September 7, 2008

Team Moore Racing charged to the Joliet oval for the SunRichGourmet 100, the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights™ finale, fresh from their Sonoma win with an even higher vigor inspired by Mark Moore's announcement that Dillon Battistini would drive the Xtreme Coil Drilling #22 vacated by Pablo Donoso. 

Dillon Battistini, Firestone Indy Lights rookie sensation who won the season opener at Homestead in his very first oval-track appearance and followed with three more wins at Kansas, Iowa and Kentucky, suddenly became a free agent after the Sonoma race, coincidently when the TMR Xtreme #22 car became available.

"Tom Wood and I are very happy to have an opportunity to see what Dillon Battistini can do in our car," said team co-owner Mark Moore. "Dillon is an extremely talented driver and we are really looking forward to the race at Chicago with him in the #22 car," capped Moore of the deal sealed on Thursday. "With Dillon as teammate to Jonathan Klein, we couldn’t ask for a better pair of drivers to compete in the final event."

With practice looming for Friday, TMR quickly tailored the Xtreme Coil Drilling #22 to fit Dillon Battistini, and the proof rolled out in Practice 1 when Battistini steadily rose throughout the session to rank 7th of twenty-four cars.

Jonathan Klein worked the Xtreme Coil Drilling #2 along his racing lines on his home track and dialed-in the car to take P3 in Practice 1 hot-lap competition resembling the fiercest racing conditions.

Qualifications Saturday were strong by Battistini and Klein.  The TMR Xtreme Coil Drilling cars filled Row 4 with their beautiful trademark bright yellow as Dillon registered a 7th and Jono clenched the 8th spot.

Under ideal conditions, Sunday's race held keys for TMR to finish the season with both cars in the Top 10 in the Entrants Points race, but it was not to be.  When the green flag dropped, Dillon Battistini got an inside run on Daniel Herrington but in Turn 2 Herrington lost control and turned down into Battistini. Dillon lurched the Xtreme Coil Drilling #22 sideways to avoid contact from Herrington and was momentarily safe, sliding along the white line exiting Turn 2 when Wade Cunningham, also sliding sideways in an accident-avoidance posture made harsh contact with Xtreme Coil Drilling #22, severely damaging the car's left rear suspension and ending Dillon's raceday.  Fortunately Dillon and Wade escaped personal harm.

"I got inside (Daniel) Herrington in the first corner," Battistini said.  "I was completely alongside. He just turned in like I wasn't there and he lost control of himself. I tried to change my line to avoid him spinning which unbalanced my car and just had a big slide. I almost held onto it but then Wade (Cunningham) couldn't avoid me. There was a bit of a big impact there but I'm fine."

Starting 8th, Jonathan Klein delivered a great drive in a fiercely contested race, especially considering he had no running partner, among several competitors who did have helpers.  Jono picked up three spots advancing to 5th and challenged for 4th, but several times found himself freight-trained by groups of two and three cars and fluctuated between 5th and 8th spots.   Klein fought hard to the finish to take the checkers in 6th, cementing the Xtreme Coil Drilling #2 in 8th position for 2008 Entrants Points.

The Xtreme Coil Drilling #22's bit of bad luck at Chicago allowed its slip from a tie for 11th to finish 12th in points, still a proud accomplishment for the team after not beginning the sixteen-race 2008 season until race five.

 "We would have liked to have finished the points in the top 10 in with the second car, but still, the guys did a great, great job," beamed Mark Moore.  "We've presented them with some pretty steep challenges and they've come through every time.  Tom Wood and I are very proud of these guys and they've put us to where we wanted to be, and it allows us to plan out our 2009 season in the manner that we've wanted."

The team enjoys a well-earned week's vacation and then starts prepping the cars and equipment for the 2009 season.