Bennett, Payson, Heinrich Score Victories at Icebreaker, Road Race Style
Outside the Box Promotions First Event in the Books
THOMPSON, CT – After two full days of racing at the 1.7 mile road course at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, the inaugural victors have been crowned at the Icebreaker, Road Race Style.
John Raudat looked to be the car to beat in Group 1, the Spec Miata/Improved Touring B (SM/ITB) Class. The Madison, CT driver continuously posted the fastest lap in practice, and set the record for qualifying at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in an Outside the Box (OTB) Promotions event in the (SM/ITB) division, with a 1:23.644 circuit. Raudat followed Farmington, CT resident Rick Bennett for the majority of the race, keeping Bennett’s bumper within striking distance. The lead changed when Raudat worked his way around Bennett, but transmission problems ensued, ending the day for Raudat. Bennett would hold on for the win, becoming the first winner in an OTB Promotions event.
Regarding the weekend, Bennett commented “It was a great event. I had a great battle with the #129 (Raudat), and it was unfortunate he broke. It would’ve been an interesting finish.”
Sixteen-year-old Matthew Chimbolo ran his way to a second-place finish, after consistently shaving time off his laps as the race progressed. Chimbolo is a graduate from the “Little T”, a ¼ midget track adjacent to the road course at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Zack Kelly, who began the Qualifying Race earlier in the day with a strong move at the Start/Finish line, drove his Volkswagen Golf to a third place finish. Xiang Li and Morgan Duffy rounded out the top 5.
In Group 2, the Super Touring (STL) Class, Ken Payson picked up the victory, after fending off Rob Sturgis for the majority of the race. Payson set the pace early, with Sturgis never more than a few car lengths behind. Sturgis, slowly and methodically, cut into Payson’s lead, and looked to be ready to challenge the veteran driver on the final lap, before Sturgis’ suffered power issues, and failing to make the final circuit. Payson would finish the lap and claim the win.
Payson commented “(Sturgis) was faster in one spot, I was faster in another, so it made for some interesting back and forth (racing). It’s too bad he broke, because he was close enough to get a draft out of the straightaway, and might have gotten me.” Payson set the OTB Promotions Class Record with a 1:22.477 lap in Qualifying on Friday.
Sturgis was quick to give Payson credit for the win, saying “I’m not sure I would have gotten him. With the momentum that’s carried in the corners, Ken would’ve had to make a mistake, and I’ve never seen him make a mistake.”
Xiang Li, running in two classes, finished second, with Bradford Brooks in third. “The weekend was a lot of fun,” remarked Li. “We got a lot of track time, a lot of fun racing, a really friendly environment, and friendly folks. It was a fun event.”
In Group 3, the Production Class, Jeff Swann and Eric Heinrich battled intensely throughout the race, swapping the lead on numerous occasions. Heinrich would win the war, however, as his BMW Gulf E30M3 had too much power for Swann’s SRF3, and claimed the victory.
“This event was fantastic,” claimed Heinrich. “It’s a lot of the same people you know from the New England racing scene, as far as running the events and officiating. There was a lot of track time, I will be back.”
Swann would settle for second, with Andy Sarkozi finishing third in his BMW 535. Heinrich set the OTB Promotions event record, turning a 1:18.208 circuit.
The Icebreaker, Road Race Style was the first event run by the upstart promotions company, Outside the Box Promotions. Outside the Box Promotions’ next event will be the inaugural race for the North East Street Stock Tour, May 17, at Lee USA Speedway. For more information on Outside the Box Promotions, visit www.otbpromos.net, on Facebook (OTB Promotions), Twitter @OTBPromos, or on Instagram at OTB_Promotions.
Sources: Shawn Sicard/OTB Promotions PR