Close Finishes the Story as Iamundi Stretches Points Lead

The Formula 1200 Championship, part of the CASC Race Ontario Series, continued their 2010 season with the BARC-run Canada Day Grand Prix of Ontario, a rare one-day event run on July 3rd, 2010 at Mosport International Raceway. Coming into this event, Michael Iamundi (#35 Montana Auto Centre Van De Car) was emulating his run to the 2009 FTDA Championship, stringing together another impressive winning streak almost unheard in a series so focused on driving skill. After sweeping all three races at the DAC weekend at Shannonville, Iamundi had strung together 5 straight victories, took the points lead after the first race from Sergio Pasian (#76 Vallis Motorsports BRD), and would end up leaving Shannonville with a 26-point lead over Phil Wang (#73 Sterling MicroSystems Caracal C).

Michael Iamundi Credit: Scott Smith/NoFenders.com

DAC was the complete opposite from BEMC for a pair of drivers who left in the top-5 in points. Both Michael Rogers in his Lazer #79 and Aaron McCauley in his Vallis Motorsports BRD #31, left Shannonville after three very decent results; McCauley earning three straight podiums (2 seconds and a third) to climb to 3rd place in the standings, and Rogers bounced back after a big wreck with Andre Bonaldo in race 3 to score three straight 4th-place finishes.

Eighteen cars would be on the primary entry list for the one-day event, however only sixteen cars would make the grid. Sam Ashtiani, debuting the #26 Links Blackhole from the AVR Motorsports stable, would tag the inside concrete wall on the front stretch during Friday practice and would withdraw from the event. Also withdrawing from Saturday's competition would be the #17 V-Max of Guy Bellingham; Bellingham practiced in the morning, but would not compete due to mechanical difficulties.

The grid for Race 7 (the first race of the day) went as follows; pole went to Iamundi, followed by the #80 Lynx of Eric Barrett. Row 2 had Pasian in the #76 and Wang in the #73. Row 3 had a surprising fifth-place result for the #7 Mysterian M2 of Steve Bamford, along with the #31 of McCauley. Row 4 had young Michael Adams [the 15-year-old son of racing parents Stephen (FF) and Penni (F4)], debuting in the Vallis Motorsport #55, and Bill Mitchell running his first weekend of the season in another Vallis BRD #58. Row 5 had Shane Viccary (#27 AVR Gladiator) and Andre Bonaldo in his self-run #92 BRD alongside. Rounding out the starting order was the #36 Vallis BRD of Robert Tronchi, Kevin Deevey in the #25 AVR BRD, Kevin Kapelke in the Kapelke Motorsports Links Blackhole #4, Dave Aird in the #56 Vallis BRD, Noel Brigido in the #46 Lynx B, and Frank O'Hanlon in the #87 Mysterian M2.

Race 7 got off to a confusing start, caused when Kevin Deevey lost a rear wheel on the front stretch during the warm-up lap. Once the dust settled and the #25 car was removed for repairs, the race got under way and the battling commenced early. Early on, it was a fierce battle between Wang, Iamundi and Barrett for the first two laps. The next time round, it would be Iamundi heading the pack. Soon after, the attrition rate would start to creep up on most of the racers as the competition wore on. First, Dave Aird would spin in corner 5 on lap 3, followed by Bamford in the #7 on lap 6. Bamford's great run (which had him as high as 3rd place) would come to an end on lap 7 with an impact into the infamous 2A tire wall. As this was going on, Wang and Iamundi would swap the lead 4 times in the first 9 laps of the contest, all while driving away from the fight for the final podium position. Part of that war could have ended with McCauley and Pasian having wheel-to-wheel contact in turn 10; both cars survived the contact, but Pasian would pit on the white flag lap with suspension problems and would ultimately be scored 11th. In the end, Iamundi would take the win over Wang, but not before needing a last-lap pass through corner 9 to seal his 6th win of 2010

Race 2 of the weekend would begin with one fewer competitor, as Steve Bamford would not start after wrecking in the first race. Early on, the story of the race was the intense 8-way fight for the lead. This fight would general 3 different leaders and 5 lead changes in the first 6 laps. A great mid-pack race for Viccary would end on Lap 6 with broken suspension, stranding him at corner 4. A clean, uneventful yet action-packed race; Iamundi would take his 7th straight win over what ended up being a 4-way fight for second between Wang, Pasian, McCauley and Mitchell. Finishers to note from this race outside the top-5 was the 6th place by Michael Adams - his second straight top-10 finish - and Kevin Deevey, recovering from his lost wheel and stop & go penalty to finish 8th.

Race 3 would be much of the same; as many as 9 drivers started off fighting for the lead. By the halfway point, a four-car breakaway between Wang, Pasian, Iamundi and McCauley broke away and were caught again. On Lap 7, both McCauley and Barrett would spin and continue on; however, Barrett would suffer a flat left rear and would fall to a 14th place finish. For a third straight race, the fight would come down to Iamundi and Wang. Iamundi tried for a second time to execute a last-lap, last-corner pass on Wang for win #8. However, instead of clearing him and off to victory, it was side-by-side action through the short shute, around White's Corner and down the front straight. Wang just managed to outdrag Iamundi to the line, winning one of the closest F1200 races in recent memory and far and away the closest finish in any class of Race Ontario this season (.017 seconds). Behind them, Pasian and Adams fought intently for 3rd place, with Pasian securing his third podium of the season.

At the halfway point of the season, Michael Iamundi leads a two-horse way in the points with 234 pts, 32 up on Phil Wang. Rounding out the top-5 in the standings include Aaron McCauley (117 pts), Segio Pasian (100) and Eric Barrett (92). In the Rookie of the Year race, Michael Adams - in his first race of the season - jumped straight to the lead with 34 pts, 1 up on Kevin Deevey. Frank O'Hanlon (25), Noel Brigido (23) and Steve Bamford (13) round out the Top-5 in rookie competition. Next race, the MCO Ted Powell Memorial Race at beautiful Calabogie Motorsports Park July 24/25.

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