“TEAM GROTE” ROOKIES SHINE AT F1200 SEASON OPENER!
TLM Racing teammates Alex Ellis and Dylan Gibson vanquished any doubt of their driving abilities at the F1200 Shannonville Shoot Out season opener by capturing a plethora of podium finishes.
During Friday's practice sessions, the performance capabilities of both the cars and drivers for TLM's 3-car team was still unknown as track time up to the CRDA event had been too little to tell. The TLM team includes 2007 Vallis Cup winner, Greg Brenzil, and his two new teammates Ellis and Gibson. As the practice day progressed, it became evident that Brenzil's car was suffering from power and handling issues, while the two rookies were posting remarkably fast lap times. By end of day both Ellis and Gibson had come close to equaling the fastest lap times set in 2007.
As the start of the first race of the season approached, thunderstorms and lightning caused a 30-minute lightening delay. Once the lightning had passed, race 1 got underway with Ellis, Gibson and Brenzil positioned in the grid in their qualifying positions of 4th, 5th and 10th. Brenzil knew he had to make some moves early in the race to make up for his stating position and at the green flag Brenzil got a great start, weaving through traffic to be near the front pack with Ellis and Gibson, 2007 Champion Randy Smith, and 2007 Rookie of the Year Andrew McMurray.
Brenzil's car, still suffering from power issues quickly dropped back in the pack as both Ellis and Gibson stayed up front broke away with pole sitter Iamundi and Smith. Within 3 laps, Ellis had a commanding lead and continued to increase the gap over the rest of the field to take the win a full 18 seconds ahead of teammate Gibson. The 1 - 2 finish for the TLM teammates was a surprise to everyone, including 2007 Champion and the team's driver coach Randy Smith.
“First event in the rain proved very exciting and conditions changed drastically throughout the race”, commented Smith. “The rookies, Alex Ellis and Dylan Gibson of TLM put on a driving clinic regarding car control in the wet ”.
Ellis, excited about winning his first ever F1200 race, was all smiles. ” "It was a great weekend, I got my first win in my first open wheel race and that's more than I could ever have hoped for”, said Ellis. “The wet conditions in which I took the win were terrible, but I felt I stayed calm and composed in bringing the car around for the win”.
Race two on Sunday morning was conducted in much better conditions as the wet weather system had moved on leaving the track dry under partly cloudy skies. With Ellis on the pole and Gibson beside him on the front row, the duo were clearly in the sights of the more seasoned drivers. As the green flag flew, both drivers immediately came under attack from Iamundi and last years Rookie of the Year, Andrew McMurray. A classic F1200 driving display was enjoyed by the fans as Ellis and Gibson swapped positions with veteran drivers on numerous occasions through out each lap. In the end, it was Gibson crossing the line in 2nd place with Ellis just missing the podium in 4th.
In the third and final race of the weekend, the two TLM rookies once again found themselves near the front in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, as the leaders entered turn 12, Ellis made a rookie mistake, braking late into the corner and spinning out. After losing at least a dozen positions, he returned to the track to rejoin the race, only to discover that the spin had caused a mechanical problem forcing him to retire from the race early. Brenzil in the mean time was doing his best to make up ground on the leaders, getting caught up in mid pack and managing to set his best lap of the weekend in lap 8, just 4/10s of a second off pole sitter Randy Smith's best time. At the checkered flag, it would be Gibson who would land on the podium for the third time in as many starts with another 2nd place finish.
“I would like to thank TLM Racing and my driving coach Randy Smith”, Gibson said. “We had a fast car and clear strategy that produced consistent results all weekend”.
TLM Racing returns to the track on June 28 and 29 when the F1200 Championship battle resumes at Mosport International Raceway.
From TLM // Photo Credit: Arts International - Teresa Matkovich
Note: Picture of Dylan and Dave Matkovich, Dave is our "Director of Driver Development"