Fraser McConnell was the name of the fourth round of the Nitro Rallycross season, held at Glen Helen, displaying excellent performances through the weekend that were crowned by a mighty win over points leader Robin Larsson.
XITE Racing had their fair share of worries as one of their cars was taken down in free practice, meaning that Jenson Button couldn’t take part of the remainder of the weekend, though the team announced he would be ready to go at the next round at Phoenix.
Heat 1 had the Erikssons hogging the front row, but Robin Larsson guided Kevin Eriksson to the Joker, while Oliver Eriksson and Travis Pastrana were literally with their backs on the wall on Lap 1, with things getting really worse for Pastrana as he came to a halt while sideways into a corner. Larsson was in a better position for the Final Lap and took the lead once Oliver Eriksson went to the Joker and fell to third, and the remainder of the lap had no changes.
The Battle Brackets winner Fraser McConnell was in front for Heat 2, stealing all the space from Andreas Bakkerud, though the Norwegian was just waiting for a small opening to attack. A change of strategy saw Bakkerud go to the joker on Lap 2, which saw him get trapped by Oliver Bennett before his car failed, which opened the door for McConnell to dominate the race while Bennett came in second, miles behind the Jamaican.
The Semifinal had Oliver Eriksson on pole but an unlikely second place for Bennett, which also proved to be a bad place to start as he was bullied to the back of the pack. Pastrana was still going hard on the wall near the end of the first lap while the lead battle became the Olsbergs MSE cars sandwiching Conner Martell. Bakkerud appeared for the fight after his Joker, climbing to second as Oliver Eriksson had issues with his car, which didn’t stop Kevin Eriksson to take victory.
The Last Chance Qualifying had one of the wackiest starts ever, where Pastrana drove his barely repaired car a few meters before backing out. Further ahead, Bennett and Oliver Eriksson were exchanging blows for real, with the XITE Racing drivers prevailing after a rough battle, even if a smashed front end came as a result with the victory, while Eriksson basically crawled to the finish in second.
The Final had McConnell dominating the front from the start with Bakkerud always glued on him, but both should be wary that Oliver Eriksson was approaching fast. The top-3 stayed under 2 seconds until the Final Lap, with all of them needing to do the Joker Lap, and only McConnell saved himself from Larsson’s final charge after the Joker, which allowed him to take the win by a thin margin. Bakkerud completed the podium while Bennett came out of the huge pack in the final corner to be fourth.
NRX of California - Event results
Larsson still has a nice margin on the lead with 208 points against 185 from Bakkerud, while McConnell appears now in third with 172 points to be the clearest threat to the RX Cartel domination. Next destination for Nitro RX will be Phoenix, as the Wild Horse Pass holds the fifth round on 13 November.
PHOTO: Fraser McConnell
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