The final round of the inaugural Global Rallycross Lites season was held on the Las Vegas Strip during the week of the huge SEMA auto trade show, providing a glitzy backdrop for the racing action. “The races had a little bit of everything from the season”, said Geoff Sykes.
The first practice sessions kept Sykes busy, searching for the best set up for the car on the primarily asphalt track. “I felt I had an advantage with so much asphalt, but the set up of the car that had worked so well in Charlotte, had been reset and the car was not performing as well. The inside front wheel was lifting several inches off the ground in the fast turn, I just wasn’t getting the grip.”
Everything was corrected by the second heat race and Sykes gave a dominating performance, finishing in second place and guaranteeing him a starting position in the finals.
Based on seeding, Sykes started fourth in the final race, which put him on the inside of the second row. “The fast right hander at turn one was key, but I ended up getting pushed and squeezed on the inside, losing valuable positions, then found myself on the outside, losing even more positions,” said Sykes. “It was not my best start and this was a tough track to pass on, so that pretty much sealed the race for me. Even the joker lap advantage didn’t help.”
Sykes finished sixth out of fourteeen in the final standings. “If everything had gone my way, I could have ended up fourth in the championship, but I learned so much this year, and one of those things is how quickly it can go either way for you. Las Vegas was an amazing venue to race in, and it was great to see so many of my fans out there. A terrific way to end the season!”
ABOUT RALLYCROSS AND GEOFF SYKES
Rallycross combines circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition with intense, crowd-pleasing action in a fan-friendly track environment, featuring a challenging course that includes jumps, unbanked turns and changing track and surface conditions that can include dirt, gravel and wet asphalt.
Geoff Sykes is driving his first season in Global Rallycross, having come from an autocross and road racing background with multiple records and championships in the BMW CCA racing series, and is the 2013 GT champion in the US Touring Car Championship.
Sykes’ rallycross racing includes support from GetEnergyFX.com, Midnight Oil, RallyPro at The Firm, and DTV Solutions.
Photos: 1/3 QNIGAN.COM, 2 BEN CARUFEL
