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| Before the start of the race, a thought occurred to me. Despite how small our series is, this was a very close, very tight championship no matter which way it goes. I mean, think about it, this is a grassroots series that had as much, if not more, drama and excitement as F1 or NASCAR could ever dream about. Every race, there was a story. Every event, there was a struggle to finish for someone. Here we are, final race at the final event for 2012 and it comes down to whether or not Michele can finish. |
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| Edik has been fast all weekend, too. So, only something dramatic would have kept Edo from winning Race Two at Buttonwillow. It certainly could have happened as we have seen this situation previously at Sonoma Raceway. |
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| Michele would need to make sure her engine would survive the 35 minute punishment the MPTCC series and the Buttonwillow track dishes out. After a mis-shift on “Magic Mountain,” there were still questions as to the durability of the engine for this final race. Eddie Kim seemed confident, which put a bit of confidence in Michele too. However, she did beat herself up over it up until she strapped in. |
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| At the driver's meeting, it was determined that it would be a standing start for all classes in the Final Race of the weekend. This would also be a place where Michele could possibly out pace Edo, since she would have more torque to launch with. With the drivers rolling up, the green flag was dropped and caught everyone off guard. Edo was still in neutral expecting a standing start and Michele was able to grab a gear and pull off. I think the starter missed the memo about the standing start. |
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| While Edo was behind for a portion of the first lap, it wouldn't be long before the light weight DA Integra would pass the Scion Racing tC and fly on to a Victory in Round Two. However, Michele would be able to complete the full race despite falling two laps down due to pulling into the pit with concerns about mechanical and tire issues. What was really telling, though, was the lap time comparison. Michele was able to turn in a fast lap time of 2:09.736 versus Edo's fastest time in Race 2 of 2:07.585 and Race 2 Qualifying Lap of 2:06.209. That puts her between 2-3 seconds slower than Edo and shows the difference between Edo's engine from Sonoma and Buttonwillow II. He was also nursing a blown shock in Race 2, though. |
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| Winner of Race One and Race Two, your overall MPTCC Buttonwillow II Winner is Edik Stepanyan in the MFactory/JE Pistons/SavOnDriving.com Acura Integra. Michele Abbate would take Second Place in Race One and Race Two to be your Second Overall finisher at Buttonwillow II in the Scion Racing/Gruppe-S/Dynamic Autosport Scion tC. |
