Nur Ali had an action packed debut weekend in the Red Bull Global Rallycross (GRC) Lites series in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The Trophy Club, TX resident experienced highs and lows and walked away with a respectable sixth place finish in the main event. He also took the victory in the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) heat race.
In the first heat race, Ali was slow to get away. Lined up in the fourth starting spot, he fell to fifth heading into turn one. On lap three, he took the Joker Lap, gained back the position and cruised to the checkered in fourth place. The Joker Lap is a different route which typically shortens the length of the track, significantly forcing a driver to make strategic decisions about when to take it. Drivers can take one Joker Lap per race.
Ali’s second heat race was over before it even started. After completing two laps, the engine on his No. 42 Valvoline/Tweaker Energy Shot entry went into safe mode due to a minor cooling issue and forced him to retire.
Without qualifying for the final, Ali was forced to compete in the LCQ. Starting from the rear, he charged into turn one glued to the rear bumper of leader Collete Davis. On the third lap, he slipped by Davis in turn five to take the lead and the victory.
Ali lined up in the seventh spot at the start of the 10-lap main event. As the drivers were finding their rhythm, the race was halted on lap five after a scary incident involving Davis and Miles Maroney that saw Davis’ car wedged between the retaining wall and jump. She was unhurt in the incident. Due to live TV obligations, GRC officials pushed back the restart until after the Supercar final.
On the restart, Ali quickly found himself in a fierce battle with Maroney over sixth spot. The two swapped positions lap after lap but when the checkered flag waved, Ali secured the sixth place finish.
“What a weekend,” said Ali. “We experienced it all. Highs and lows but overall it was satisfying to survive the weekend with a sixth place finish. GRC puts on an amazing event. So much action and intensity crammed into two-days. I’m hooked and can’t thank everyone enough for making this weekend so successful including AF Racing, Valvoline, Tweaker Energy Shot, adidas and Rally Ready Driving School. I can’t wait to get to Daytona in a few weeks.”
The next race for Ali is the Red Bull Global Rallycross Daytona Beach held at the historic Daytona International Speedway on June 19-21.
Be sure to catch him on Speedway Digest Thursday Night Thunder following the Daytona event. For more information on Nur Ali visit NurAli.com.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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