Hearn Triumphs at Homestead: Flag-to-Flag Green Opens Retro Series Season

Homestead, FL — The opening round of the ISRA Retro Series Season 2 kicked off at the palm-tree-lined Homestead-Miami Speedway with a thrilling 75-minute timed showcase. This throwback campaign features the classic Lotus 79, a 1979 Formula 1 machine adapted for oval competition that rewards aerodynamic faith and high-speed commitment. Competitors raced with fixed setups, meaning they had no modern hybrid systems or push-to-pass tools, relying purely on race craft.

David Sirois secured the pole position, flanked by Chris Stofer in second. The green flag saw an immediate three-wide stampede into turn one as tires warmed up. While Sirois led the opening moments, Stofer executed an early pass to the inside to take the point. The racing quickly developed a pack-racing rhythm on the straights as drivers utilized the draft to save fuel. Matt Wagner, starting from the third row, mounted a strong charge to become the third distinct leader of the race by lap 28.

Because the Lotus 79 is equipped with a small fuel tank and a slow refueling rate, pit strategy became the deciding factor. The first pit window opened around lap 40, with Stofer and Christopher Ragan being the first to peel off. Hugo Galaz attempted an alternate strategy, pitting very early and falling two laps down in hopes of a caution that never came. Drivers faced the technical challenge of manually controlling their speed on pit road without pit limiters. Richie Hearn and Craig Forsythe gained an advantage during the mid-race cycles by staying out longer than Stofer.

Throughout the middle stages, Stofer and Forsythe engaged in a ferocious over-under battle for the lead, constantly swapping positions coming out of turn four. However, Stofer’s aggressive pace and early pit stops backfired. By the final stint, he had fallen back to lead the trailing pack, leaving the victory to be contested by Hearn, Forsythe, and Sirois.

In the final pit cycle, Richie Hearn made a decisive move by taking only a right-front tire to minimize his time stationary. David Sirois executed a lightning-fast 19-second stop to emerge as a major threat, while Craig Forsythe fell out of the lead battle after an over-fueling error cost him two seconds. Because it was a timed race, drivers had to calculate exactly when the white flag would fall to manage their remaining fuel. In a remarkable display of discipline, the entire 75-minute race ran flag-to-flag without a single caution flag.

Richie Hearn took the checkered flag, having led a race-high 63 laps. He credited his win to his pit strategy and precise fuel calculations. David Sirois finished a close second, followed by Craig Forsythe in third. Michael Goodman earned highest climber honors by advancing 12 spots to finish fourth, while Alex Guyon rounded out the top five. In post-race interviews, the podium finishers expressed their appreciation for the pure racing offered by the Lotus 79 over modern hybrid machinery. The series continues next Monday as the drivers transition to the road course at Watkins Glen.