The Lamborghini Classic kicked off with a bang. After a volatile evening of racing, it was Kelly that was able to pull away with a decisive victory in the Combined Circuit to take home the Beaumont title. Humenry walked away with second, Ambatzidis with third, and Kaplan with a disappointing 4th place finish.
The evening started out well for Kelly, winning an uncontested victory in the first race of the the 1st Grand Prix. He went on to take another first place finish in race 3 of the Grand Prix, but it was his consistent second place finishes that allowed him to stave off a late Humenry surge and clench the 1st Grand Prix by two points.
Ambatzidis showed just why he's earned the nickname "the Bull of Rooftop Racing" when he powered through the field on turn 1 of the second race to take home an easy victory. But Ambatzidis struggled to find similar opportunities in the remaining three races, and ultimately took 3rd in the 1st Grand Prix.
Most shocking was Kaplan's dismal start. A series of car troubles and unlucky breaks saw the driver finishing dead last in every race to garner zero points. The evening looked over for Kaplan and his new team, LP670.
But the 2nd Grand Prix saw a complete reversal. After car repairs, Kaplan was able to find his stride on the precision circuit, taking gold in 3 of the 5 of races and winning the Grand Prix, with Ambatzidis narrowly trailing behind for a second place finish. Humenry took 3rd and Kelly, who was experiencing car troubles, finished in 4th. With Kelly failing to register a single point in the 2nd Grand Prix, the evening turned into a dead heat for the Championship title going into the Combined Circuit: Kelly and Kaplan both with 5 points, and Ambatzidis and Humenry with 4.
Kelly celebrates his victory with his Red Sesto Elemento and Championship trophy.
The tension was palpable as the cars lined up for the Combined Circuit. The one race event, worth 8 points, would be the deciding race for the evening. Even the veteran drivers looked nervous. When the lights went out, Kelly quickly made his way up from the backfield to challenge Kaplan for the lead. The two went head to head, trading paint on the notorious three turn link from the 2nd to 1st circuit, for three laps, but on lap four Kaplan was able to maneuver Kelly into the inside of the track and force Kelly into the wall on turn 1 to pull away for the lead.
After fending off an Ambatzidis offense, it seemed Kaplan would take home a decisive victory, but on lap 9 with only two laps to go, Kaplan's luck ran out. After his car stalled at the end of the Mackenzie Straight, the field caught up, and, entering the blind spot on turn 1, it was anybody's race. Kelly pulled through to take the lead as Ambatzidis and Humenry fought a contested battle for a close second place. Another car stall saw the former race leader in last.
The crowd was on the edge of their seat as Humenry and Ambaztidis barreled down the Highland Straight to close the gap on Kelly to three car lengths. As they entered their final lap a snafu forced a collision between Humenry and Ambatzidis, causing Ambatzidis to spin out, and allowing Kelly to pull away. Humenry recovered quickly, but needed a mistake from Kelly if he were to catch him. Humenry would not find it. Kelly showed just how much he excels under pressure, racing a clean line on his final lap to take home gold in the Combined Circuit and to win the Championship with 13 points.
With the 3 point Championship boost, Kelly now leads the season with 16 points. Humenry follows Kelly narrowly for 2nd, with 11 points, Ambatzidis holds 3rd with 6, and Kaplan trails the pack with 5.
The William Sheridan Championship is next, and, with 39 points up for grab, it will certainly be a hotly contested day of racing.
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