Conner Martell put on a rallycross masterclass to dominate the first part of the Americas Rallycross ARX2 double header at Trois-Rivieres as changeable conditions made for a tricky day in Canada.
The DirtFish driver is on double-duty this weekend, also racing in the World Rallycross-supporting RX2. He finished qualifying in second place after topping the first two heats but dropped off the top spot after contact wit Travis PeCoy in Q3 left him with suspension damage.
Throughout the heats and the semi-final Martell was the fastest starter in the field, and the final was no different. Martell led the field by nearly four car lengths into the first corner. Behind him Cole Keatts, Christian Brooks, and PeCoy all squabbled over second place with Keatts – another driver competing in both ARX2 and RX2 this weekend – coming off worst.
The AF Racing driver was forced into a half-spin by the Dreyer & Reinbold pair, which allowed Cabot Bigham to move from sixth to fourth on the opening lap.
Up front, Martell managed the gap to the rest of the field well, and by the midway point of the final he was putting nearly a second a lap on Brooks in second.
PeCoy followed his team mate home for the final spot on the podium, with rallycross returnee Bigham holding onto fourth,
After taking a heat win at the start of the day, James Rimmer had a fairly anonymous final. He beat Keatts to fifth, with Keatts recovering from his early slide to challenge for a podium late on.
Keatts attempted a move on Travis PeCoy at the joker exit on the final lap, but made contact with PeCoy as he emerged from the longer route, and ended up in the wall.
Among those missing out on the final were Alex Keyes, Scott Anderson, and Fraser McConnel.
Keyes had qualified for the final by virtue of his third place finish in the first semi-final, only for him to receive a penalty for exceeding track limits, handing the spot in the final to Bigham.
After impressing in his rallycross debut at Circuit of the Americas last month, McConnell had a round to forget at Trois-Rivieres.
The Jamaican crashed out of his Q1 heat, was spun out in Q2, and despite a redeeming second place in his Q3 heat, another spin in his semi-final brought an early end to his day.
Scott Anderson recovered from contact and radio issues in his opening heat to win his Q2 race. He looked set to win his semi final after making a good start and leading the first lap, but he spun into the wall at the first turn on the second lap, ending his hopes of a final berth.
ARX2 Round 2 Final – Trois-Rivieres
- Conner Martell – DirtFish Motorsports – 5:30.467
- Christian Brooks – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – 5:33.030
- Travis PeCoy – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – 5:38.252
- Cabot Bigham – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing – 5:40.943
- James Rimmer – DirtFish Motorsports – 5:41.823
- Cole Keatts – AF Racing – DNF
Ahead of the third round of the 2018 ARX2 season tomorrow Martell sits atop of the standings with 54 points. Brooks is second with 49 points, with Anderson a further 13 points back in third.
