Radical Sportscars’ newly appointed dealer Radical Texas– powered by Esses Racing– opened its account in the best way possible. The Austin based dealer clinched all three victories in the MASTERS Class thanks to Alex Papadopulos and Judd Miller. All three races were broadcast live on FANRACING.LIVE with support from Blue Marble and Smokebuddy.
Lap times deleted for exceeding track limits defined qualifying, as it so often does at ‘America’s home of Formula 1’. And while Alex Papadopulos was the favorite after setting a 2:08.862 in practice, it was MASTERS class points leader Terry Olson (Team FURY) who claimed pole position with a 2:08.654 late in the session.
Starting alongside Olson in Race 1 was former American Le Mans Series Champion Jon Field (WISKO Racing), while John Hansen immediately impressed upon his return to the series, securing 3rd on the grid for Radical Northwest/Cameron Racing.
The other standout in Qualifying was local young-gun Palmer Miller (Radical Texas / Esses Racing). The rookie driver clinched the PRO 1500 class pole over 2018 class champion Indy Al Miller (Blue Marble / ONE Motorsports), Mel Johnson (ONE Motorsports), Gerhard Watzinger (Crowdstrike Racing), and Nate Smith (Speed du Nord), who returned to the series after missing the Barber and Laguna Seca rounds.
However, Race 1 quickly unraveled for Palmer Miller, who found himself pointing the wrong direction in Turn 1. It was later revealed that he got a helping hand from Johnson, who was lucky to escape a penalty. Remaining composed young Miller climbed from the rear of the field to finish 5th in class. Johnson went on to battle Indy Al Miller for the lead of the PRO 1500 class. In an impressive display of driving the pair left each other just enough room as they traded positions lap after lap, before Johnson spun to avoid making contact during the tightest section of the track. This left Al Miller to take the PRO 1500 class win, from Gerhard Watzinger, and Radical New York’s Steve Jenks (Group-A Racing). Gregg Gorski (Smokebuddy / ONE Motorsports) was fourth.
Jon Field took over the outright lead from Terry Olson, before Alex Papadopulos relegated Olson to third. It wasn’t long before Papadopulos, who has spent much of the year racing in Michelin Pilot Challenge, advanced past Field and drove off into the distance to clinch a convincing win. Fellow Radical Texas / Esses Racing teammate and the reigning class champion Judd Miller came alive mid-race and moved up to second place, while Jon Field crossed the line in third place ahead of Terry Olson. However Field’s SR8 was found to be light during the post-race inspection, which elevated Olson to third place, and dealt a blow to Field’s championship hopes.
John Hansen was classified in 4th , while rookie Willie Putrajaya impressed with a lap to put him 5th on the grid for Race 2.
A fastest lap of 2:07.618 secured Papadopulos the outright pole for Race 2, however a gremlin in his older SR8 RX meant he was late to the grid, and Miller assumed his place. Through Turn 1 for the first time Olson did his best to get around Miller, but the Texan prevailed.
Further back in the pack Indy Al Miller, who started 9th on the grid tried to make the most of Turn 1, but misjudged the moment and collected an innocent John Hansen. Both retired, with Miller receiving penalties for causing the wreck. By the time the full course caution came out, Papadopulos had amazingly worked his way up to 3rd. Following the restart John Field retired, as did Papadopulos when his gremlin returned.
At times Olson looked as though he might press Miller for the win, but perhaps thinking of the championship, he settled for a solid 2nd place. Willie Putrajaya continued his impressive debut weekend with a podium finish, while Radical Texas teammate Conrad Park finished fourth.
Mel Johnson started from the 1500 class pole thanks to a 2:11.169 lap, and also took the win after fending off Palmer Miller, who made up for Race 1 with a 2nd place finish. Gerhard Watzinger claimed the final step of the podium, holding off Alain Derize (ONE Motorsports) and Gregg Gorski. Meanwhile Tad Cusack (Team FURY) and Steve Jenks duked it out all race, with Jenks pipping Cusack for 6th place on the final lap. Finishing 7th Nate Smith got the better of Jim Booth (McDonald’s / WISKO Racing).
Race 3 saw Judd Miller again start from the pole, but this time it was thanks to setting the fastest lap of Race 2, a 2:08.628. Sharing the front row Terry Olson again tried his best, but Judd Miller held on to the lead through the opening corners, while Papadopulos worked his way up to third. Jon Field rocketed up the order from 15th to be 8th before the safety car was deployed for Richard Durocher (Team FURY), who had made heavy contact with the wall just after receiving the green flag. After being unintentionally hit by Indy Al Miller, Durocher’s SR3 abruptly turned right, and while all safety structures of his car were intact, Durocher was visibly shaken. As a result and ‘in abundance of caution’ the track’s chief medical officer had him carefully removed from the car and transported to a local hospital. Much to the relief of his fellow competitors Durocher, while sore, was without injury and quickly discharged. The process momentarily brought out the red flag.
Following the restart Papadopulos's luck ran out again, while Jon Field continued his charge, eventually passing Olson, who didn’t seem content giving up points to his rival. However, while Olson made a number of attempts he never put himself or his championship in jeopardy and settled for 3rd, behind Field and Judd Miller, who scored his second win of the weekend.
Finishing 4th was John Hansen who, after purposefully hanging back at the start to ensure he got through the opening lap, set the fastest lap of the race, a 2:09.184, while working his way up through the field in what was clearly ‘drive of the day’. Putrajaya finished his weekend with 5th in the MASTERS class.
While Mel Johnson had been on the PRO 1500 class pole, it was Gregg Gorski who had got the initial jump before the stoppage. However Johnson reclaimed the lead upon the restart and his second win of the weekend, while Gorski held onto 2nd after sustaining plenty of pressure from 3rd placed Steve Jenks. Palmer Miller wrapped up an impressive weekend with 4th, while Jim Booth kept Nate Smith at bay to claim 5th. Nick Pearson (Team FURY) had an epic battle with Gerhard Watzinger, getting the better of the series stalwart for 12th in class.
Indy Al Miller received a post-race drive through penalty for incident responsibility, as well as an additional 15 point penalty as it was the second crash involving his #500 machine during the weekend. A further reprimand means Miller, who leads the PRO 1500 championship after scoring seven podiums including five wins this season, will also receive a 10-grid spot penalty for the opening race at Road Atlanta.
Mel Johnson’s two wins have propelled him into the class championship battle, and he now sits third in the PRO 1500 standings (471) behind Gorski (477) and Miller (485). Terry Olson (490) has further increased his advantage in the MASTERS class championship over Jon Field (458) and Judd Miller (453). Chris Kemp (270, Team Stradale) sits on top of the PRO 1340 table.
The season finale at Road Atlanta takes place November 19-22. All three races will be live-streamed via SVRA. Stay connected with the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America series via its social media channels.
RADICAL CUP NORTH AMERICA