Hixon Motor Sports Driver Recovers from Narrow Defeat in Race 1
Mazda MX-5 Cup Provisional Points
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.– After narrowly missing out on a win in the first Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires race at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) got the job done in Race 2 on Saturday, leading the field to the finish line in a race that ended under full-course yellow
The winner in Saturday morning’s race by a mere 0.021 seconds, Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) started from pole in Race 2 but brushed the wall on Lap 2 and fell down the order. The battle up front became a three-way fight between Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 JTR Motorsports Engineering), Zilisch and Tyler Gonzalez (No. 51 Copeland Motorsports).
While dicing for the lead, Gonzalez ran wide, made contact with the wall and came to a stop in Turn 4, bringing out the first full-course caution with Zilisch in the lead. On the first lap back to green, Wagner was knocked into a slide through Turn 4. He made contact with Thomas Annunziata (No. 10 Hixon Motor Sports) before hitting the tires.
When the scene was cleared and green-flag racing resumed, Zilisch was leading Jeansonne and Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing). Neither had an opportunity to make their bid for the lead, as another full-course caution came out shortly after the restart.
This full-course caution involved four cars making contact with the wall, the tires and each other in Turn 4. There was not enough time left on the race clock to resume racing and the checkered flag was issued alongside the yellow.
“I didn’t want to win like that (under yellow), but I really enjoy being out front and the team gave me a car that let me run up front like that,” said Zilisch. “I was able to capitalize on that and get ourselves out front. I timed the restarts well and was able to get a little bit of a gap on Aaron (Jeansonne) for the two restarts that we had. I’m just thankful for the whole Hixon team: Shea Holbrook, Brian Hixon and Andrew Carbonell. Thankful to be on top and really excited for Laguna Seca.”
The win netted Zilisch a $6,000 check from Mazda.
Jeansonne, still searching for his first MX-5 Cup win, could have been upset with the lack of green-flag running, but he chose to celebrate a runner-up finish that puts him in a strong position in the championship.
“I am disappointed to not win, but I will definitely take this over all the fourth-place finishes I’ve had!” he joked. “It was frustrating to end under yellow. Connor and I were not able to get away from the pack. We swapped the lead a couple of times but when that last wreck happened, I knew I wasn’t going to get another shot. But I’m happy to be on the podium and looking forward to seeing where that puts us in the points, so I can’t be unhappy about how this will help for the championship.”
Noaker finished third on the track but was issued a drive-through penalty after the checkered flag for his contact with Wagner. This promoted Alex Bachoura (No. 33 Spark Performance) to third. It was Bachoura’s first MX-5 Cup podium in nearly a decade of competition.
“That was a wild race. I think the trick is that you have to upload the risk reward programming in your brain and make sure you don’t overdrive,” Bachoura said. “So this is great. I felt like I had a good car and I had the speed, so I just stayed close to the guy in front of me and didn’t do anything stupid.”
Mazda’s Women in Motorsports Initiative Scholarship recipient Heather Hadley (No. 54 Spark Performance) finished eighth in only her fourth MX-5 Cup race and first time on a street course. By finishing inside the top 10 and being the highest finishing female driver, Hadley took home a combined $3,000 from Mazda.
Wagner Wins Drag Race to Finish Line in Race 1
Wagner and Zilisch put on a memorable show for the final lap in the day’s first race. The pair traded places and then drag-raced out of the final turn to the finish.
On the penultimate lap of the 45-minute race, Wagner passed Zilisch for the lead. Zilisch stayed glued to Wagner’s bumper, and in the final corner of the final lap, Zilisch managed to nose inside of Wagner. Zilisch was ahead of Wagner exiting the turn, but the move scrubbed off too much speed for Zilisch. Wagner pulled alongside and they raced to the finish line. Wagner crossed the line 0.021 seconds ahead.
“I knew I had something there at the end,” Wagner said. “I made a couple of mistakes and had to get it back, but I know he wants to win just as much as me and races just as hard as me. It got physical, but we both finished 1-2 as we should have. It’s hard racing and it’s fun racing. There may be a few things that could have gone differently for either of us.”
Wagner earned $6,000 from Mazda for the win.
It’s the second time Zilisch has missed a St. Pete win by fractions of a second. Last year, he finished 0.061 seconds behind teammate Selin Rollan (No. 87 Hixon Motor Sports).
“I had a bit of a gap with three or four (laps) to go and in just one corner I made a tiny mistake and that’s all it takes when you’re racing someone as good as Gresham,” Zilisch said. “He got to my bumper and I should have protected; that’s my fault. I should have stayed in control but I gave him the lead. Then on the last lap, I gave him what he gave me, so I gave him a bumper and we just weren’t able to get the run to the line. P2 isn’t that bad, (but) you always want to win.”
Hadley was also the highest-placed female finisher in Race 1 (19th place), earning $2,000.
Next up for Mazda MX-5 Cup is WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca from May 12-14.