SRA-West Formula Sidecar Series Round 1: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Classic Course April 7-8, 2012 Las Vegas, NV Sidecar Racing Results From Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sidecar Racers Association-West met this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Classic Course for the season opener of the Formula Sidecar Series. While the podium would look the same for both races in this double-header event, the on-track drama would unfold differently each day. Host club WERA flagged away the seven-bike grid for a six-lap sprint that saw Team Johnny Killmore (John Wood/Giorgina Gottlieb) holeshot the field and begin to build a gap. Before the end of the first lap fans would see Wood Brothers Racing (Chris Wood/Aaron McEwen) draw close to the leaders after working up from near the back row. The gap remained at just a few bikelengths until half distance, when a mistake by Chris Wood caused them to fall back. “Coming through the last left [turn 8] we got a little air [on the 3rd or “chair” wheel] and when I set it down my elbow bumped the selector for the quick-shift and put it into pit mode,” said Chris Wood after the race. The time lost correcting this allowed the gap to open up considerably, and also brought defending champions Team Becker Moto Works (William Becker/Eric Becker) into striking distance. Having started from the back row, The Becker duo spent the first half of the sprint working through traffic, but now had their sights on the leaders. They would hound Wood/McEwen for a lap, finally making a move around the outside in turn 8, then immediately drew in on the leaders. A dogfight ensued, with Becker looking to the inside in ultra-tight turn 4. Wood/Gottlieb prevailed on the short run to turn 5, but the Beckers got a better drive on the exit. Down the back straight and into ultra-fast turn 6 they would stay nose-to-tail, until Wood/Gottlieb finally went wide in Turn 8, allowing Becker/Becker to shoot through on the inside while also picking up the white flag. Wood/Gottlieb actually stayed close, but out of striking distance, falling back a length or two each turn. At the stripe Becker/Becker had more than two seconds over Wood/Gottlieb, and several seconds back to Wood/McEwen. A waving yellow and giant dust cloud in high-speed turn 6 caused some worry in the final lap. The battle for 5th came to a head as Cat On A Leash Racing (Michael Troutman/Heidi Neidhoefer) attempted to regain the spot from Roadkill Racers (Sean Bakken/Gary McEwen). Aiming for an inside move, the gap closed with no time or traction left. The fairing of Troutman/Neidhoefer’s machine made contact with the rear wheel of Bakken/McEwen, resulting in a dramatic spin for Bakken/McEwenm sending them into the dirt, but not before somehow tattooing both sides of Trouman/Neidhoefer’s machine with rubber marks more bizarre than a crop circle. McEwen was ejected in the resulting spin but was unhurt. Troutman/Neidhoefer managed to stay on the pavement and soldier in for fifth. Sunday would be less dramatic overall. The race started out the same with Team Johnny Killmore taking the holeshot from the front row and Wood Brothers Racing following suit. However this time the team of Steve Stull and Kevin Kautzky were able to sneak up into 3rd place on their aged Baker chassis, the sole Honda powered machine on the grid. A battle would begin for the second position, but not before Team Becker Moto Works fought through the pair of them. Missing most of the traffic from their traditional back-of-the-grid start, they were into second place by lap two and looking once again for the leaders. The battle for 3rd continued, but the long legs of their GSX-R1000 engine allowed Wood/McEwen to get away and hold the position comfortably by the end. Meanwhile, up front began the battle for the lead. Becker would again try the inside line on the slow lefts, where his hand-built chassis could hold a tighter line and remain on three wheels. Wood fought back with tight entries and excellent drives, later complaining that the slow turns caused his drive chain to jump teeth on the rear drive sprocket. Despite Wood’s efforts, Becker used the same outside move that got him into second position the day prior, waiting until the perfect moment to wrestle around Turn 8 and then rocket out of turn 9 and onto the front straight in the lead, picking up the crossed flags on the way. From this point the Becker duo charged away, putting down the fastest sidecar time of the weekend at 1:31.8, finishing the race with a comfortable 6.5 second gap. The SRA-West Formula Sidecar Series will meet again April 27-29 at Willow Springs International Raceway with host club AHRMA. Their full line of vintage racing should also draw a handful of vintage sidecars as well, and at least two more of the modern Formula machines are rumored to be in attendance. To learn more about the SRA-West’s schedule, points, and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.sra-west.us. The SRA-West would like to once again thank WERA for hosting the unique sport of sidecars, as well as Lucas Oils and Pirelli for their support of WERA.