November 05, 2010
Published on tags: Master Series
The 2010 GPVWC Masters series got off to an action packed start with 2 fantastic races at the challenging Laguna Seca circuit in Central California. Interest in this winter series has proved to be high, with no less than 9 teams and 16 drivers taking to the track in for Round 1. Certainly the signs point towards a promising season ahead.

As the drivers moved to the qualifying session, the tension was high as there were just 10 minutes to set a hotlap on a fairly crowded track. Rising to the challenge was Joe Consiglio, who quickly established himself as the man to beat, by posting an impressive 1:27.841s lap and claiming the single point for pole position. Sam Millar was the best of the rest, taking 2nd on the grid, with David Jundt, Mark Wicks, David Stanton and Liam Hatchell all close behind.

The first race saw Hatchell-Pennine car of Millar grab the lead off the line, however his lead proved shortlived as Consiglio re-took the position within a few corners. After that, the battle for the lead proved uneventful as Consiglio set some blistering laps to capture both the race win and the fastest lap ahead of Millar. The battle for 3rd was much closer however, as several drivers battled, with some ultimately losing time as they suffered minor spins. In the end though, it was David Jundt who grabbed the final podium spot, having duelled with Mark Wicks for several of the closing laps.

The second race, despite being the shorter sprint race, was even more action packed as the reversed grid truly set the cat among the pigeons. As the field concertinaed into Turn 1, there were several minor contacts and they unfortunately continued into the following corners as people fought hard for position. However, it was at the run up the corkscrew that things took a turn for the worst. As leaders David Stanton and Adam Smith exited the fast Turn 6, they touched and span, sparking a huge chain reaction that saw several cars recieve heavy damage.

The big winner in the opening lap was Sam Millar, who had another fantastic start and then avoided the chaos to take an early lead ahead of David Jundt and Mark Stanton. Less fortunate was Joe Consiglio who got an early drive through penalty, which ended his hopes of another win and left the Maltese driver having to recover to 6th by the end of the race. Despite gaining time on Millar, Jundt couldn't quite do enough to give Nijo Racing a win on their debut and ultimately crossed the line 3 seconds behind Sam Millar. With a win and a 2nd place under his belt, it was Millar who took the championship lead going into the next round at the Birmingham Motorplex.