Master Champion Earns Overall Win Veteran Racer Returns to Earn a Podium Finish
Sonoma, CA Saturday, May 9, 2009 –The third race of the Jim Russell Championship Series season saw pressure build as competitors hoped to prove their experience to earn a podium finish.
Once again for this race, as with the first two races, Nic LeDuc, 2008 Jim Russell Championship Series competitor, started on the pole position. Nick Galante sat on the front row in second position. Troy Castaneda, 2007 Championship Series competitor, rounded out the top three positions.
Retuning for another season, Brett Smrz, 2008 Jim Russell Championship Series winner, had his racing experience pay dividends, as Smrz qualified well but started last due to an infraction.
Nick Galante, the 2008 Jim Russell Masters Champion, took the green flag and immediately launched his FJR-50 into first position. Galante held off Nic LeDuc for the entire race to earn the overall race win. LeDuc made several attempts to pass Galante, often locking up the front tires, but wasn’t able to make anything stick. Masters Champion, Galante, was able to run a clean competitive race despite the pursuit and earned his 19th podium finish.
Further back in the field was where the most exciting and heated battle was brewing. Troy Castaneda, holding the third position on the starting grid, found himself being attacked by Smrz, who quickly worked his way up from the back of the grid. At the start of the race, Smrz, who started last, immediately clicked off two positions. After trying for several laps, Smrz was able to get around Castaneda for fourth on Lap 8. Smrz then set his sights on Thomas Asseo, who saw a daunting change in helmet color in his mirrors. After several attempts to get by Asseo, Smrz finally pushed Asseo in to a compromising situation in the braking zone at Turn 7, where he capitalized on the opportunity to take third on the last lap.
