Reigning Atlantics champion Dario Cangialosi took a commanding win in the second Formula Regional Americas iRacing Invitational Championship race at Circuit of the Americas.
The seven-race series using digital rectrations of FIA European Formula 3’s Dallara F317 car is a substitute?for on-track action while racing is put on hold during the global COVID-19 pandemic
Cangialosi edged Quinlan Lall in qualifying by just 0.018 seconds and made it through the opening corner in the lead as chaos ensued behind and a total of only 19 of the 33 drivers made it through unscatched.
From there, Cangialosi opened up a small lead over Lall until the latter span down the order on lap three of 17.
IndyCar race-winner A. J. Allmendinger then took the role of chaser, but he too spun on lap 11 while under pressure from Road Atlanta winner and former United States Formula 4 driver Ben Waddell.
He then crashed out three laps later at the fast Esses after striking a kerb, giving Cangialosi a healthy lead over reigning F3R Americas champion Dakota Dickerson ? who had until that point remained in sight of the Allmendinger and Waddell scrap.
Cangialosi ended the race with 6.429s in hand, with F3R Americas race-winner Jacob Abel rounding out the podium 11.727s behind. The 20-year-old winner of the race is set to announce his presence on the 2020 F3R Americas grid later this week.
After a strong start, Abel was hit by another driver later around the lap, sending him into a spin. Through overtakes and the misfortune of others, he rose back up to third. Allmendinger recovered to finish fourth, ahead of Blake Upton ? who was the highest-placed points scorer in the first round.
Jordan Missig climbed the most places in the race, from 25th on the grid to 10th, despite contact at the very end of the race with a lapped car.
During the race, however, Dominic Livernois was at one point up 18 spots. While scrapping with Dominic Cicero over 10th, the pair made heavy contact and both suffered damage that put them off the lead lap.
Lall had further unaided spins after dropping out of victory contention and ended up 12th, while Waddell was a twice-lapped 23rd.