Mustang Challenge ROVAL Race 1 and 2 Highlights | Ford Racing
Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] and we’ve already gone green. In fact, they were very much quicker than I thought around the lap. It was Robert Noaker and Will Lucas and Sandy Satulo who locked out the top three positions. This is turn seven and this is where we expect to see some of the battles. Arjuna at the front of the field. It’s been Robert Nok’s season and so far it’s been Robert Noka’s weekend as well. He was flying in both practices in both qualifying sessions as well. But this is Will Lucas early in this race turning the wick up and really putting the pressure on in the Dark Horse Legends class. I did note that Alex Bashura got past Devin Anderson. Put another one of the Dark Horse competitors between him and the rest of his championship contenders. A very important move at the start of this race. [Music] Spin for the Palos Salvator to Racing Blue and white machine. That’s down on one of the chicanees far side of the circuit. He’s going to get that back pointing in the right direction into the chicane and a battle for second position. Marcus Vento in the blue and white car. More blue and white but with red and black. Behind him is where Lucas just thought about sticking the nose of that dark horse R down the inside. now up onto the banking 24° and then sweeping back down into another tight chicane. And this is as tight as it’s been. It’s a tiny change from back in 2023 for the amount of horsepower and the noise that they make and just the smiles per mile. Um they are a performance bargain. Change of position there. Sliding down the inside. Deon Anderson slipping through there. No, I think that was Sam Haley. Sam Haley in the white car. Indeed. It was. Yeah. Making his move on Alex Bashure. And again, that’s not for points. That’s just for track position inside of the Dark Horse versus Darkhor Legends Championship fight. Here comes a look to the inside from Will Lucas. And it ends in contact. Arjuna, there was a certain inevitability about that. I could hear it in your voice as you were winding up to that and Marcus Vento ends up facing the wrong direction. Race control will be looking at that sidewall which has allowed for the cars to just be a lot more nimble and he’ll try this move once again. The chicane just proving to be a passing opportunity and he’s alongside as they get onto the power. That was actually really nicely done round the outside in the middle of that chicane before they head back up onto the banking position made up by Andrew Agalante then Asani Satulo who started right at the sharp end just fading a little bit. I think right now Bashure has been given a lot of room as Alfonso Diaz sneaks up the inside of Zachary Lee. These two have been going at it for the last handful of laps. has been costing them time and this could end up being now John a fight for second in the championship effectively although Diaz is going to need Lee to struggle a bit more and the likes of Tate Drix and Newower to get between him and that chrome bullet. Yeah, back to the silver bullet. the chrome car that’s third now in Darkhorse Legends overtake happened at turn number seven and a big amount of Michelin rubber used in the process there but the gap is opening upon Diaz another driver who’s had a great year great run out at Lemon and he enjoying himself at the moment Meanwhile, side by side across the line. This one’s not over. Down at the first corner, Zachary Lee goes back into that second spot in the Dark Horse Legends. This is such a tough circuit. Made one mistake. Even a small one, it costs you momentum and it leaves you really vulnerable. Track quite wide in places in others more like a straight track. Alex Bashure headed out of this race and that’s a slender advantage. That’s the difference between second and fourth position as Zachary Lee straight lines the chicane. Did a really good job to avoid those tire bundles because they are significant and heavy and there is Zachary Lee dropping from second to fourth and the championship points will plummet from that. He missed his breaking point on that downhill breaking area. That is a little bit bumpy coup for Ford and Ford’s racing and Mustang to be here. The bright yellow number 87 has a problem. Rafaos. Now, was that a big lockup? It must have been. How unusual is that on an ABS car? But again, comes back to what we were saying. Rafaos for Peterson Racing Group LLC. And that looked like right front Michelin being tortured there. That’s not a Darkhorse legend. He’s been brilliant. Really close to the wall there on the infield. And that is small, small margins. If he just clipped the wall there, he could have punctured a tire, knocked out the tracking on the car or done some suspension damage. And what was he an inch away from that? Less. No, he has tucked the mirror in. He 100% made some contact with the wall there. As the white flag flies, that means one more 2.3 miles or 3.73 kilometers around the circuit for the metallic blue and white number 13 of Robert Noanka racing. It has been another Robert Noka benefit as he comes to the checkered flag with just one more 45minute race to go. 45 minutes of racing tonight stands between him and a completely perfect season. He’s a bit Mary Province at the moment. Practically perfect. But one more to go. What a season. What a race for Nora. 22 seconds is the final tally there. And in the dark horse legends, are we seeing are we seeing the pendulum moving a little bit towards Spark Performance? Nathan Spark himself a champion in one meg racing in IMSA down through the years. And now the Spark Performance name is on the edge of the Dark Horse Legends Championship for 2025. It’s not over. They can’t celebrate. They cannot be complacent. But this is more than a small step in the right direction for Bashura. It will be 60 points by my math that he has as a buffer heading into that final 45 minutes of racing. But he’s got a question to answer here. Why did he lose so much time in the final stages? I think that was four or five consecutive laps where he was either in the very high 34s or in the 35s. Top seven in the dark horse category. podium unofficially from Ford Racing. No, Paleley and Devin Anderson. Three different teams there. No racing, Paley Motorsport and Tech Sport. Then three Robert Noanka drivers in fourth, fifth and sixth with the new boy Andre Akalante in fourth position ahead of Will Lucas and Sandy Satulo. Here’s the green flag across the line. 45 minutes on the clock and we go to our final race of the season. Big trophies to be handed out tomorrow at the brunch of champions. No has not had a real challenge for the last couple of races and he’s made a decent start here with Will Lucas right in behind them. Similar colored cars from those teams. We’ll have to keep an eye and make sure they don’t change in the darkness through to the infield for the first time. This is an infield circuit that has elevation change that has tricky nuances of different cambers over the top of the brow down into turn number six. The car getting very squirly but it is our Paul sitter who leads at the head of turn seven. Still got some preparation on the track there after some oil went down earlier on in the day here. And Noacre has lit the after burgers and Robert Noacre doing Robert Noka things. As you’d expect, he has started to pull the gap at the front of the field. I think Alex Bashura might have lost a spot to Rafa Matos on the initial race start and he’s now trying to fight back and grab that track position. Why is that important? Well, because now he’s got his Darkhorse Legends Championship rivals right on his tail as we head to complete the first lap. And John, we had done the math. With the 10 points that Alex Bashure has got for qualifying on pole position once again, he finishes fourth or higher, the championship is his. Here comes Paley again trying to close on the race leader. Looking to the inside off the banking. Gets the nose of the Mustang up the inside. There’s a little love tap there to the right rear of the second place car. Those tire stacks. I’m actually amazed that those tire stacks haven’t gone flying. Bura still holding on to a top 10 position but crucially winning in the Darkhorse Legends category with Tate Prit behind him. Pritz just run his fastest lap and that was nearly a full second quicker than Bashura as we go side by side at turn seven. And this time Peely did get it done the inside and here comes Akalante as well in that black and yellow car. too wide on the banking for Mustang challenge. And that is a great opportunist maneuver planned, schemed, executed by Pely who locks up the left front just for a moment, but it was an opportunist maneuver for the second car in that line. Brilliant stuff. We’re talking 21 seconds. So, Bashura, Diaz, and Lee are doing a cracking job of staying with the leaders. There’s a couple that have just skipped through the chicane though and that I think at least one of them might have been Marcus Vento. The other might have been Will Lucas, but that’s the first time that we’ve seen any of the dark horse drivers have too much trouble at that one chicane with the exception of Rafa Matoss having that brief moment about halfway through race number one. So, let’s keep an eye on if they’re starting to struggle a little bit with the brakes, but seemingly back up to speed as Devon Anderson takes advantage now up to fourth position. There goes Bashira down the inside. Had to make that maneuver. There’s the number 91. Oh, it’s the under. It’s the exhaust. It’s the baller exhaust and the muffler, the twin pipes on the right rear. Oh, and that’s side by side action as well. And again, that is that number 18 car, Marcus Ventor, the blue and white car, under real pressure from Sandy Satula. They side by side on the highs. That’s great to see. Bit of side drafting here. Now, that will slow your opponent down, but I’m not sure. I think they’re probably just slowing each other down and allowing Will Lucas to close in through the chicane. This is marvelous stuff and we’ve still got 23 minutes left. We just we haven’t even hit half distance yet. It’s brilliant stuff. Live from the final race weekend of the season and the last half of our 45minute race. Street fight from the street cars. Well, not quite, but there’s elements of this circuit that look very straight like Oh, over the top of the brow. That’s brave. That’s very brave indeed. The cars get very very sideways down towards turn number seven all the way down through the gearbox to first and there’s the tap on the back. You could see that one coming and that will be more damage on the back of Marcus Vento. Sandy Satulo is going to need to be careful now because he’s absolutely messed up his exit there and it’s a long run out of that turn seven hairpin. Now he’s given the hole in the air to Will Lucas who’s right with him. Looks like a grip advantage breaking. Having to break so he doesn’t run into the back of that fifth place. Valvaline car ahead of him. Not using the runoff there. Able to cut to the inside but can’t get the overlap over the top of the brow through six will go to the right hand side here and make that blue and white car dive to the inside. That’s losers are coming together behind and that is further back down the field. Oh, that’s going to Are they going to get going again? Yes, they are. That was Nick Smither, I think. Certainly the 58 involved. Now, who was he close to? That I think was Drew Noby, the second car there, Arjuna, just based on the timings. And now smoke coming from the right side of the 58. So that is Smither. They are both moving again. And we have a full course yellow. We have a full course yellow. And the fails under control of our champion elect going for 12 out of 12. Noka brings them back into the acceleration zone which is right in the middle of that chicane and he’s got a huge advantage because of those two laped cars. He goes through the battle is all behind Paley Akalente Anderson Vento. Oh Sandy Satulo very sideways as well there for a moment and Bashur is in there. He does not need any incident here as he’s going past the lap cars. That is a big decision for him even to make that maneuver. He’s had a great restart. I tell you what, Zale now left on the outside. He’s got is that smoke from an issue from contact with Steven Ver. He’s slow. And here comes Aqualante on the inside. Oh my goodness, what a chaotic restart. And Devin Anderson, the tech sport 22, bearing some new colors for this weekend, John. He is looking good to be our vice champion. and he has been very consistent this season as he tries to shove his nose to the inside. Almost three across the track going into the hairpin at turn seven. Sam Paley is going to have to nurse this car home for the last 7 and 12 minutes. There’s definitely some bodywork damage. The battle is further up the field. The black and yellow number 32 and this is for the last step on the box. There’s been a couple of races where we’ve seen Devon Nandis try and take the charge to Robert. No way he could, including at VIR. He takes the challenge to the back of Andrew Akalante. It’s a big bit of contact and some bodywork damage, I’m pretty sure, on the front end of Anderson’s machine. And there we go. The hood on now the the windshield of the car and he’s headed back to pit lane. Well, he might if he just shuffles down a little bit to see underneath that, but he will not be at speed. That was not a deliberate maneuver. Oh, what a considerate driver. He’s got his left hand trafficator on. Pulls to the side of the track, but he he has no room underneath. I think it’s broken the windscreen as well. Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me. So, we’re going to have with five and a half to go. I think we’ve got to have the Darkhorse our safety car coming out again. And indeed, we do. Yeah, the wind windscreen, the windshield has been broken. We are back to green. Excellent green and it will be a green white checker. So that that will do the quick arithmetic before the end of the race and the challenger there as Sam Paleley’s car smoking again as he goes through the infield in front of Andrew Akalante. who is his closest challenger then uh for for Anderson in second place in the championship. So both Marcus Vento and Sandy Zatula they were only separated by about 10 points coming into the proceedings. He’s going to I reckon he’s going to Addison’s going to finish 20th because everybody else is still going and will get get past him. So that is that is awful for him in the championship standings. If it finishes as this and Anderson drops to 20th, he’ll be tied with Sandy Sutulo for third. And I don’t trust my my mind right now to go back and work out the tiebreaker. So, who goes So, who goes up to second then? Uh, Vento of Oh my goodness. Vento in fourth at the moment. And there’s a missed opportunity. That was Vento. That’s Vento. We’ve spoken about him potentially taking second in the championship and he’s lost a couple of places and some real estate. It’ll be the white flag this time by I think. Let’s have a look at the starter start. Or maybe not. No, there’s going to be another laugh lap after this. Great restart from Noac gives us an extra 2.320 miles at the end of the season. Marvelous stuff. No by a second over Paley. Aalante in third. Satulo Vento down to fifth position. did lose one spot and that now means Sandy Satulo is provisionally second in the championship. They are fighting fourth and fifth on track to be vice champions behind Robert Noacaker. Quick bit of arithmetic by Mccore commentator in the Ford Ford Racing global arithmetic center now as we’re going to call it. We need a Ford branded abacus definitely for next season when we get to this area of the season. What a run by Andrew Akalante as well. Sitting at the moment in a podium spot in his first Mustang Challenge weekend. Can’t speak highly enough to the progression that we’ve seen from him as well. Right, building up through those first two practice sessions and then that first race, solid, steady, and now grabbing that podium spot. He will be thrilled as I think Alex Bashura is going to be because he’s got one more lap to hold on and in a very good position. Alex will have been worried there, but he survived the restart. He’s in amongst the Darkhor. He’s got that bright yellow car of Rafa Matos behind him. He’s got the blue and white number 18 of Marcos Vento ahead of him. But it has been a season about one man. He is perfect. He wins and the championship as he goes through and in two and a third miles time we can say he’s done it at every single track, every single race. This is effectively a lap of honor now for the whole season for Robert Noaker. Try to think about it in any sport. It would be like in the Premier League if a team won all 38 of the games in in baseball if they won all 200 games that they play through the playoffs. It is a remarkable run and equal machinery to continuously be the man to beat. And Robert Noacaker is going to be testing a GT4 car again soon. Will Alex Bashura be making some moves and join him in that GT4 test? Don’t do not do it. There’s no need. That’s Venos who was up alongside halfway around the lap lap, the last lap. It became a badge of honor for Robert Noka. Very relaxed when we spoke to him before the first race. He wanted to do the full 12. He’s going to achieve that. This is history being made at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Ford Racing and the Mustang Challenge for 2025. Robert Noeka who drives the truck to each and every round. The team have brought six cars here this weekend, but it’s all about number 13. 13 has done it 12 times and we have a champion in 2025. Noacre has done the whole lot. 12 W’s on the season and through to the final checkered flag of the season as well. For now, we can confirm subject to poor stress technical inspection that Alex Bashura for Spark performance with a very creditable sixth place overall will be 2025’s dark horse legend champion. Robert Noeka, we might as well have just cut and pasted that every single round of this season. And Sam Paley stands on the final podium of the season and it’s a 13 for Robert Noya racing with Andrew Akalante in his first race weekend in this championship. It’s going to be Sandy Satulo our vice champion. Deon Anderson in third and then Marcus Bento in fourth. Darkhorse Legends. Alex Bashor our champion. Zachary Lee holds on to second. Alfonso Diaz is in third. What a season. What a champion. Perfection is number 13, Robert Noaga. We’ll see you next year. Bye-bye.
IMSA Mustang Challenge made its debut at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, where the fight for the Dark Horse Legends championship went down to the wire and where Robert Noaker aimed to complete a perfect season. Tune in for the best moments from both races of Mustang Challenge’s season finale.
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