In the Pits: Rookie Joihn Maytag Wins 2019 Rapids Invite

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Rookie Joihn Maytag Wins 2019 Rapids Invite

2019 Rapids Rookie Wins Invite
LACK Tames MegaG F1 Revisit

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSCAR FEDERATION
Official Finish, Event # 2019-1
Rapids Invitational
presented by RacingNation.com
August 23, 2018

The 20th ISF season started off with something that has never happened in the history of the league, a driver wins in his ISF debut. John Maytag, an experienced driver from another series, borrowed a GTP car from fellow driver Everet Kamikawa, and used it to promptly dust off the field. The rookie never had a de-slot in the heats and semi final and the first half of the final race.
"The car was just on rails," Maytag said. It was Maytag's first run in a GTP car.
Defending Champion Mike Lack finished a close second, and for one of the few times in his ISF career seemed to not have an answer for another driver's pace and finished seven laps behind.
Another first in his personal ISF history was done when Scott Mente made the GTP and F1 finals.
He crashed out with 90 seconds to go but still had enough laps in hand to finish ahead of Steve Reist who also made his GTP final debut.
Another first happened when the semi final was raced, and after its conclusion it was discovered the wrong drivers raced in it and it had to be rerun.
"I liked the first results better, Kamikawa stated. I actually made the final in that one."
Ev Kamikawa suffered a broken traction magnet holder in the second running of the semi-final to finish 5th just ahead of Mike Kristof.
Pete Dorn and Bill Black continued their rivalry with 7thn and 8th, while Kayden Reist finished 9th.

F1 featured the return of the beautiful looking, but ill-loved MegaG racecars. These cars were raced for three seasons in ISF history before being hurled out of the league when drivers couldn't find proper set ups and the cars proved too fragile for the tight racing of the ISF. Lack was one of the loudest proponents of getting rid of the MegaG cars such was his vile hatred of them, so you would be forgiven if you thought he would do poorly driving them again. You would be wrong. Lack throttled the neck of his car and easily outpaced Bill Black in the final. Black for his part easily would have had the car to beat on an ordinary night as he beat out a fast Mente and a poor handling Kamikawa. Mike Kristof won his heat race but crashed out of the semi-final to finish 5th. Maytag, who is used to driving MegaG cars in his other league, finished 6th. Dorn was 7th.
Steve Reist was 8th, and his son Kayden was 9th. The series now moves on to Lack Track.