, and Sean Angel all got two-to-five extra attempts at the jump after landing on their wheels on the other side.

Joining Stephen Carter and Nathan Hudson out of the race were Zachary Fitzwater Sr., Joseph Onesto, and Sean Angel, who picked up his third last place finish of the year.

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

Following their results in Hong Kong, eight drivers locked themselves in to the Dead Man's Curve Main Event as title competitors; Chris Dodd, Stephen Carter, Robbert Pieete, Seth Cole, Ray Davis, Mark Holbert, Chris Aurelio, and Zachary Fitzwater Sr. This left twenty-two drivers to battle for twelve spots in the qualifier event. Of the twenty-two, seven were hoping to make their first career Rallycross Series start.

Dubai winner Sean Angel was the first car to take time, but his inexperience at the course showed and he set a poor time. Cody Smart, who was tabbed by Tyler Benoit to audition for a Season Five ride, made great use of his track time and bested Angel by four seconds, taking the top spot. Following a disastrously slow time by rookie Cole Baker, countrywoman Annie Thomas took to the top time, besting Smart by two seconds. She would keep the lead for five runs before rookie Scott Roush surprised the field with fast time that just edged out Thomas.

Roush's time at the top was short-lived, as Estavas Cortez became the first to break thirty-four seconds in only his second appearance at the circuit. After many runs of drivers coming up short or bumping other drivers out of the field, Conrad Wilsson set a quick late-race time that topped Cortez by half a second, taking the race lead. The last car up was defending champion Tyler Benoit set a fast time, but came up just short, finishing third overall, handing Wilsson the Qualifier win. The battle for the twelfth and final transfer spot was decided by two tenths of a second, with Ryan Reso just barely edging out Joseph Onesto.

The one-off drivers did exceptionally well, with seven of ten making the field. Only Alex Tanker, Tylor Thaber, and Cole Baker missed the field Of them, five are making their first career start. Several notable drivers to miss the field include countryman Tyler Kulesa, who won the qualifier the previous year and battled for the title, William Duncan, who missed the finale two years in a row, and Colin Bartell who was coming off a string of solid top five finishes. All twenty-two drivers finished the event, but Cole Baker and Kaytlyn Stringer had close calls that severely hampered their qualifying times.

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

Going into the final race of the season, several changes were made to the opening section of the course. A longer ramp was put on the first jump and the broken bridge was adjusted to make it easier to complete.

Eight drivers had a shot at the championship going into the event. Chris Dodd had a lead of five points over Stephen Carter and eight over Robbert Pieete. The remaining five had double-digit deficits to make up, and their championship depended on a mistake by Dodd. Zachary Fitzwater Sr., sitting eighth in points, needed to not only win the race, but for Chris Dodd to finish last with no bonus points to have a shot, similar to Alex Hawkins' championship requirements the previous year.

Title competitor Chris Aurelio was the first car to take to the track, guaranteeing the Season One champion a bonus point. Aurelio ran a fast lap that would have been second quickest in Season Three. The second DHL-Aurelio car of Conrad Wilsson was next to take to the course. Wilsson won the qualifier race, but wrecked exiting the bridge and flipped the car, ending his run tragically short.

Mark Holbert, who had two wins under his belt and had started the season strong, dropped off in the weeks coming to Dead Man's Curve. However, Holbert was still mathematically eligible and, as the third car up, nearly broke Anthony McCrury's track record from the year before. Holbert was nearly surpassed by one-off journeyman racer Jeffery Finguy, who ran a stellar pace, but hit one of the pylons just in front of the finish line, dropping his time to second fastest.

The two Benoit Motorsports entries were next, with Tyler Benoit getting the third fastest time and rookie Cody Smart wrecking out mid-way through the course. Also failing to finish was Seth Cole, who was fourth in the championship hunt, but flipped exiting the double-jump, ending his title hopes.

After a troubled run by Qualifier standout Scott Roush and a speedy time by TEAM Motorsports development driver Alex Giannatelli, Stephen Carter made his lap time. However, several mistakes cost the Allen Racing Family machine time on track, and Carter slotted in with the second-slowest finishing time of the bunch. He would need a mistake by Dodd to recover.

Chris Dodd took to the course three runs later and spoiled the show by running a near perfect lap. Dodd ended up usurping the track record by seven seconds, took the lead, and officially locked the championship up for himself, as there were not enough cars left to give Pieete, Davis, and Fitzwater Sr. a chance.

Ray Davis followed Dodd on track, but Ray Davis' tumultuous history with Dead Man's Curve appeared yet again, netting him the second slowest completed time, only being Neal Evans, who would slide down the mountain the next run.

It was a bad race for local drivers, as Annie Thomas wrecked out at the circuit early for the second time in her career and Zachary Fitzwater Sr, who needed to win to be champion, saw the opposite result, and finished last overall following an early wreck. Following a wreck by Canadian Ryan Reso, Robbert Pieete had his eyes set on Stephen Carter in an attempt to better his points position. However. Pieete came up just short.

Estavas Cortez was the final car to take to the track, but misfortune struck Cortez once gain as he flipped his vehicle on the double-jump, ending the race early for him.

Chris Dodd won both the race and the title as well as rookie of the year. The win was very popular amongst fans, as Dodd had a large fanbase that showed up to the track.

## Awards

 Rookie of the Year
 Most Last Places
 Most Valuable Driver

## Trivia

* 226 runs were made this season.
* Of those 226 runs, 34 resulted in a DNF, putting the finishing percentage for drivers at 85%
* The earliest starting position for a race winner was set this season. Zachary Fitzwater Sr. won Blackpool as the first car on track. This record can only be tied.
* Dead Man's Curve had the highest attrition rate of the season, with eight cars failing to finish the race.
* Paparone and Tel-Aviv had the lowest attrition rate of the season, with all twenty cars finishing the race.
* There were two tiebreaker races this season. (Paparone and Nairobi) Sean Angel participated in both of them.
* Two drivers (Chris Dodd and Kaytlyn Stringer) won their first Utica Rallycross Series race in their first start. The only other driver to achieve this was Dillon White in the first race of Season One.
* Seven races were won by a rookie driver, a record number.
* This is the third time the champion won the title in their first full season, and the first as an official Rookie of the Year competitor.