Mustang Challenge COTA Race 1 and 2 Highlights | Ford Racing
Green flag is in the air and we do indeed have a sidebyside start. So the two blue and white cars come to the line and with 40 minutes and 42 seconds to go. Robert Noaker controls the field up the hill with Marcus Ventos right alongside him. But it’s a slight advantage for the man in the number 13 car that has dominated as they fan up into big red at the top of the hill. three wide behind Robert Noka who just lays down the power gently as they dive down the hill through turn number two in the dry. That will be absolutely flat. I would think that would be balancing the car with fingertips and your tiptoes on the throttle as they go through there. Remember these are stick shift three pedal cars with the gloriously sound glorious sounds of the baller titanium exhaust. one or two people sliding off in the middle of the S’s there, but I think that’s to be expected and I don’t think we’ll see any kind of sanction there up into second place for Deon Anderson in the red, white, and black number 22. He goes ahead of the Valvalain car for Marcus Vento, but Marcus wants to come back as they go over the rise with the flag of the state of Texas behind them and those big V8s rumbling. Robert Noanka Arjuna has absolutely sprinted away, galloped away we should say, as it’s a Mustang, but everyone else scrapping for second as they go on to the back straight for the first time of asking under great flag conditions of the race last time around 2363. uh still 6/10 or so slower than the leader and he’s parlaying that into an opportunity to go for a position side by side and through he goes into third position as a huge sideways moment for Deon Anderson coming off the back straight through down into turn 13 and now he’s under pressure from Sandy Satulo further back down the grid Alex Bashura losing a an overall position to Colin Harrison for techport but not in the same class. If you look at the door mirrors, red door mirrors on the number 21, very similar uh liveries on those cars for Alex and Colin. Spark Performance and Tech Sport. So, not from under the same awning, but Alex coming through in the number 21 with the red mirrors and the red door squares and taking that position. Now that might be a bit of bragging rights down at turn number 11, but it doesn’t affect the amount of points in Darkhorse Legends Championship terms at Arjuna that Alex Bashura is taking at the moment. The bad news for him is his closest rival is winning that race in a very credable eighth overall. Zachary Lee with a 2C gap back to Alonso Diaz in the Darkhor Legends category. Still Alex Basher at third from Joseph Derick who’s one of the I think five Texas drivers that we’ve got here this weekend and Tom Tate in fifth, sixth for Paulo Salvator and Steven Vajette in seventh position in the legends. But that’s going to trim that lead in the championship even more if it stays like this. I think a great way to look at it, John, is to to see the progress of Will Lucas in the 34. He’s had seven wins as that’s deep at the end of the back straightaway from Zachary Lee. And guess what? Alfonso Diaz is there to pounce and take the lead away. Wow, that’s big in the championship. That is very big in the Darkhorse Legends Championship. They are still at the moment taking championship points out of Alex Bashura who continues to run in third place ahead of Joe Dedric. Dedric, but that’s 7 seconds. So, Alex is cruising home to third here. He’s just put his fastest lap of the race in. I think it’s drying up a little bit and with 12 minutes to go people are realizing that they might have a little bit of performance left in their Michelin wets. The silver bullet still looking actually I’ve just realized Zach Le’s not in his start his normal car is he? It’s taken me to now to realize that that’s a plain white car that Zach is in rather and there is the the dark horse pass for the lead whilst I was considering the different livery. Um so there’s a story there that I need to wander down to the uh the paddock to find out. So Zachary Lee from McMumble racing initially. Maybe Zachary was getting a little bit caught out by Marco and Marcos Vento being in front. But since Vento was sat back, all he needed to do was avoid another mistake which happened once again at the end of the back straight. Now under the road bridge, drifting it in and laying the mission and rub it down. This is great stuff on his last lap. Is he going to put another fastest lap in? Officials have told RNR that they can go to the wall. He’s drifting the back end of that Mustang round. If this was Mark Marquez on two wheels, he’d be absolutely delighted with the way that Robert is backing that car into the corner. Turn 20 for the final time down through the gearbox. Let the V8 seeing he drifts it out to the red and white curb and takes the first of two races here this weekend. And the streak goes on for Robert Noringer who stretches his lead at the top of Darkhor. So it’ll be Sam Paley crossing the line in second place. 18 12 second at the line. Brick Casey for his way through to make the 13 for Robert Noaker Racing. And the number 91 then is the third step of the box. But what about Dark Horse Legends Alfonso Diaz and Zachary Lee still battling it out. It looks like it’s going to be Diaz who will get the verdict with the black galloping pony on the side. Yeah, he’s got enough to see that one home. And that is going to tighten up the championship battle even further. Arjuna, who’s doing the arithmetic. I know he is. Down towards the final corner for Alonso. Good scrap between him and Zachary Lee. And the fastest lap of the DHL race on the last lap to Alonso Diaz who takes the top step of the podium from Zachary Lee. And we’ll wait a few moments just to bring Alex Basher across the line. We sent out 16 and we sent back to the paddock 16 as well. First part of the job is done. 80 points required for Robert Noacre tomorrow to take the championship. Join us tomorrow morning as we’ll bring you more 2025 Ford Mustang challenge action. The yellow lights have stayed on on the dark horse safety car and as yesterday we have actually started the countdown here as I was getting to the front rows of the grid but we have not gone green. So there will be one further formation laps but we’re down to 44 and a half minutes already. And this is great news for the three cars starting in the pit lane because the majority of the field then Arjuna has not gone through at racing pace. So they will not have to make up a gap. They’re going to be on the back of the field. when we go back green, whether that’s this lap or the one after, that’s a real break for uh all of those three drivers that we mentioned, Deon Anderson, uh along with the two techport drivers, Alfonso Diaz and Colin Harrison. Engine notes of the V8 start to rattle between the grand stands here and we are ready to go. Hello to you all if you’re tuning in on the Ford Racing YouTube channel or on IMSA.tv TV or indeed even on our player for video on imseradio.com controlling the front of the field. Robert Noinka was waiting waiting waiting and now goes and Marcus Ventos in second place had to try and cover through as he went through. S Paley of course promoted into third because of the fact that Deon Anderson uh and all three of the tech sport cars in fact were in the pits and starting from the pit lane but benefiting from the fact that we didn’t go green first time by windscreen wipers are on that rain is getting worse. Is this an absolute tactical genius move from the tech sport team Arjuna? Well, straight away, Alex Bashura and Zachary Lee started squabbbling down out of turn one through the yeses. So, going to be very curious how quickly Alfonso Diaz can close that margin to his other championship rivals fighting at the front of the field. And looks like Bashur now getting challenged up the inside. That might be from Will Lucas with Zachary Lee in front of him as they’ll plunge down the hill for the very first time through the flat out kicker turn a big sideways moment. That’s the number 91 car. That’s going to be into the wall. It’s into the wall and it’ll be a fullc course yellow and that’s Brick Casey who had a super super race through the field yesterday. And someone else is going off as well further around the circuit. Brick Casey is in the wall early and that’s Bashura. Bashura has gone off coming out of turn number 10. And that is our Darkhorse Legends Championship leader. Great flag 30 and a half minutes to go and Noka now with trails of spray coming from behind the Michelin wets as he goes up 11 stories in height. A big red turn one flicks it in left-handed side by side behind Marcus Vento and Sam Paley with Sandy Satulo who give us such great entertainment yesterday. Will Lucas now up into fifth position top five the Dark Horse and then it’s Darkhor legend leader Zachary Lee in sixth position. His total focus now, Arjuna, must be to get that number 48 car home. Nobody’s going to beat that 2568 now because the track, even if it stops raining now, is not going to be dry enough for anybody to improve their lap times. I’ll be interested to see at the end of this first flying lap after the safety car, what we get down to. But I’m going to suggest that it’ll be a good five or 6 seconds slower than what we’ve seen so far. Robert Noaker, no surprise, has taken the fastest lap in dark horse with a 53837. But surely now Zachary Lee with Deon Anderson and Tate Prit behind him. Both dark horse runners, he has just got to stay out of trouble. Side by side and that is a battle for position further down the field. That is Deon Anderson. And was that Sandy Satulo who’s dropped back into his clutches as well. Or was that the number seven? It looked like it. I think Satulo might actually be putting the pressure up towards Zale as well. Having a much better start to the race than he did yesterday. Started second and dropped down to six within the opening couple of laps. I think for Zachary Lee, he’s also going to be looking for where Alfonso Diaz comes. We’re seeing Deon Anderson really make use of the changes on that 22 Teport car after the pit lane start to have worked his way back up into the top five already. John, this is really promising for him as he attacks the back of Paley who after a second place finish yesterday will be feeling very happy with his return to this Mustang Challenge series. Bento and Pley together. Bento in the Valvaline car sitting in second place. Robert Noaker has gone through and completely disregard what I said about times not improving because both Robert Noka and Zachary Lee have gone faster uh than they did early on with the wet weather tires now presumably getting up to their operating parameters. 2297 for our leader and in the dark horse it’s 236744 but at the moment Zachary Lee doing what he needs to do in the McMumbleia racing number 48 white this weekend car got damaged last time out and they haven’t had time to wrap the spare car or the repaired car into the his signature mirrored silver color not getting away now the sidebyside battle for fourth and fifth Sandy Satulo and Deon Anderson. Uh the seven and 22 Robert Noa racing in tech sport cars they are still side by side through the king and 10. That takes a bit of bravery and some confidence in the drivers around you with Will Lucas just having dropped back a position back into sixth though learning about racing at this level. Oh and gets a little bit of a rub onto the left rear of Sandy Satulo. Those three battling for fourth, fifth, and sixth that are on the back straight now. 26 and a2 minutes to go. Zachary Lee in the all white number 48. Goes onto the back straight. He is leading the Darkhorse Legends. Will Lucas has got past him? Deon Anderson went past him earlier on rather. So he’s now down in seventh. Tate Prit is with him now and he can afford to leave him and let him go except for the fact that Alonso is right there as well. Well, now and FZO Diaz has just put the best Darkhorse Legends lap in at a 35 flat and off. Oh my goodness, that’s going to be another yellow. I think that is the number 63 of Joe Dedric’s running Noa Racing. He’s on home ground this weekend. He’d work his way up to fourth in the Darkhorse Legends. So, we go back to Green. Jumps away. Gets the best start again. and he was tied up against the the pit lane wall. Must have felt there was more grip there. Sam Perry though tries to come around the outside. He’ll try and do the over and under and cut to the left hand side, but immediately that’s covered by the leader side by side behind for third place. This is very tight indeed. And Vento gets a little bit of a touch in that Valvvelene car from the tech sport. Deon Anderson number 22 behind him. These two drivers battling away. If you’re just joining us, Alex Bashura out early on. Also, Brick Casey out early on, both on the first racing lap to conditions worsening as they went to the first green flag lap. Brick Casey going off over the top of the rise at turn nine and losing his front end of the car. Alex Basher lasted another couple of lap in corners, got round back to the pits, but Spark Performance deciding to retire the car. And here’s more Darkhorse Legends drama as Alonso Diaz has lost it and he’s in the wall. And again, that is just spinning up on the green. That’s the pit that signifies you’re off the track for the motorcycles coming out of turn 20. Darkhorse Legends has been blown wide open. Robert Noaker then another clean sweep weekend on the card. He’s halfway around the lap. We’re keeping our eyes on the battles further down the field. Deon Anderson has been caught by Sandy Satulo. And that’s for the last step of the box in the overall and dark horse categories behind them. Another great scrap going on between Vento and Lucas for fourth for fifth and sixth. Just maybe a dry airline beginning to show on the far side of the circuit that generally speaking over by turns 9, 10, and 11. That’s where the rain comes in first. And once again, Will Lucas goes to the outside to try and get the power on earlier onto that 1.2 km long back straight, but he slides the back end of his Mustang, almost gets the overlap. He’s to the rear quarter panel, then drops back in to get the draft, to get the slipstream. how he can see anything. I have no clue with the spray that’s been thrown up. It’s much worse than our cameras actually show. He’ll go to the outside again. Defensive driving from Ventor, but he went nice and early. Wasn’t moving in response to the car behind him. That’s fine. Has been warned for blocking, remember. Big slide by Will. He’s using that right hand pedal to use all of the horsepower of that glorious sounding V8. Ahead of them, third place has still not been settled. with Deon Anderson has his mirrors full of Sandy Satur versus Robert Noena Racing. At the moment, it’s Robert Noanka Racing leading from Ply Motorsport and Teboard in third. But can Robert Noka get another one of his cars onto the podium? He’s going to come round to complete his 16th lap, 15th lap, excuse me. He crosses the line. The checkered flag is out. He remains perfect and he is provisionally now the 2025 Ford Mustang Darkhorse Champion with two races still to go. Sam Paley fights his way through to second for Paley Motorsport. Deon Hand Anderson holds on by half a second to third. That’s your top three RNR Pale Motorsport and Tech Sport. Then it’s Sandy Satulo from Will Lucas who did get fifth position right at the end with a tiny little mistake then from Marcus Vent. Oh, was the contact coming out of 15? That might well be looked at from the Ford Racing Global Broadcast Center. We can say congratulations to Robert Noaker provisionally then the 2025 champion in the dark horse category with a season that so far has been perfect. We move on to our final two races of the season. Can Robert continue Paul fastest lapman win two more times for an invincible season at the maximum points hall for 2025. This was the Ford Mustang challenge. Cota, we’ll see you at the track.
IMSA Mustang Challenge made its return to Circuit of The Americas, where the Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends class championships vied for footing in the championship into this season’s penultimate round. Tune in for the best moments from both races.
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