Round 4 of the 2022 Formula “e” Series was yet another barn-burner day.
Round 4 was held on the SR2 Oval course and got underway on schedule and with G-Man (Greg Kondrek) arriving in time to attend the driver’s meeting and make the start of the first race.
We ran a full program plus one unofficial “Dirt” car race using the venerable MegaG+ w/ SK/Whelan Modified bodies.
We opened the day of racing with the first-ever Formula “e” car, the Tyco-Jet. Sort of a Stewart Raceway tradition now, we always start Fe races with the Tyco-Jet, which most guys seem to enjoy in spite of its excessively “loose” feel, even for a “Jet” car.
Race 1: Tyco-Jet IROC(12.5v)
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 120 | 16 | 363.732 |
| 2 | Ian Douglass | 120 | 13 | 364.581 |
| 3 | Greg Kondrek | 117 | 11 | 371.869 |
| 4 | George Peters | 109 | 7 | 373.295 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 87 | 6 | 372.056 |
| 6 | Jordan Walker | 82 | 5 | 381.673 |
The vintage Tyco-Jet IROC cars seem to be enjoyed by most, especially on the oval. Home Cook’n, Ian Douglass, and Greg Kondrek battled this one out with Home Cook’n and Ian finishing 1-2 and on the same lap. Detailed Results
Race 2: OS3 TFX “Lites” (18v)
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Ian Douglass | 118 | 16 | 354.852 |
| 2 | Steve Stewart | 118 | 13 | 371 |
| 3 | George Peters | 110 | 11 | 361.47 |
| 4 | Greg Kondrek | 108 | 7 | 367.217 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 84 | 6 | 350.858 |
| 6 | Jordan Walker | 81 | 5 | 366.201 |
Somehow I muffed a couple of podium shots on the day. This shot is actually the Concourse d’Elegance winner, George Peter’s Caddilac on the top step. Another Home Cook’n/Ian Douglass battle royal. Obviously, Ian won the race but George won the Concourse judging and the final spot on the podium in the always a blast TFX “Lites” class. Detailed Results.
Race 3: Formula V (12.5v)
Sorry, no podium shot here. This was the Formula V “F1/Indy” class debut.
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Steve Stewart | 120 | 16 | 298.223 |
| 2 | Ian Douglass | 117 | 13 | 283.988 |
| 3 | Greg Kondrek | 106 | 11 | 289.123 |
| 4 | George Peters | 106 | 7 | 291.924 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 100 | 6 | 293.024 |
| 6 | Jordan Walker | 67 | 5 | 302.438 |
This class seems like it might stick. The current rules are fairly vague but the car is based on the BSRT Formula G-Jet, which is actually fairly popular nationally. I think most of us utilized Viper-Jets and just moved the front axles to the long wheel-base hole and added a Tomy SG+ F1/Indy body. Home Cookn’s car was a HCS “Sportsman” chassis, which isn’t as good as a pure BSRT Formula G-Jet but it does have a 25T crown, which was actually very smooth on the oval and seemed to come off the corners a bit quicker. I know second-place driver, Ian Douglass, had converted his cars to the upcoming HOPRA rules, which limit the crown gear and pinions in this class to 7/23. The third-place finisher, Greg Kondrek, was running a borrowed car with a 7/21 gear setup but with MG+ front wheels and tires, which may explain why he was off the pace. The Sportsman front-end is also higher than the Formula G-Jet but seemed to work pretty good on the oval. Detailed Results
Race 4: Jag Hobbies PR-5 F1/Indy “Lites” 400-Laps (16.5v)
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | George Peters | 387 | 16 | 831.205 |
| 2 | Steve Stewart | 385 | 13 | 804.704 |
| 3 | Ian Douglass | 376 | 11 | 805.023 |
| 4 | Greg Kondrek | 357 | 7 | 878.33 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 352 | 6 | 827.103 |
| 6 | Jordan Walker | 207 | 5 | 842.132 |
The “Feature 400” race was another barn-burner race that was looking like another dual between Ian and Home Cook’n. Kondrek had a very fast car but was struggling with handling issues. Meanwhile, George Peters was quietly picking up laps, points, and determination. Going into the final heat, Ian was on the top of the leaderboard with 376-laps but done with his rotation. With only 376-laps, there were plenty of drivers thinking that wasn’t going to be enough. Kevin Webster was having a pretty good run and sitting in second place, but with only 352-laps, he too was on the bubble. George knew what he had to do and went out in the final segment and drove the wheels off his car to take the win by two laps. Between the PR-5 chassis’ speed and the Formula “e” 50-lap/fuel format, this race is an adrenaline-overload pressure cooker, for sure. Detailed Results
Race 5: Retro-Vipers IROC (12v)
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Ian Douglass | 120 | 16 | 356.6 |
| 2 | Greg Kondrek | 115 | 13 | 380.724 |
| 3 | Steve Stewart | 114 | 11 | 369.314 |
| 4 | George Peters | 114 | 7 | 388.475 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 89 | 6 | 384.786 |
| 6 | Jordan Walker | 72 | 5 | 382.919 |
The Retro-Viper is another cool car on the oval. Fast and loose, and a handful to drive. Ian Douglass nearly ran away with this one, winning three of his four rotations and out with a perfect score of 120-laps. It was another very competitive race but in the end, Ian won the race with a commanding 5-lap gap. The battle for second between Greg Kondrek, George Peters, and Home Cook’n was all that remained to be settled going into the final segment. Home Cook’n was out with a 114-lap score, Kondrek at 85-laps, and Peters at 84-laps. The final segment was amazing to watch. And, because I was out, I could watch it unfold. When the checkered flag dropped, Kondrek would best third and fourth by just one lap and seal the deal for the second spot on the podium. Home Cook’n managed to best Peters but only by points, not total laps. Both drivers finished with 114-laps. Very close racing is what it’s all about. Detailed Results
Race 6: Jag Hobbies NC-2 GT-40 “Lites” (15v)
The final “official” race of the day was another very competitive race (Sorry, muffed the podium shot). The NC-2 class is another highly competitive race where you’re dealing with a stock car and limited tuning options. However, on the oval, speed is the main ingredient for success. In this one, with NC-2 ace, Russ Toy, out of the line-up racing in Rocklin, Ian seemed to have the complete package and bested the field with another perfect run of 120-laps. Greg Kondrek was closest with 113-laps, and George Peters just one lap behind rounding out the podium. Detailed Results
All in all, it was a fantastic day of racing. Though our lone Junior driver had a rare unproductive day, he hung in there for all six “official” races, and hopefully learned a bit about sportsmanship and racing in general. Amazingly, while Jordan was struggling in the feature PR-5 400-lap race, his Dad, George, won that race while also trying to coach Jordan through his entire rotation—that takes some serious focusing skills, for sure.
We actually ran one additional “Unofficial” MegaG+ SK/Whelan Modified “Dirt car” race after the official stuff finished. Ian Douglass won that race also–by four laps!
Current “Unofficial” 2022 Formula “e” Points Standings
| Place | Name | Laps | Points | Total Time |
| 1 | Greg Kondrek | 3556 | 300 | 14064.65 |
| 2 | Ian Douglass | 2557 | 240 | 10498.28 |
| 3 | George Peters | 3314 | 223 | 14488.69 |
| 4 | Russ Toy | 2403 | 146 | 11253.26 |
| 5 | Kevin Webster | 2152 | 95 | 10747.85 |
| 6 | Jordan Walker | 1655 | 73 | 9918.38 |
| 7 | Brad Sandahl | 149 | 12 | 1241.092 |
These results do not include "Finish Ahead Of" points awarded to all positions after 3rd place in every race. The "Official" standings will be posted separately soon.
Greg Kondrek is still leading the series but can only use points from four of his five races. Ian is very close in points and has missed one already. The G-Man is going to need a very good Round 5 finale to seal the deal and take home the trophy for the 2022 Formula “e” Series. Be ready for more adrenaline-pumping action in the series finale in just two weeks.
Round 5 is slated for February 26, 2022 and will be held on the SR2 road course. Stay tuned for details and event registration link.
Okay, shut up and drive!
