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| October 31, 2004 News |
| EKN Trackside - Super Nats 8 - SKI Team ICC Predictions |
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It’s Sunday morning at Sam Boyd Stadium so time to lay our necks on the line and go on the record as to who we think will take the big win here at the SuperNationals. It’s been a wild couple of days in Las Vegas with a number of surprises popping up across the grid and this has made our predictions very tough.
We have said all along that this was going to be a tight field and all the action so far has proved it. The bottom line is, while the field last year was bigger, this grid this weekend is better from a quality standpoint. What we have this year in the best of the best with few field fillers packing the back half of the grid.
Okay, we’ve stalled enough.
Tim’s Picks:
 | Ron White
(Photo: Bill Kistler) |
Here is who I think will win: Ron White. White has been working hard, I mean really hard, for the past month getting ready for this event. While other drivers were at race tracks across the country testing, White was in a parking lot near his Santa Clara home because it’s a better simulation for the conditions he knew he would find here in Las Vegas. His RC-20 CRG was hooked up yesterday and as many have learned, once White gets in the lead, he’s VERY hard to pass.
Should White stumble, I’ll go with Bowles or Mandarino. Bowles is driving smart and nothing would cap an emotional weekend for the CompCor team better than a triumph in the top class. Another driver to watch out for is Canadian Lorenzo Mandarino. He’s always been blindingly fast, but this year, we’ve noticed a different driver. He’s still confident, but not as cocky as he’s been in the past and that maturity showed on the track yesterday. He ran down the Italian Motors’ duo of Jurca and Vorrath hard without making the dive-bomb pass that could have taken them out – a move he has gotten a reputation for making.
Blaney’s SuperNationals ICC Podium:
1. Ron White
2. Jason Bowles
3. Lorenzo Mandarino
4. Kyle Martin
5. Jordy Vorrath
Rob’s Picks:
The top three rows for this ICC main are stacked with guys that all have a chance to win. Starting on the front row of a SuperNationals main event may be more important than it is at any other race. Getting out into the lead here is crucial as the quality of the field makes advancing extremely tough. For this reason, the front row starters have to be the favorites. And on this day, there is an interesting sideline story that could play in the final results. Polesitter Jason Bowles will start alongside Ron White this afternoon and the key to this is the fact that they were teammates this year on the Cooper F2000 Zetec series. The rivalry developed between this two pilots behind the wheel of their JDC Motorsports Van Diemens will likely spill out onto the track today and I can see a solid fight for supremacy up front. My pick for the win is a guy that no one expected much from this weekend…Jason Bowles.
 | Jason Bowles
(Photo: Bill Kistler) |
Bowles has been a very cool customer and was very quick in morning warm-up, posting the second fastest time behind Wesley Boswell, who flew to a 49.908-second lap. Bowles is fast and ready to win.
White should be able to chase Bowles to the end and will also come under attack by the Italian Motors duo of David Jurca and Jordy Vorrath. Trouble in the Prefinal saw these drivers get into each other on a few occasions and a team meeting with Claudio and Michael Valiante should have them back on the same page.
Lorenzo Mandarino rounds out my top five as he has been very quick all weekend and looks to have matured significantly. With this trademark fast pace possibly void of his equally-renowned poor decision making, I look for the Canadian to advance from his row four starting spot.
Howden’s SuperNationals ICC Podium:
1. Jason Bowles
2. Ron White
3. David Jurca
4. Jordy Vorrath
5. Lorenzo Mandarino |
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