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Former Blue Marble Radical Cup North America racers Jordan Missig and Anthony Bullock joined Josh Sarchet and Jeff Shafer in the #48 One Motorsports Radical SR3 to win by six laps over the #64 Crowdstrike/Mosaic Motorsports Duqueine D08 Nissan LMP3 machine of IMSA stars of Colin Braun, Matt Bell, Naveen Rao, Jon Bennett and George Kurtz.
2019 winners Eric Wagner and Antoine Comeau, who this year teamed up with Emanuel (Ema) Talquenca’s TVI Racing outfit and former Indy Lights driver Victor Franzoni, finished a further seven laps back in third place in the #10 Eastern/TVI Racing Radical SR3.
With Kurtz being a long time Radical racer, and both Wagner and Comeau having won class titles in 2018, amazingly it meant Radical Cup alumni made up all three podium places.
After qualifying fourth, Missig and the #48 One Motorsports Radical took the lead in a chaotic start that saw the pole-sitting #64 Duqueine spin on the parade lap, followed by a spin from the #10 Eastern/TVI Racing Radical in Turn 1 which set off a chain reaction of rotations from several other cars.
A hare and tortoise race then developed between the #48 One Motorsports Radical– its diminutive 1340cc engine able to run longer stints between refueling– and the more powerful but thirstier #64 LMP3.
As night fell, so did thick fog and with the #48 One Motorports Radical at the front of the field the race was suspended until 5am. When racing resumed the #64 Crowdstrike/Mosaic Motorsports entry took the lead and appeared to have the edge until a broken tripod joint in a rear half-shaft sidelined them momentarily for repairs.
Back in command the One Motorsports Radical fended off the LMP3 car’s final attack thanks to spectacular stints by Missig and Bullock, and held on to give team owner Jeff Shafer his first overall ‘25’ victory in more than a decade of attempts– his Radicals have won the ESR class before, including in 2018, but never outright.
“It really went down to wire,” commented Shafer. “This race is always about reliability and execution. The Radical SR3 has again proven its might, punching well above its weight for the second time in a row against LMP3, Norma CN and all sorts of GT machinery. I can’t believe I’ve finally won it, and to do it after our success at Sebring only a couple of weeks ago, this is really the icing on the cake.”
Shafer’s One Motorsports team recently clinched the 2021 Platinum class teams’ and drivers’ championship titles in the Blue Marble Radical Cup North America series with Indy Al Miller.
