Sirois Masters Fuel Strategy for Commanding Road America Victory

Plymouth, WI — The Sim Gaming Expo ISRA Retro Series returned to action for Round 8 of the championship with a visit to the legendary Road America. Trading the close confines of Gateway for the sweeping four-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the drivers faced a 55-minute sprint in the iconic Lotus 79. The race demanded equal measures of speed, patience, and fuel conservation, with strategy ultimately proving just as important as outright pace.

Championship leader David Sirois started from pole position alongside Richie Hearn and wasted little time asserting himself when the green flag waved. While the leaders negotiated the opening corners cleanly, Hugo Galaz endured a disastrous start after running off course on the opening lap. The excursion forced the Chilean driver to tow his Lotus back to pit lane before he could resume the race.

Out front, Sirois immediately settled into a smooth rhythm, opening a lead of nearly seven-tenths of a second by the completion of the first lap as the field wound its way around Road America’s fast straights and technical braking zones.

Early attrition soon claimed one of the championship’s biggest names. Matt Wagner suffered heavy damage after driving nose-first into the tire barriers, eventually receiving a mechanical black flag that ended his afternoon well before the halfway point.

Meanwhile, Lionel Calisto showed flashes of tremendous speed throughout the opening stint. Nicknamed the “Little Train,” Calisto posted several of the race’s quickest laps but repeatedly saw his progress undone by off-track excursions and spins that prevented him from mounting a challenge for the podium.

As the race reached the midway point, attention shifted from outright speed to fuel mileage.

Unlike the series’ traditional 75-minute oval races, the shorter road course format presented teams with a difficult strategic choice: attempt to stretch fuel on a risky one-stop strategy or commit to the safety of two pit stops.

Alex Guyon and Chris Stofer were among the first frontrunners to pit, while Sirois and Cristobal Valenzuela elected to extend their opening stints in search of track position.

The strategy proved risky.

Running comfortably inside the top five, Mike Goodman miscalculated his fuel window and ran dry on the front straight while attempting to reach pit road. Forced to coast to his stall, Goodman surrendered valuable track position and fell to 12th in the running order. Richie Hearn later admitted he had experienced a similar scare, revealing after the race that his Lotus ran out of fuel almost immediately after entering pit lane.

The battle behind Sirois became the race’s primary source of excitement.

Christopher Ragan emerged as a surprise contender after executing an exceptionally quick pit stop that vaulted him into podium contention. During the closing stages, Hearn relentlessly pressured both Ragan and Valenzuela in a thrilling fight for second place.

The decisive moment came approaching Turn 14. Valenzuela, struggling with a car that had become increasingly difficult to handle, was forced onto the defensive as Hearn attempted an outside move. Both drivers entered Turn 1 carrying too much speed, allowing the patient Ragan to slip clear and firmly establish himself in second place.

While the battle behind him intensified, Sirois remained in complete control.

Having carefully managed his fuel throughout the opening stint, the championship leader avoided the costly extra stop that had plagued him earlier in the season and cruised to another convincing victory.

Following the race, Sirois explained that his victory was built on disciplined fuel conservation during the opening half of the event, allowing him to execute the preferred strategy without unnecessary risk.

The post-race discussion quickly shifted from racing to food as drivers engaged in a spirited debate over pineapple on pizza. Sirois and Christopher Ragan enthusiastically defended the controversial topping, with Ragan even advocating for the addition of jalapeños, while Hearn and members of the broadcast booth remained firmly opposed. Despite the lighthearted disagreement, competitors universally praised the clean racing and once again celebrated Road America as one of sim racing’s true “National Parks of Speed.”