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Alex Lloyd Finds Own Iowa Field of Dreams |
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When Alex Lloyd came out of the cornfield in Iowa he found that they had changed the American version of cricket a bit just for him. Home plate was changed into a start-finish line, but you still ran around the place counter-clockwise. It took Alex 105 laps around the place to adjust to the American ways, but he was a good student and a quick learner.
The Pro race was like an oval version of Formula 1 with Aryton Senna racing against the Professor, Alain Prost. In this case the professor was Wade Cunningham, the 2005 champion. Cunningham finally had a car that allowed him to perform like he did in 2005 and 2006. For starters, Wade won the first pole ever for AFS Racing, Lloyd’s team last year.
However, when Alex hasn’t been able to take the pole himself he doesn’t let the other position on the front row get away. When the green flag dropped Cunningham did what you would expect, he had the moves to maintain the lead.
For 105 laps Alex tested Wade in every possible way, but the Kiwi knew all the right moves to make to keep the lead, even though it looked [on streaming video] as if he was not quite as fast at the Brit. Wade also gave lessons on how to move through and lap traffic on the fast, high banked Iowa Speedway..
Four yellow flag cautions allowed Lloyd to zero out leads that Cunningham had built up, but then that’s racing.
On lap 106 Alex made his move and his dream of winning the race came true. He led the final 10 laps with Wade in tow. And, perhaps not surprising, Hideki Mutoh, who started 8th, claimed the other seat on the podium. Alex now has a 119-point lead over Mutoh-san as the first half of the season came to an end.
The next circuit is The Glen, Watkins Glen. That should be a blast. With Lloyd, Cunningham and Wilson it should be like Senna, Prost and Mansell on that former U.S. Grand Prix circuit. This year they all get two shots at The Glen, on July 7 and 8. Wilson has won the pole and the race there and Cunningham knows how to win the pole at The Glen also.
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