Finale Race of the EXR Series 2016 Season, Exotics Racing Las Vegas

EXR SERIES FINALE SAW SOME OF THE TIGHTEST RACING ALL SEASON

Exotics Racing, Las Vegas – The last race weekend of the 2016 EXR Series season saw some of the best qualifying and competitive racing yet. Eleven drivers battled hard over the two day event to gain as many last minute series points in hopes of making it to the championship podium.

Held at Exotics Racing in Las Vegas, most of the field was comprised of seasoned drivers. The series was happy to welcome back Romain and Gerard Thievin, David Perisset, Richard McIntosh, Mark Ramsey, Collete Davis, Michael Halverson, and Lisa Clark. New racers included, Geoffrey Nenninger, Howard Sklar, and former NASCAR Nationwide driver Tim Connolly.

Qualifying for race 11 on Saturday saw drivers running tight with lap times all within a second of each other despite a thin layer of dust that made track conditions slick. “It was slippery on track, there was big off-road race that happened last night and a lot of the dust settled on our track. My car was over-steering, but it was manageable, and still a lot of fun,” said Perisset. “Everything is going in a positive direction and I’m hoping to keep it that way for the race. The new tires are scrubbed so I’ve got more grip and a lot more confidence too,” said Lisa Clark after qualification.

Pole position for race 11 went to Romain Thievin, followed by David Perisset in second, and Richard McIntosh in starting in third. All three were separated by 1.004 seconds. Romain Thievin, who went into the weekend leading in championship points, said “The car is good and has little more grip but with temperatures increasing the car has less power but the track is great and I set a fast lap.” Richard McIntosh also felt confident and cut his qualifying shot too. “I set a couple of fast laps and felt like I didn’t need to do anymore. Plus I wanted to save the car, tires, and protect my brakes. This Scotsman is ready to race,” said Richard McIntosh.

Starting in forth was Tim Connolly who had a great session considering he had not driven the car before. “The car and track were great, I was able to follow Richard to find a line and get up to speed. I was all over the place but think I have this under control, and I’m looking forward to the race,” said Connolly. Another new driver, Howard Sklar, got caught up in some spins which slowed him down during qualifying. “I was following some people but I couldn’t keep up and then I spun and fell back even more. I finally got into a grove but I got stuck in traffic so I’m hoping for better luck during the race,” said sklar.

Race 11 started and saw incredible racing from the entire field. The top five cars never changed position for the entire race. They battled tight and hard making it impossible for any of them to pass each other. Gerard Thievin started in 10^th but quickly took advantage of gaps and jumped to 8^th within one lap. Also making a move during the first lap was Collete Davis who overtook Mark Ramsey for 6^th and held it until the checkered flag. With only 2 laps to go, Lisa Clark fell to 11^th after Howard Sklar was able to slip by. Romain Thievin, David Perisset, and Richard McIntosh finished on podium.

Sunday qualification set a series record for being the tightest session yet, the entire field was within 1.500 seconds of each other as nearly everyone set one of their fastest laps. A defined battle between David Perisset, Tim Connolly, and Richard McIntosh formed early on and lasted the entire session. When qualifying was finished, the top three drivers were separated by 00.349 of a second. David Perisset qualified for pole position, with Tim Connolly in second, and Richard McIntosh starting in third. Mark Ramsey qualified for P6 felt he could have done better if he was able to keep more momentum. “I should get style points for my spin,” Ramsey said, “if I can keep the tail from leading, I think I can overtake some folks.” Michael Halverson was qualified P9 regretted not having more seat time prior to the race. “I’m still the learning this car and there are a lot of folks here who are really fast and have improved more than I have. I have some work to do but I did pick up a little speed in the last session and I hope to continue that into the race,” said Halverson.

Race 12, the final race of the 2016 EXR Series season, did not disappoint. Action started right as the green flag fell, with jostling, and wheel to wheel racing between David Perisset and Tim Connolly. Connolly over took Perisset on the first lap but was only able to hold the lead position for two more laps when Perisset, who was on his bumper, passed him. Connolly fell to second and right into another tight battle with Richard McIntosh.

On lap 5 coming off the high speed straight, McIntosh was creeping up the side of Connolly and didn’t brake in time, consequently, McIntosh hit the right side of Connolly’s car and taking both drivers out of the race. Immediately, Nenninger and Davis took the second and third positions and successfully held them for the rest of the race. “Collete and I were just behind the leaders so when the accident between Richard and Tim happened, we both avoided it and pounced on the opportunity. The car was awesome and it was a great race,” said Geoffrey Nenninger who finished second in the race. “It was great racing with Geoffrey; I was on his bumper the whole time and look, things finally went my way,” said Collete David who finished third. Towards the end of the race more action accrued this time between Michael Halverson and Lisa Clark, both battled hard the entire race. On the last lap, Halverson tried passing Clark but didn’t have room and the two collided.

David Perisset, Geoffrey Nenninger, and Collete Davis made podium for the last and most spectacular race of the season.

Race 11 Results: