Calisto Conquers the Storm at Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin — Round 4 of the ISRA Sim Gaming Expo Open Wheel Series traded wide-open throttle for white-knuckle finesse as the field wrestled their Dallara IR-18 machines around the soaked bends of Road America. The four-mile expanse, often called the Cathedral of Speed, became a maze of spray and second guesses under drizzly Wisconsin skies.

Pole-sitter Matt Taylor led the field to green, but strategy unraveled almost immediately as rain intensified. While most of the 14-car grid started on alternate red-sidewall slicks, Lionel Calisto rolled off on wet tires after a late garage adjustment failed to save. What looked like a mistake turned prophetic within minutes.

By Lap 3, pit lane became mandatory reading. Drivers scrambled for wet tires as conditions worsened, but Calisto stayed out and suddenly inherited a massive advantage, opening nearly a 20-second gap over Taylor. Behind them, Jim Herrick attempted to ride out the storm on slicks, but the experiment quickly collapsed as the car became undriveable, ending with a spin at Turn 3.

As the race settled into a rhythm, Road America showed its teeth. Visibility vanished in rooster tails, braking zones arrived early, and corners seemed to shift with every lap. Richard Hearn ran strong in second before a heavy slide into the tire barriers at Canada Corner derailed his momentum. A later spin in the Carousel added to a growing list of casualties in a race that demanded patience more than bravery.

Mid-pack, a tense three-car fight developed between Rodrigo Munoz, Hugo Galaz, and David Sirois. With the traditional racing groove slicked over, the trio searched for grip along the rain line, carving wider arcs through corners and relying on feel more than visibility.

At roughly the halfway mark of the 55-minute race, Calisto made his lone pit stop for fuel while keeping his wet tires mounted. Taylor, now armed with tires three laps fresher, began a relentless charge, slicing a once-comfortable 23-second deficit down to under ten. Calisto flirted with trouble through Turn 3 and Canada Corner, small off-track moments threatening to undo his earlier fortune as pressure mounted.

The closing laps delivered drama across the track. Sirois hunted down Christopher Ragan in a fierce battle for the final podium position, completing a decisive pass on the penultimate lap. Moments later, heartbreak struck Ragan when a mechanical failure left him with what he described as a “box full of neutrals,” preventing him from reaching the finish.

Up front, Taylor closed to within three seconds of the lead, but a late mistake sent him off course and extinguished the final challenge. Calisto pressed on, admitting afterward he “should have wrecked so many times,” yet managing to keep the car pointed forward to claim a hard-earned victory in one of the most demanding races of the season.

With four rounds complete and four different winners in the Winter 2026 campaign, the championship picture remains wide open as the series turns its attention to the mile-and-a-half oval at Chicagoland Speedway, where the storms will give way to pure speed.