2002 Results - Star Mazda Series - West Division

Teammates trade victories at Buttonwillow Raceway Park

Mike Anderson proved the fifth time is the charm as he broke through to his first career Star Mazda Series West Coast Championship victory at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, after scoring two second place and two third place finishes in the first four rounds of the championship, by holding off series points leader Moses Smith in a series of weekend battles that would see the R-Sport/HASA Pool teammates split the top spot on the podium for the double race weekend.

“The race couldn’t have worked out any better for me,” Anderson explained afterwards, “I’m so excited for myself and for my sponsors at HASA Pool Products.”

Running with the SCCA as a double national weekend, the races were split into Saturday and Sunday events, with separate qualifying sessions for each race, and early indications were that Smith was aiming for his fourth straight victory as lapped the 2.97 mile course half a second faster than Anderson in Saturday’s qualifying session.  “Ron Roland gave me an excellent car,” Smith said of his qualifying session. “We didn’t have to make many changes to get dialed in, and with Mike alongside me on the front row I knew it’d be an exciting start to the race.”

Those in attendance were not disappointed, as Smith’s predictions came true and Anderson made a successful challenge for the lead as the field of thirteen cars headed for turn two.  “Moses pulled ahead at the start just a bit so I ducked to the inside in turn one and pulled along side of him,” Anderson said. “Going into turn two I pulled out of line and was able to complete the pass for the lead.”

"Mike made an awesome pass on me into turn two."  Moses commented on the maneuver that cost him the race.  "It was a late pass, but he gave me plenty of racing room, and he drove a great race."

While the leaders cleared turn two without incident, series rookie Matt Kurdock was nudged from behind and was quickly forced to play catch up with the rest of the field.  “I qualified way back for the race but was able to get a good start when I got hit from behind and turned around,” Kurdock explained.  “Fortunately I was able to recover and then focus on chasing the field down.”  His efforts were rewarded with a ninth place finish.

Rounding out the podium was Jim Hall II, winner of the first round of the championship, who continues his strong 2002 campaign with his third consecutive third place finish as he returns to west coast competition after a two year hiatus. “While I’m happy for Mike and his first victory in the series, this weekend was a bit disappointing for me as I was experiencing carburetor problems in the low speed corners and I could only watch as they would pull away,” Hall commented on his weekend.  “I had a couple of interesting moments out there due to local yellows where the tow truck would arrive just before me and block the track, but with the leaders off in the distance and no pressure from behind I used the race as a lapping session and started thinking about Sunday’s race.”

Sunday opened up with clear and sunny skies for the drivers, a welcome change from the wind, drizzle and cool conditions they faced early on Saturday, but by the end of the session the first five drivers would start in the same positions they occupied the day before.  Matt Kurdock registered the most improvement over Saturday’s session as he shaved four seconds off his previous qualifying time, and would start seventh overall.

With Smith and Anderson on the front row for the second consecutive spectators were looking forward to another exciting start, with some still talking about Anderson’s Saturday maneuver that netted him the victory. 

As the green flag flew Smith and Anderson charged into turn one side-by-side and as they raced down to turn two the fans were primed to see another amazing pass, however Smith was not to be fooled twice in the same corner and was able to hold off Anderson and retain first place. “I was hoping to get by Moses in the first couple of turns,” Anderson said, explaining his strategy.  “Moses learned his lesson though and protected the inside so I was forced to try and pass on the outside of turn one.  I was along side of him on the stretch leading to turn two but was unable to complete the pass this time.”

Anderson and Jim Hall were able to keep the pressure on Smith early in the race however he was able to maneuver smoothly through the lapped traffic to keep the challengers at bay. Five laps into the race Hall started slipping back as the carburetor problems resurfaced, and then, once he had adjusted his driving style to the conditions, felt one of his master cylinders start to fail, making his brake pedal feel spongy.  “Once again I watched as they pulled away,” Hall said, “but fortunately I wasn’t getting pressured for the third position and could nurse the car home.”

In sharing the podium for the fourth consecutive event, the points gap between Smith, Anderson and Hall is only 26 points as they’ve crossed the halfway point in the season. Kurdock, who finished eighth, leads all rookies with 111 points while his closest challenger Brian McAtee has 88 points.  Larry Couture leads the Masters Championship over former champion Bob Hatle and Chris Emanuel.

Round Seven of the Star Mazda Series West Coast Championship will be held in conjunction with Round Two of the Star Mazda Series North American Championship at Sears Point Raceway on May 16-18, as part of the American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Sonoma. 

For more information please contact Gary Rodrigues at (818) 686-3350.

   
Star Mazda Series West Division Championship Top Ten
(After 6 of 11 rounds)

1. Smith, 253; 2. Anderson, 238; 3. Hall II, 227; 4. Couture, 175; 5. Hatle, 155;
6. Kurdock, 111; 7. Zabinski, 110; 8. Walker, 96; 9. McAtee, 88; 10. Emanuel, 87.

Star Mazda Series West Division Masters Championship Top Five
(After 6 of 11 rounds)

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