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David Phillips
Editor and ChiefDavid Phillips is a long-time contributor to print and electronic publications in the U.S. and abroad, including Racer, Autosport, AutoWeek, Motor Sport and SPEEDtv.com, oversees the daily updating of news stories and assigns, edits and contributes feature material for inRacingNews.com.
Chris Hall
iRacing.com Series WriterChris Hall has been writing since the nineties and moved into motorsports reporting in 2005, covering series such as ALMS, British GT, FIA GT, Le Mans and 2CV racing for Full Throttle magazine, Motorsport.com, The-Paddock.net, GTGateway.com, L' Endurance and, of course, inRacingNews. During 2008 and 2009, he worked with the RSS Performance Porsche Carrera Cup Team (and former British GT(C) champions) as a data engineer for a variety of drivers and models of 997s.
Jameson Spies
Contributing Writer19 years old, Jameson Spies lives in Quartz Hill, California. He grew-up surrounded by racing. His mother raced late models throughout Southern California while his father built and setup the car. Not surprisingly, Jameson began racing go-karts at the age of 13, and is now racing Spec Trucks at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. He has a passion about all forms of racing and hopes to make a career out of it.
Jason Lofing
iRacing.com Series WriterJason is 21 years old and was born and raised in Elk Grove. California. A big time NASCAR fan, he hasn’t missed a race on Sunday in years. Lofing is also a huge San Fransisco Giants fan and tries to take in at least a couple games a year. Other than sim racing, his biggest (and far more expensive!) hobby is photography. Although he is rather new to sim racing, Lofing has already accomplished some pretty impressive results, qualifying for the 2011 iRacing Oval Pro Series in Season 1, 2011, winning the inaugural Landon Cassill Qualifying Challenge and finishing runner-up in the second one.
David Ifeguni
Contributing WriterI was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1988 and moved to Midland, Michigan when I was two years old. I stayed there until third grade when I moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan and now I currently live in Naperville, IL where I'm attending Metea Valley High School as a 9th grader. In the past, I have participated in soccer and this year I plan on joining swimming or water polo. My family includes my 15 year old sister, a 7 year old sister and my mom and dad. I have been writing since 6th grade and have participated in many writing contests in my school and have received several awards for writing.
My fascination for motorsports began when I was nine. The first NASCAR race I watched on TV was the 2009 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, won by Kasey Kahne. My favorite NASCAR drivers are Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jimmie Johnson. I have watched all the races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series since 2010. I currently have three wins on iRacing, two of them in the Nationwide car at Daytona and one in the Street stocks at Charlotte. My favorite car and type of track on iRacing is the Nationwide Series (B Class) car and superspeedways.
Katier Scott
Contributing WriterI am a veteran sim racer who first started racing way back in 1993 on the SPRTSIMS section of Compuserve with a league who can trace themselves all the way to the present. Within that league I act as Chief Steward and try to bring the unique viewpoint that this experience gives me into my articles.
I have a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Editorial design and have been writing for seven years and currently cover the Lotus 79 CTC and Radical series alongside my freelance work. Living in the UK, as well as motorsports I love Photography, Arts and Crafts and reading.
Dylan Sharman
Contributing WriterI was born in Adelaide and we moved-out for Angle Vale for a few years until I was about 7 years old, when we moved to the Barossa Valley where I live now. I'm 19 years old and currently traveling back and forth weekly as I'm studying for a Diploma of Furniture Design and Technology.
I've always had a love for racing as my close family did some racing and we were always out at the local dirt track. I joined iRacing back in 2010 and slowly but surely got the hang of it as this is my first experience with sim racing and am loving it each time I race. I've won two SK Modified titles (almost had three in a row but finished P2 in 2011 S4), an inRacingNews Challenge championship (2012 S1 Mazda) and was also an AustralAsian Intel GT Series Finalist.
Nathan Aljoe
Contributing WriterNathan's passion for motorsport first began in the late 1980s, captivated by the season in which Aryton Senna won his first F1 title with McLaren. Over the years his interest widened to include the British Touring Car Championship, World Rally Championship, NASCAR and various other forms of motorsport. Nathan began sim-racing in the mid 1990s using games developed by Papyrus. He later moved onto SimBim simulations such as GTR, GTR2 and GTR Evolution and has most recently joined the iRacing community.
When he's not working or sim racing, Nathan enjoys spending time and relaxing with his family. Other hobbies include going to festivals, tinkering with his car and doing up his house.
Austin Hartenfels
Contributing WriterBorn and raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia, I have always had a serious passion for cars and motorsports. Hoping one day to become an automotive journalist for a magazine, I constantly crave the exciting competition that comes along with racing and sim-racing. Having participated in a mere test session in a Legends car at Old Dominion Speedway, I have not been able to get into any real-life competition . . . yet.
As a sim racer, my interests date back to "GTR Evolution." My goal is to have fun and win some races. I made it to Oval Pro in 2010, but did not become very successful. I enjoy any mixed road racing competition and love racing the Silverados around almost any track.
Jordan Hightower
Contributing WriterJordan began sim-racing in 2005 with the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season sim and then joined the iRacing community in June of 2008. He hails from Fort Smith, Arkansas where he is currently enrolled at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith, after which he plans to attend the University of Arkansas to earn his MBA. Although he enjoys watching and playing basketball, most of Jordan's focus is on motorsports, particularly NASCAR: "Anything that burns gas and goes fast, I like."
Scott Kelly
Contributing WriterBorn and raised in the greater St. Louis, Missouri area, Scott Kelly has had a love for motorsports ever since his father did the right thing by introducing auto racing into his life. No longer able to quench his need for speed by spectating NASCAR races on TV and watching dirt track stars slide around local tracks, Kelly eventually picked-up sim racing in his teens, wheeling cars found in Ratbag Games' "Dirt Track Racing" and "World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars" while also becoming introduced into multiple Papyrus sim-racing series. Joining the iRacing ranks in late 2011, Kelly set his sights on the short track racing he was familiar with, focusing on the sprint car, while also driving the Legends and street stock in multiple iRacing.com leagues.
Kelly brings not just his enthusiasm for racing to the highest-rated motorsports simulation, but also his B.A. degree in English; he covers the action seen in the iRacing.com Sprint Car Series, while also placing the spotlight on various leagues within the service. Enjoying his start to a career in motorsports journalism, Kelly also doesn't mind visiting victory lane from time-to-time.
Kenneth O'Keefe
Contributing WriterKenneth was born in Smithville, Ontario on December 23, 1994. A major racing fan, he enjoys competitive kart racing in the Rotax Max category at Mosport International Karting. Kenneth also tunes into Formula One and NASCAR races on those Sundays when he is not at the kart track.
O'Keefe has been sim-racing since 2005, starting on the Live For Speed simulator. After moving to iRacing in 2008, he was able to qualify for the NASCAR iRacing Pro Series (NiPS) in both 2011 and 2012. He will continue to compete and write about the iRacing.com Skip Barber Series throughout the coming year before taking another run at the NiPS in late 2013.
Chris Owens
Contributing WriterI was born in Florence, South Carolina in 1989 and have lived here my entire life. I've been around racing since I was a young kid watching with my dad on Sundays. In 2009 and found my local track, Florence Motor Speedway and started working for them as a PR guy the same year. At the end of that season, I started writing for RACE22.com, a Late Model Stock Car news site. In 2010, I picked up my first DSLR camera and started shooting races. To this day, I've experienced some of the best races from behind the camera.
I've been with the iRacing service since its public beta in 2008, back when the top oval car was the Late Model. I've been in over 500 races on the service with 70+ wins on both oval and road. My favorite car on the service is the Chevrolet Silverado. Darlington Raceway and Concord Speedway are my favorite tracks simply because everybody hates them.
George Wood
Contributing WriterAfter beginning his racing career with go-karts at age seven, George then turned wrenches on street stocks until he could finally turn the wheel. Following the successes of his friends and family, George has since retired from real-world racing, where he is now a science and mathematics faculty member for several local community colleges. When George isn't grading laboratory reports or iRacing, he is performing at bluegrass festivals in the Northeast, making fishing lures, playing golf, and rooting for his beloved Baltimore Orioles.
Nixon Wins, Ruokola Scores
by David Roberts on May 15th, 2012
Nixon dominated Road America for Lotus taking three wins from three starts.
Unchanged in layout since it opened back in 1955 Elkhart Lake features many elevation changes, along with a very high speed front stretch and the famous Kink in the middle of the back stretch. In other words, an ideal venue for the Classic Teams Championship contenders to stretch their legs. It was also the site for four new drivers to join the circus this week making a total of 75 point scoring competitors in the first two weeks. This week saw 17 races gain official status with Sunday again providing the main race of the week with 44 starters. Drivers spent the week searching for the perfect balance between speed and grip, most running a much lower downforce setup than they did last week at The Glen.
Valentiejus lead Ligier to a great result and closed the gap to Alfa Romeo in the Constructors Championship.
Once again the man who found himself at the top of the qualifying sheet was Nixon (Lotus). This week the gap back to the flying Chevron of sensational debutante Hulbert was less than a tenth of a second over the 4 mile, 14 turn Road America circuit. Hulbert had pushed the series leader Ruokola (Williams) off the front row and back to third just ahead of Valentiejus (Ligier), the first man not a member of the 1.48 club. Behind these five there was a little gap back to Ventura in sixth on an impressive 1.49.572 just 3 one-thousandths ahead of Dobie’s Tyrrell in seventh. Just over a tenth covered the next group of four cars. Herfjord (Ligier) eighth fastest on a 1.49.774, Maguire (Fittipaldi) ninth on 1.49.782, Schmidt (Lotus) tenth on 1.49.825, Schwecke (ATS) eleventh on 1.49.890. In twelfth was the first of the Interscopes, Roberts just .004 ahead of his team mate Nicol. Close behind was Beyer’s Tyrrell on a 1.49.982, just ahead of the fastest of the Alfa’s this week and last man in the 49‘s Garese in fifteenth. De Rooij was having another good run and was sixteenth, followed by another surprising debut from a Chevron,this one with Moreira at the wheel. Jeppesen (Ensign), Incledon (Fittipaldi) and Strang (Rizla) rounded out the top twenty qualifiers.
Racing was very tight in the midfield and a number of incidents were to shake-up the results.
Nixon (Lotus) was undoubtedly the fastest man at Road America with three wins, including a 194 point win over Ruokola (Williams) in the biggest race of the round. But at the end of the week, once again his love of racing had compromised his points haul and let Ruokola steal the round with 184 points. Valentiejus (Ligier) had also grabbed second with a total of 175 points, whilst Nixon was left sitting back in equal third with a very happy Herfjord (Ligier). Herfjord jumped 8 spots up the leaderboard with one great drive and then put the car away. StAmans (Alfa) dropped four spots to sixth whilst Lavecchia (Renault) gained four to be right behind him in seventh. Eighth and ninth were Maguire (Fittipaldi) and Roberts (Interscope) going toe to toe in the point race but both dropping a spot to the Renault. Also in the fight is Dobie (Tyrrell), the last man in the top ten.
Hulbert was a new name at the sharp end, qualifying an incredible second fastest.
Nixon’s three wins were unmatched in Round 2, nobody else winning more than once. Wednesday saw a win on debut go to Moreira’s Chevron, as well as Nixon grab his first of the week. Friday Ventura took a hard fought one, Tincani posted his first, and Nixon grabbed another. Saturday Maguire (Fittipaldi) took a strong win, and De Rooij posted his second of the season. Sunday began with Jeppesen on the rostrum, followed by Nixon taking the biggest win of the week, Incledon grabbing another for Fittipaldi, and Ruokola taking the last win of the week. Hachez (Kauhsen) was once again relentless in his efforts making six starts and turning 145 laps. Relative newcomer Poole (Surtees) also made six starts and completed over 100 laps.
Hulbert also had his share of drama, this the result of equipment failure.
Third drivers performed well again at Road America, Fastest of the number threes was once again De Rooij (Shadow) but Jeppesen (Ensign) is shaping up to challenge. Incledon (Fittipaldi) is another coming man as is Taylor (Renault) and Sagmeister (ATS). Boscus did a great job for Alfa again as did Nye for Interscope and the unstoppable Hachez at Kauhsen. In the Aurora ranks Hulbert (Chevron) just blew everyone away. Although he had his moments on the way there having a huge accident in the main event when his cockpit disconnected. How long can it be before he finds himself in a championship team? His team mate Moreira also did a sterling job for Chevron, and should help push this team toward the front. A great performance was put in by Van Velsen (Surtees) who’s quickly coming to grips with his new ride. Arnall put in a typically strong showing for Penthouse Rizla as he and his teammate Strang lead the Aurora runners points. Brättemark (Ram) currently sits in third just 20 points back.
Papenbrock has taken the lead role at McLaren, but Hentschell and Knoll had a much improved run at Road America.
Autodelta Alfa Romeo retained its lead in the Constructors Championship although the gap to second was cut drastically by the incredibly quick Ligiers. Renault drop to third just ahead of Fittipaldi and Interscope. Rebaque still sit sixth but Williams have arrived with a rush at round 2 shooting 16 steps up the ladder to now sit seventh. Lotus followed their lead and leapt 15 places to tenth. Ensign and Arrows split them due to good runs from all 3 drivers at Elkhart. Big losers this week were Brabham, ATS and Samson. Let’s hope they regroup for Brands Hatch.
Recent recruits Van Velsen and Poole gave Surtees Garage a strong week at Elkhart Lake.
Driver of the Week:
Nixon/Lotus – Everyone loves a racer. Three wins and a total disregard for championship points earns Erik this week’s Driver of the Week.
Simon Hulbert
May 15th, 2012 at 9:19 pmWow David, appreciate the kind words, thank you. A really great article – am I reading Autosport?
May I take this opportunity to apologise to any drivers I made contact with in the ‘main event’ incident. It sounds like a big fat excuse but I really did have some bizarre equipment malfunctions.
But I take the blame for not thoroughly checking my set up, having jumped in immediately following the Spanish GP.
This is a very difficult conflict of interest to contend with. Next time we have an ‘almost’ clash (no doubt Monaco which rather than almost will definitely over-run the start of the 14:30) I’ll do my prep in the morning!
Gustavo Cianfarani
May 16th, 2012 at 8:30 pmWhere I can find these paint schemes?