SBRS: NAT: VIR rounds three, four summary

Skip Barber National: Gabby Chaves Sweeps VIR Doubleheader

ALTON, Va. (April 26) Colombia's 14-year-old Gabby Chaves won both ends of the BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda double-header at VIR in spectacular fashion, coming from 18th on the grid and taking the lead three corners from the checker in race one, and then in race two, he passed leader Josef Newgarden a couple yards before the finish line to win by .082 of a second. Felipe Polehtto finished second and Mark Bumgarner third in the first race, while Newgarden and Stevan McAleer rounded out the podium in race two.

Chaves has not lost in the National this year, but doesn't head the standings; he won the opener at Sebring in March but had to miss that weekend's second race in order to get to Malaysia to run an FBMW race in front of the F1 crowd. After four of 14 rounds, Polehtto has 121 points to Newgarden's 106, Chaves' 105, Orsolon's 103 and Conor Daly's 95.

April 25, 2008, round 3 of 14, BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda
Virginia International Raceway, 17-turn, 3.27-mile road course
(Starting position in parentheses)

1. (18) Gabby Chaves, Colombia, 10 laps, 90.746 average mph
2. (3) Felipe Polehtto, Brazil, 10 laps
3. (9) Mark Bumgarner, Philippines, 10
4. (8) Chris Holmes, England, 10
5. (1) Fabio Orsolon, Brazil, 10
6. (5) Steven McAleer, Scotland, 10
7. (2) Josef Newgarden, Henderson, Tenn., 10
8. (12) Gustavo Linares, Brazil, 10
9. (16) Lee Carpentier, New Canaan, Conn., 10
10. (10) Hamilton Smith, West Hartford, Conn., 10
11. (21) Tyler Schaal, Sioux Falls, S.D., 10
12. (7) Conor Daly, Noblesville, Ind., 10
13.1M (17) Peter Tucker, Dallas, Texas, 10
14. (4) Connor De Phillippi, San Clemente, Calif., 10
15. (23) Eoin Ryan, Ireland, 10
16. (11) Dale Kistler-Collins, Thornton, Colo., 10
17. (13) Dex Tuttle, Charlotte, N.C., 10
18. (20) Dom Bastien, West Palm Beach, Fla., 10
19. (24) Nick Tonkin, Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada, 10
20. (19) Victor Pedrosa, Brazil, 10
21. (6) Marcio Pasaneli, Brazil, 7 (accident)
22. (22) Blake Kreiger, U.S., 6 (accident)
23. (15) Hayden Duerson, St. Petersburg, Fla., 3 (accident)
24. (14) Victor Carbone, Brazil, 1 (vibration)

Race length: 10 laps of 3.27-mile road course for 32.7 miles
Time of race: 21 minutes, 37.248 seconds
Conditions: Sunny and hot
Margin of victory: 0.639 seconds
Lap leaders: Orsolon 1; Newgarden 2 - 3; Polehtto 4 - 5; Newgarden 6 - 8; Chaves 9 - 10
Cautions: None
Fastest qualifier: Orsolon, 2:07.169 / 92.570 mph
Fastest race lap: Bumgarner, 2:07.069 / 92.643 mph, lap 4

***

April 26, 2008, round 4 of 14, BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda
Virginia International Raceway, 17-turn, 3.27-mile road course
(Starting position in parentheses)

1. (3) Gabby Chaves, Colombia, 10 laps, 90.903 average mph
2. (1) Josef Newgarden, Henderson, Tenn., 10 laps
3. (4) Steven McAleer, Scotland, 10
4. (2) Felipe Polehtto, Brazil, 10 laps
5. (5) Conor Daly, Noblesville, Ind., 10
6. (9) Chris Holmes, England, 10
7. (13) Hayden Duerson, St. Petersburg, Fla., 10
8. (10) Connor De Phillippi, San Clemente, Calif., 10
9. (6) Tyler Schaal, Sioux Falls, S.D., 10
10. (12) Hamilton Smith, West Hartford, Conn., 10
11. (8) Lee Carpentier, New Canaan, Conn., 10
12. (7) Fabio Orsolon, Brazil, 10
13. (14) Mark Bumgarner, Philippines, 10
14. (17) Gustavo Linares, Brazil, 10
15. (21) Victor Pedrosa, Brazil, 10
16. (15) Eoin Ryan, Ireland, 10
17. (24) Dex Tuttle, Charlotte, N.C., 10
18. (20) Dale Kistler-Collins, Thornton, Colo., 10
19. (19) Marcio Pasaneli, Brazil, 10
20. (18) Nick Tonkin, Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada, 10
21. (23) Victor Carbone, Brazil, 10
22. (22) Dom Bastien, West Palm Beach, Fla., 10
23. (11) Peter Tucker, Dallas, Texas, 10
24. (16) Blake Kreiger, U.S., 3 (accident)

Race length: 10 laps of 3.27-mile road course for 32.7 miles
Time of race: 21 minutes, 35.005 seconds
Conditions: Sunny and hot
Margin of victory: 0.082 seconds
Lap leaders: McAleer 1 - 2; Chaves 3; Newgarden 4; McAleer 5; Chaves 6; McAleer 7 - 9;
Chaves 10
Cautions: None
Fastest qualifier: Newgarden, 2:06.246 / 93.246 mph
Fastest race lap: Bumgarner, 2:07.500 / 92.329 mph, lap 2

***

2008 Skip Barber National points standings after 4 of 14 rounds, top 15 drivers:
1. Felipe Polehtto, 121
2. Josef Newgarden, 106
3. Gabby Chaves, 105
4. Fabio Orsolon, 103
5. Conor Daly, 95
6. Hayden Duerson 89
7. Stevan McAleer, 81
8. Hamilton Smith, 77
9. Tyler Scaal, 65
10. Mark Bumgarner, 63
11. Marcio Pasaneli, 63
12. Nick Tonkin, 62
13. Dale Kistler-Collins, 61
14. Chris Holmes, 60
15. Lee Carpentier, 58

-credit: skr