Press Releases - Top Step

Top Step

It took a little over a season, but British Indy contestant Mack Zaggro finally managed to ascend the top of the podium yesterday in Long Beach, having looked up at the winner no less than 7 times on the podium in the previous campaign.

With little-to-no expectation for race day after a lackluster Qualifying, Zaggro would start the race outside the top ten in P11, but perfect conditions and a track you can overtake on comfortably was enough to convince his NOVA Sport team (who rarely need convincing) to go for a very aggressive strategy, which has worked so often for the team across all disciplines.

In a series where the hard tyre is king, the #23 NOVA Sport strategists took a bold approach, running lighter on a soft/soft/soft two stop strategy, which initially looked not to have paid off, as the 30 year old was overtaken for P11 by Dagotto, but this was not the opening of the floodgates that the team feared, as Mack switched on the soft rubber on lap 2, and began a rapid ascention through the top ten.

The turning point however came mere laps before his first stop, as a few seconds down the road, Swiss driver Hunt peeled into the pits. Seeing where he came out in the pack, and knowing he has a strong pit crew at his disposal, Zaggro burned the last of his soft rubber on its longest stint, and managed to jump Hunt in the stops, setting about making the most of clear air and fresh rubber over the next ten laps as the hard runners began to stop.

Mack - now sitting P3 - had to stop one more time, and anticipated many of the drivers around him would haul out a one stop long run, leaving him work to do on the road. However... Stopping on lap 53, with just 22 to go, Mack only dropped to P5, and on the freshest boots, took the challenge to the drivers around him, jumping back up to P2 and matching the pace of compatriot Josh Rush, who was comfortably leading with a solid 10 second margin.

... And for the first time this season, good fortune actually fell for Zaggro. A double DNF in the field behind him saw Rush's 10 second lead negated as the race's second caution was thrown. Bringing Zaggro and Championship leader Morgan right back into contention, but with both rivals being on fresher hard compound, Mack had to make good use of his Softs before they were past their prime.

Which he didn't do...

Rush held a fantastic defense of P1, not letting his fellow Brit past for a solid time as the final laps ticked down, but uncharacteristically, Rush ran deep and cost himself dearly, relinquishing a place on the podium in the process.
Which left a fight to the finish between Zaggro and reigning champion Morgan, a fight which looked over, as Morgan took the lead with just a handful of laps to run, and it looked to be three from three for the driver who has started off the Season 34 campaign with back to back wins.

But although Mack would have happily taken a P2, having started his campaign with a double DNF in the opening two rounds, today was not a day for compromise, and retook the lead with just three laps to go, taking the flag for his first victory in Indy.

Mack and the NOVA team have some work to do still to recoup the points lost from the opening rounds. But a win, fastest lap, and laps led bonus is a great start.