Portland Race Review

Qualifying for Race One

The G.I. Joe Grand Prix didn’t completely go Zwolsman’s way. It started with qualifying. Red flags again thwarted attempts to post a quick lap. Waiting for the later part of the session wasn’t an option since the weather was threatening rain.

As it was, Zwolsman’s chances for the pole evaporated as the track deteriorated with rainfall. To make matters worse, on his in-lap to change to fresh tires, he gave Andreas Wirth the tow that helped him obtain the pole. Wirth’s crew was very gracious and promptly thanked the Condor Motorsports crew for the favor.

Except for the lost point, the second position on the grid was not a bad thing. That assessment proved wrong again on the start of the race.

Race one

The drop of the green flag admittedly caught Zwolsman by surprise. By turn one he went from second to seventh place. By lap two he already had advanced two positions although not without incident. During the close action that developed from going through traffic, Zwolsman’s front wing was damaged. The car developed an understeer that was accentuated when he came close to the cars in front of him. Regardless, he carved his way to second place picking cars off one by one. By lap thirty-two, the last lap of the race, he was right behind the leading Kasemets, a lap too short to attempt a pass. His run to the front was rewarded with the fastest lap of the race, surprising, given the condition of the front wing.

Qualifying for race two

Again, red flags played against the Team’s chances to get a clear, fast lap. This time was more severe due to problems arising from the tight quarters in the Portland pit lane. The assigned pit left the team in an area with a surface depression that did not allow the front quick jack to raise the car fully thus making tire changes a time consuming struggle.

With less than a minute to go in the session, Zwolsman was listed in eighth position. As he crossed the line, taking the checkered flag that closed the session, he jumped to third place in the starting grid.

Race two

The funnel-like nature of the Festival Chicane is always a challenge to negotiate without incidents. The brand new front wing assembly installed after race one lasted exactly three hundred racing yards. Again, the front wing was damaged by contact with Kyle Kelly. This time, however, the damage was more severe since it practically disintegrated half the main element and the left side flap. From then onwards it was just a matter of surviving to the end of the race to collect some points. Running in fifth place, the race became a challenge to keep Bessette from overtaking the wounded Condor Motorsports car. Zwolsman managed to shut the door on Bessette on every attempt he made to overtake at turn one. With half the race ran, Bessette got alongside Zwolsman on the inside of the festival turn. Zwolsman and Bessette went into the initial right hand turn side by side, at the apex of the left hand portion Bessette did not leave enough room for Zwolsman’s car and the two collided. Bessette spun out and Charles continued with a bent front suspension. From then on it was a matter of finishing the race without resisting any challenges. In the end, Zwolsman finished in eighth place and his advantage on the championship points vanished and actually turned into a six point deficit. It was a very disappointing weekend for Condor Motorsports. Without looking back, the team headed for the next double header in Cleveland, Ohio, hungry for more positive results.