LunatiK ARL GT Championship S5 : Race 11 Suzuka

LunatiK Racing was back in action on the road at an iconic circuit in Japan, Suzuka. David Bush and Collin McKenzie were in participation for the LunatiK Racing team trying to gain some valuable points towards the team championship as the season comes to a close the following race. McKenzie looked to have the upper hand at Suzuka with Bush close behind but for the most part matching race pace. Qualifying did not go well for either driver with Bush starting in p18 and McKenzie in p19. The lights went green on the first 25 minute sprint race as the pack headed towards turn 1. A clean first few corners saw the drivers settle into a single file line with the occasional driver trying to make a pass in certain corners. The first few laps were uneventful with McKenzie and Bush following eachother in a pack towards middle of the grid. On lap 4 McKenzie and Bush were making their way through the first corner into Spoon when an amatuer competitor spun and parked it on track. McKenzie was able to make it through while the driver then pulled right infront of Bush causing him to do a 360 barrel roll into the air. With the amount of damage sustained Bush had to pit causing him to lose valuable time and a ton of places in the standings. McKenzie ended up understeering in the second Degner turn where he slapped the padded wall and sustained damage. This left him vulnerable when not in draft but ended up fighting back to secure p15 but due to a penalty limit from another driver was moved up to p14. 

McKenzie would start in p4 due to the invert and Bush in p21 where he finished the sprint race. Both drivers looked to have a better race heading into the 40 minute feature race. The lights went green and the start was very uneventful. Both McKenzie and Bush made it through the first few corners clean and started the single file line. McKenzie was starting to get caught by the faster pro class drivers who were starting behind. Heading into the first corner of Spoon he was send by a pro driver who made netcode contact that resulted in McKenzie flying off the track and slapping the padded wall again causing aero damage. This put McKenzie at a disadvanatge from the start and he refused to take a fast repair to give up the positions. He was able to recover and Bush was able to move up some places. The luck ran dry for McKenzie though as he sustained more damage from an opposing professional driver in the Casio Triangle. Ultimately both drivers were able to keep it clean and finish the 40 min sprint with some valuable points for the team. Bush had a stellar driver starting in p21 and finishing in p11 with McKenzie in p13 right behind. Huge points for the team and for McKenzie who now moves up into 3rd place in the amatuer division. 

The Wave Italy Apex Racing League GT Championship Season 5 comes to an end next week September 19th, 3pm est as the concluding race is at Sebring. McKenzie looks to lockout a top 3 finish in his division as Bush looks to score valuable points for the LunatiK team championship as they currently sit in 5th. 

Replay of the race can be found here.