Connery Takes Dominating Wet Win

May 26, 2013
Kyle Connery took his first victory since 2011. (photo: Valet)

Lakeville, CT – Kyle Connery grabbed the lead on lap one from the outside front row in the rain at Lime Rock Park and never looked back, pulling out a huge margin to win over Roberto Lorena and Federico Monsconi, in a podium sweep for Van Diemens and aspiring racers. Connery took his first win since 2011 at Watkins Glen International and made up ground in his Championship pursuit.

Championship leader Tim Minor finished outside the top five, spinning off the track and losing laps early in the race while running second to Connery.

“The track conditions were crazy,” said Connery, who failed to finish the first race of the day after spinning off in the rain while trying to take the lead. “I used lessons learnt from the first race and was patient and tried to pay attention. It’s great to end the weekend on a high note, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

At Watkins Glen in June, Connery will return to the site of a sweep and two wins in 2011.

Finishing on the podium for his second race in a row was rookie Lorena, from Brazil and in the No. 9 HP-Tech Van Diemen.

“Again, what a great race,” Lorena said. “I got clear of the incident in turn one and the car was very good.”

Rounding out the podium and making it his second third place result of 2013, Italian Mosconi stayed out of trouble in the No. 99 machine for WISKO Racing.

David Grant was fourth for Polestar Racing Group despite early race contact with Matt McDonough while Robert Wright completed the top five and took the Masters Class victory for Momentum Motorsports in the No. 77 Radon chassis.

Aaron Pettipas followed in sixth place, and was the last car on the lead lap under very challenging conditions at Lime Rock – with rain coming down the entire race and temperatures seemingly stuck in the forties.

Tom Fatur was second in the Masters Class, finishing seventh overall, and nearly getting by Mosconi for third late in the race. Bill Jordan completed the Masters Class podium finishing eighth overall for Polestar. Bob Reid and Sergio Pasian completed the top ten.

John McCusker – coming off a top five in the morning race, Matt McDonough, Jim Libecco, Dean Baker and Steve Jenks all failed to finish.

After being rescued from the wet grass under a full-course caution, Tim Minor worked his way back up to 14th, and finished two laps down. Steve Bamford was back in 17th after an incident in turn one on lap one, also involving Kevin Kopp, who retired on lap 12 with front wing issues on the No. 22 Van Diemen.

The F2000 Championship Series season continues with event four, and races seven and eight, at Watkins Glen International, June 27-29. Round eight will mark the 100th race of the F2000 Championship.

Race Results

PosNo.NameLapsBest TmMake/ModelDiff 1 91 Kyle Connery 24 1:08.403 Van Diemen Zetec - 2 9 Roberto Lorena 24 1:09.853 Van Diemen Zetec +26.547 3 99 Federico Mosconi 24 1:10.012 Van Diemen Zetec +29.663 4 29 David Grant 24 1:09.722 Van Diemen Zetec +36.997 5 17 Robert Wright/M 24 1:10.656 Radon Zetec +48.672 6 15 Aaron Pettipas 24 1:11.106 Van Diemen Zetec +53.800 7 70 Tom Fatur/M 23 1:10.076 Van Diemen Zetec 1 Lap 8 42 Bill Jordan/M 23 1:10.838 Van Diemen Zetec +1.723 9 12 Bob Reid/M 23 1:13.527 RFR Zetec +1.968 10 23 Sergio Pasian 23 1:12.491 Van Diemen Zetec +3.461 11 7 Brent Gilkes/M 23 1:12.949 Van Diemen Zetec +9.515 12 35 Eric Presbrey/M 23 1:13.869 Van Diemen Zetec +18.697 13 47 Chris Monteleone 23 1:14.835 Van Diemen Pinto +36.709 14 88 Tim Minor/M 22 1:08.692 Citation Zetec 2 Laps 15 1 Kem Lall/M 22 1:14.707 Van Diemen Zetec +20.872 16 61 Tom Drake/M 22 1:15.523 Van Diemen Zetec +32.352 17 71 Steve Bamford/M 13 1:10.669 Van Diemen Zetec 11 Laps 18 22 Kevin Kopp 12 1:10.912 Van Diemen Zetec 12 Laps DNF 01 John McCusker 10 1:11.757 RFR Zetec 14 Laps DNF 69 Matt McDonough 10 1:10.938 Radon Zetec +19:20.937 DNF 98 Jim Libecco 9 1:11.580 Van Diemen Zetec 15 Laps DNF 52 Dean Baker/M 7 1:12.325 Van Diemen Zetec 17 Laps DNF 68 Steve Jenks/M 2 1:22.168 Van Diemen Zetec 22 Laps DNS 57 Scott Baroody 0 -.--- Van Diemen Zetec - DNS 67 Dave Weitzenhof/M 0 -.--- Citation Zetec - DNS 86 Jim Hanrahan/M 0 -.--- Radon Zetec - DNS 16 Peter Gonzalez/M 0 -.--- Radon Zetec - DNS 08 Hilton Tallman 0 -.--- Mygale Zetec -

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