ABL S36 W12 Recap

02 June 2024
Absolute Beginners League | Season 36 | Week 12
GT3 Series Andy Morgan Cup | Road Atlanta

On Sunday, June 2nd, the Absolute Beginners League concluded their Andy Morgan Cup season in the FIA F4 Series at Road Atlanta with an exciting pair of 20-minute races. Marcus Byfeldt secured the pole position for the first race, with David Burns alongside him. At the start, Ales Kanak made a swift move from third place, overtaking Burns in the first corner to settle into second behind Byfeldt. Byfeldt quickly established a commanding pace, building a comfortable lead over the field while Burns kept close to Kanak’s bumper, looking to reclaim second place.

Neil Bamber, running in fourth, kept a watchful eye on the battle ahead, ready to capitalize on any mistakes. Kanak managed to fend off Burns for the first half of the race. However, as they crossed the halfway mark, Burns found an opportunity, getting a strong run and slipping his car to the inside of Kanak to reclaim second place. By this point, Byfeldt had extended his lead to over five seconds, making it nearly impossible for Burns to catch up. Despite Bamber’s efforts to challenge Kanak for third, he couldn’t find a way through before Byfeldt took the first checkered flag of the night.

The top five finishers were inverted for the second race, putting series rookie Roman Beran on pole, with Bamber starting alongside him. Byfeldt began from fifth but had a sluggish start, losing a position to Milan Halmas and dropping to sixth. As Byfeldt worked to find a way past Halmas, Bamber capitalized on a mistake from Beran to take the lead. A subsequent error from Halmas allowed Byfeldt to regain fifth place and begin challenging Beran for fourth.

Realizing the clock was ticking, Byfeldt made aggressive moves, knowing he had significant ground to cover if he wanted a shot at the win. Bamber maintained a lead of over two seconds with Burns now in second place, pressuring Bamber while Byfeldt fought his way up the field. Byfeldt managed to overtake Kanak into third but still trailed Bamber by 2.6 seconds.

In the second half of the race, Byfeldt closed the gap to the leaders but found Burns to be a formidable opponent, defending his position vigorously. Byfeldt’s relentless pressure forced Burns to drive more defensively, alleviating some of the pressure on Bamber. With about five minutes remaining, Burns made a crucial mistake, allowing Byfeldt to move into second place and quickly reel in Bamber.

In a dramatic turn of events, Byfeldt made an outside pass attempt on Bamber but ran out of room, skimming through the grass to avoid contact. Soon after, Bamber made a mistake of his own, going wide out of a corner and losing momentum on the front stretch, making it easy for Byfeldt to overtake and claim the lead. Bamber recovered quickly enough to hold onto second place ahead of Burns as Byfeldt led the final lap to take the checkered flag and secure the season championship.