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Cooper Bright - 2nd (Record: 4-2) (Qualified: 1st) Handicap - TCS [0] Tire Compound [RM]
The day started on a high for Cooper as he secured pole position for the second event in a row! This obviously put him in a favorable position to finish as one of the podium finishers for the season, but as the old adage goes, it doesn't matter where you start; it's where you finish. He started his day by taking on Mike Force for his Winner's Quarterfinals match up. It turned out to be a good warmup as he disposed of Force after 4 laps. In the next round of the Winner's Semifinals he was now going up against Greg McKeever. It was a bit of a shock though as Greg being the lower seed needed only one lap to take down the favorite. Cooper just couldn't match his amazing lap even after using one of his extra laps for purchase. Dropping down into the Loser's Quarterfinals, Cooper went up against a familiar foe in Force. The result was the same though as Cooper took him down needing only 2 laps this time. In the Loser's Semifinals, Coop met Travis Roof in one of the epic battles of the day. Travis just came off two intense winner stays, loser out bouts and needed to just beat Cooper to stand on the podium for the first time in his career. Travis had to endure another long battle, but finally ran out of gas and was unable to best Cooper. Fun fact: Cooper made the podium at every event he attended in 2019. The job wasn't over though as he had to take out the 2018 Champion, Mike Hansen to make the Grand Final and guarantee a top two finish. Cooper was up to the challenge and knocked out the event winner from the previous two events. In the Grand Finals, Cooper would have to beat Greg twice in a row to take it all. Although he put in a much better effort, he was still unable to best Greg and could only take second in the event. The good result meant that he jumped up the championship standings and took second place overall. By finishing second, Cooper added $37 to his impressive winnings for 2019. Cooper keeps improving every event and will look to climb the final rung on the championship ladder to take home the trophy next season!
David McKeever - 9th (Record: 0-2) (Qualified: 8th) Handicap - TCS [4] Tire Compound [RSS]
Dave came in as a sub of sorts for Brian Ackerson. Although this was his first time in the chair, with all the pressure on your shoulders, he performed admirably. He got the unenvious position of qualifying first on top of this being his first event. This was a tough proposition, and after flipping the qualifying car a few times before he even crossed the line to start his timed lap, he got his wheels under him and put together some "clean" laps. Unfortunately he could only qualify 8th. This meant he had an extra race in the Winner's Round 1 against Mike Force. In the same car and on the same track as qualifying, he put in a better time than his qualifying effort, but couldn't put together a run to ruffle the feathers of Force. Dropping down into the Loser's Round 1, he had a long climb back to the podium and his first step was to beat Preston Woods. A very entertaining race transpired, but once again Dave was unable to get the win. This meant that Dave finished last for the event, but for such short notice and with little knowledge of what the Gran Potato Cup is, I can say with certainty that Dave will be one to watch for 2020 and beyond. He is a gamer!
Greg McKeever - 1st (Record: 4-0) (Qualified: 5th) Handicap - TCS [3] Tire Compound [RS]
Greg definitely came to race. All day Greg showed the pace and perseverance needed to take home an event win. It wasn't all smooth sailing though as Greg placed a middling 5th during qualifying. Greg played the underdog role, and raced as if he had a chip on his shoulder. He made his intentions known during his first race in the Winner's Quarterfinals against Jeff Meisenzahl. Although it was back and forth, Greg set a new fastest lap on the first lap every time he stepped in the seat. After 3 turns, he finally put in a lap that couldn't be bested by Jeff. In the next round of the Winner's Semifinals, Greg went up against Cooper Bright. I think this race was the one that gave Greg the confidence that he could go far in this event; because he took the Q1 2019 Event Winner out in only 1 lap. Making his way to the podium, Greg had regained his driving charisma that he hasn't shown since the first two events of the Gran Potato Cup. Next up though was a very high hurdle, Greg had to take out the pilot who stopped him from victory in the Q1 & Q2 2018 Grand Finals, Mike Hansen. Greg had never beaten Hansen in 4 previous attempts. Still, Greg would not be denied and after 2 laps was able to exercise his demons and beat Hansen in convincing fashion. Greg made the Grand Finals again, and this time he would have a chance for victory if only he could beat Cooper for the second time that day. Cooper put up a tougher front, but the wave known as "Greg" would not be denied on this day as he crashed down and completely decimated the competition. Greg took home his first event victory ever, a perfect record (4-0), and jumped up the championship table to finish the season in 4th. For his efforts, Greg won a prize of $70 and more importantly, the confidence to that he has a great chance to be named the 2020 Gran Potato Cup Champion and a larger piece of the prize pool pie!
Jeff Meisenzahl - 7th (Record: 0-2) (Qualified: 4th) Handicap - TCS [2] Tire Compound [RM]
On a day that Jeff needed to show up to finish in the top 3 positions of the 2019 Gran Potato Cup Championship, he will feel a little disappointed by his efforts. Things were looking strong at the beginning, as he qualified in the top half of the competition. Unfortunately for him, things unraveled from there. He went up against the eventual event winner in Greg McKeever during his Winner's Quarterfinals race. The match up went back and forth, but Jeff couldn't beat Greg and wisely saved his extra laps for purchase for another rainy day. He got knocked down to the Loser's Round 1, but because of numbers had a free pass into the Loser's Round 2. In this battle, Jeff would have to go up against his former roommate, Travis Roof. These two have raced three times before with Jeff holding the edge in wins (2-1). This race is contender for race of the day as far as the race director is concerned. After 9 seat changes and a total of 27 laps, Travis outlasted Jeff and knocked him out of the Q4 2019 Event. Jeff used two of his three extra laps for purchase, but decided to not use his last one and conceded defeat. Travis tied up the one v. one record and a nice little rivalry is brewing. Jeff will have to go back to the drawing board, but luckily he has time to get right for next season. As he hopes to replicate the start he had at the beginning of this season and carry it through to end of the year.
Mike Force - 6th (Record: 2-2) (Qualified: 9th) Handicap - TCS [2] Tire Compound [RM]
Even though Force qualified 9th, that was not indicative of his driving. He showed up after his qualifying position and was unable to put in any laps. This meant, unfortunately for him, that he would start from the back and had an extra race in the Winner's Bracket. During Round 1 against newcomer Dave McKeever, Force showed smooth handling to take a relatively easy win. Things didn't get easier for him though as he was next matched up against the pole position winner in Cooper Bright. Cooper showed that he wasn't going to go down as easy as Dave and took the match up win to drop Force into the Loser's Bracket. Force even used two of his three extra laps for purchase to try and beat Cooper, he wanted that one bad. In Round 2 of the Loser's Bracket, Force went toe-to-toe against Preston Woods to keep his dream alive of a podium position. He handled the squirrelly Alpine well and kept it straight in true to take the match up win. In the next round (Loser's Quarterfinals) he would have to race the pilot who knocked him down into the Loser's Bracket. This time he hoped to reverse the outcome of the first time they battled that day. Despite putting in good starts to the lap, Force lost it by the end, and Cooper once again was able to prevail. He used his last extra lap for purchase to do so, but came up short. Force has amazing abilities on his day, he just needs to be more consistent and put it all together when it counts to move up the championship standings and take home an event victory one day. He will look to prove his doubters wrong and plans to work hard in the off season to be ready for next season.
Mike Hansen - 3rd (Record: 2-2) (Qualified: 3rd) Handicap - JC Method (TCS [0] + In Car View) Tire Compound [RH]
Hansen came into the event as the favorite to be crowned the 2019 Gran Potato Cup Champion; which would be his second in as many years. He started fairly well, although maybe disappointing by his standards, by qualifying 3rd for the second event in a row. This meant he matched up against Preston Woods in the Winner's Quarterfinal. He got a nice start by beating Preston in only 2 laps. For the Winner's Semifinals he met a familiar foe in Stephen Trigueiro. These two have faced off 7 times; four of which were in the Grand Finals. This was a highly anticipated battle and one of these two were favorites to take the event win, and more importantly the Championship. The race that transpired lived up to the hype as the two titans traded fastest lap after fastest lap. When the smoke had cleared 16 laps later, Hansen was standing tall. By making the Winner's Final for a 7th consecutive time, Hansen had all but in announcement won his second and back-to-back Gran Potato Cup Championships. It's an amazing feeling that only one pilot can truly describe. The question is can anyone stop him from taking home his third next season? Well we may have got our answer after Hansen took on Greg McKeever in the Winner's Final. At this point in time Greg was in really good shape mentally and driving at a very high level. Maybe it was because he already knew that he was champ, but Hansen got beaten in the way he has done to so many before; quickly. It only took Greg two laps to dispose of the back-to-back event winner. That left a sour taste in Hansen's mouth, and he wanted to finish the year off in style by winning another event and getting another crack at Greg in the Grand Finals. First comes the Loser's Final against the only other person to win an event this year in Cooper Bright. Hansen had his chances but conceded defeat without using any of his extra laps for purchase. Hansen still maintains his record of getting on the podium at every event in the history of the Gran Potato Cup and takes home $15. More importantly he takes home the trophy and the majority of the championship prize pool. Firm handshake to him for his achievements.
Preston Woods - 8th (Record: 1-2) (Qualified: 6th) Handicap - TCS [5] Tire Compound [RSS]
Preston can hold his head high as after participating in the seven prior events of the Gran Potato Cup, he showed perseverance pays off and did something he has never been able to do before, win a one on one match up! He started the day off by qualifying 6th for the second event in a row. This may not sound special, but this was in my opinion his best qualifying to date as he was able to put down a faster lap than 3 other drivers which he has never been able to accomplish. With the high of the feeling, he must have come back to Earth pretty quickly by seeing his first match up of the day in the Winner's Quarterfinals. Mike Hansen has been no easy match up for any driver, and rarely makes mistakes. Preston was really unfortunate to go up against the eventual 2019 Gran Potato Cup Champion, and ended up admitting defeat without using any of his extra laps for purchase. In the Loser's Bracket Round 1, Preston faced off against the new kid on the circuit, Dave McKeever. Although this was Dave's first time competing, Preston knew he was going up against a gamer. Still, Preston fought valiantly and after waiting for so long, reached the milestone of match up winner and by 1.8 seconds to boot! Next up was a date with Mike Force in the Loser's Round 2. Preston had a tough challenge not only with who he was going against, but also the machinery for this match up. Preston gave it his all, including all three of his extra laps for purchase, but was unable to carry the previous battle's momentum to another win. He finished both the event and championship in 8th place. 2019 was a year of firsts and building for Preston. We will find out if the foundation is strong next season.
Stephen Trigueiro - 5th (Record: 1-2) (Qualified: 2nd) Handicap - TCS [1] Tire Compound [RH]
Stephen was the only one besides Mike Hansen who had a shot at taking home the trophy for the 2019 Gran Potato Cup. Stephen needed to win the event and have Hansen finish worse than 6th. The day started off well as he qualified 2nd for the second time in a row and one place ahead of Hansen. He took on his roommate Travis Roof in the "Battle of Greenwood". The day continued to progress the way Stephen wanted to as he took the win and advanced to the Winner's Semifinals. This time he went up against the title rival, Hansen. If Stephen won this clash, not only would he guarantee a podium position and put himself one match up victory away from the Grand Finals, but he would also knock Hansen down into the Loser's Bracket. This contest was one I'm looking forward to for many years as they didn't hold anything back. Unfortunately for Stephen, he couldn't put in a faster lap even going so far as to pay for an extra lap for purchase. The loss meant that Stephen had no chance to win the championship. Stephen had to pick himself up quickly though as he had "Battle of Greenwood: II" waiting in the wings. This time though Travis was warmed up and put in a truly amazing lap. Stephen struggled to best him and things went from bad to worse. Stephen finished a disappointing 5th and his 2nd place in the championship was cruelly taken from him by Cooper's brilliant 2nd place in the event. Stephen takes the last step of the podium in the championship standings for a second season in a row. Stephen will be back in the leading pack next year, he is too talented not to.
Travis Roof - 4th (Record: 2-2) (Qualified: 7th) Handicap - TCS [3] Tire Compound [RS]
Travis had a day, and it's a coin flip of who deserves driver of the day between himself and event winner Greg McKeever. After missing the previous event, it took some time for Travis to shake of the rust. He qualified in 7th which was towards the bottom of the field. In his first match up, he was right up against it by taking on title favorite in Stephen Trigueiro. Travis had issues controlling the '72 Alpine and Stephen won comfortably by over 6 seconds. This dropped Travis to the Loser's Bracket and only one loss away from being knocked out of the event. It must have been the double shot of whiskey that he took during qualifying, but things started click for Travis. The race against Jeff Meisenzahl in the Loser's Round 2 had the most seat changes, most individual laps, and most total laps of any match up on the day. Travis had to use two of his three extra laps for purchase, but finally took down Jeff to advance to the Loser's Quarterfinals. By this point in time, the rust was all gone and Travis was in the groove. He took on the man who knocked him down to the Loser's Bracket. This time though, he was ready to take on Stephen. Travis set a very good lap time on this third lap and although Stephen looked like he would be able to set a new fastest lap, Travis' time was just too strong. Travis was now in uncharted territory and was only one victory away from getting his first podium. The driver in his way? Cooper Bright in the Loser's Semifinals. Travis for the third race in a row had a very long and intense battle. He used his final extra lap available for purchase, but after 12 laps, he lost by the closest margin on the day of 0.037 seconds and finished a personal best of 4th for the event. Travis set a new Gran Potato Cup record of 39 laps in total between all his match ups at a single event. He ended the season strong and can hopefully ride that momentum into the start of next season.
FUN FACTS:
FUN FACTS:
Match Ups
Match Ups
Most total turns - 9 Turns: Race #11 (Jeff Meisenzahl vs. Travis Roof)
Most laps (individual) - 15 Laps: Race #11 (Jeff Meisenzahl)
Most total laps - 27 Laps: Race #11 (Jeff Meisenzahl vs. Travis Roof)
Closest margin - 0.037 Seconds: Race #16 (Cooper Bright vs. Travis Roof)
Event
Event
Most match ups - 6: Cooper Bright
Most turns - 16: Cooper Bright
Most laps - 39: Travis Roof
More Info on the Car/Circuit Combos
Final standings of the Q4 2019 GP Cup Event:
Final standings of the Q4 2019 GP Cup Event:
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