Honda Challenge 2 began with eight screaming Hondas and Acuras blasting away from a standing start, with Jeremy Croiset leading from the pole. Croiset had a great start and took a commanding lead, only to have cold rear tires allow the rear of his No. 25 Honda CRX to step out on him in Turn 4. Croiset made an amazing save and held the lead. By lap three, Croiset had a large gap between him and the second-, third-, and fourth-place cars, which were having an outstanding, tight battle for second place. Fifteen minutes into the race, with a 9-second gap over his closest competitors, Croiset went off in Turn 6 and ended up hard into the tires. Thanks to all of the required NASA safety gear, he walked away from the impact. Unfortunately, he also had to walk away from a Championship.
That collision was the big mix-up for Honda Challenge 2. Suddenly the wild battle for second place became a serious battle for first place. When the checkered flag dropped, it was Clint Boisdeau in his Honda Civic for the win, Marcel Dekerpel in second, and Team Backwards Logic in third.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky,” said Boisdeau, after being sprayed with champagne by his competitors as he stood on the top spot of the podium. “I had some sleepless nights coming into this. I just feel good that I was able to finish the race due to the issues I faced all week – sensor issues, going off in the qualifying race. It was hectic. Finishing first is just a great feeling.”
Dekerpel said he had wheel spin during the whole race. “Right from the standing start I had wheel spin. I couldn’t get the power down to control the car. For the rest of the race I couldn’t get the power where I needed it to catch Clint.”
Team Backwards Logic’s strategy was to stay out of trouble, which seems like pretty straightforward logic, and for their clear-headed tactics they ended up with a podium finish.
