No Wins but Strong Performances at Shellshock & Rumble Races
Now it was Cocoabo #28 on the verge of victory and the Team Tropicorp driver had the #28 twii.tur Multiversal Dart pacing the field with defending NSSCRA champion Kai Qiang closing in. Just three tenths back. Then two. The #44 TMW was getting closer and closer in the rear view mirror. With six laps to go Qiang got to the rear bumper of the Cocoabo's car. The two battled clean for 3 laps before Qiang smelled half an opening and ducked the nose of the #44 underneath the silver and green Cocoabomobile. Cocoabo #28 tucked in behind Qiang and followed the defending champion to the stripe in second place, not letting Gwen Tracer Allison get past.
While it wasn't the victory the team was looking for to guarantee their place in the Round of 8, it was still a solid points day as Cocoabo #28 leaped from outside the Top 8 to joint 5th in the standings. While it was a solid day the lack of a victory was still concerning to Team Tropicorp officials as the battle was extremely close. Just 3 points ahead of Cocoabo #28 in the standings was the 3rd place driver Skip Stiller. Just 7 points behind was the 9th place driver River 'Shark' Suzgar II - also representing the mark where a driver would not advance to the next round of competition.
It is for that reason that Cocoabo #28's ability to keep Gwen Tracer Allison at bay could prove to be critical in their hopes to advancing to the Round of 8 and continuing the quest to become the first ever Cocoabo champion of the NSSCRA. There would still be a lot of work to do at the Li River Speedway in Guilin - a track where Cocoabo #28 did not have a large amount of prior success. During NSSCRA 8, Cocoabo #28 had a strong qualifying effort inside the Top 10 but drifted back in the field for a 21st place finish. A similar result this week would likely see Cocoabo #28 slip outside the top 8 and outside the Chase. Considering how close the field is, the team knows they need to set their sights and expectations high with nothing less than a Top 5 finish certain to see the #28 Twii.tur Multiversal / Cocoabo Preservation Society Dart through to the next round.
The Dart Group @ The Rumble - Results
33rd - #07 Juracai Klianiota
11th - #23 Cocoabo #23
9th - #37 Jama'obo Pegasii
27th - #42 Euroli Islander
29th - #49 Lotara Novorali
3rd - #77 iBen Toralmintii
37th - #87 Kizara Mo'aaki
24th - #96 Shao Mengxia
34th - #97 Rulita Kikaba
While events were unfolding in Hampton Island, another contingent from Team Tropicorp were already forward deployed in Guilin at the Li River Speedway helping assist the Dart Group field an extra large contingent in the Rumble at the Rice Fields. While Team Tropicorp's assistance in the event helped to underscore their relationship with The Dart Group as a premier partner, it was also hoped that the experience gained throughout the IRACT race weekend for the Rumble in the Rice Fields could then be applied to the NSSCRA event at the track one week later. Team Tropicorp's World Grand Prix 2 driver Cocoabo #23, otherwise known as Fast Cocoabo, was behind the wheel of one of the teams entries which was effectively being run entirely by Team Tropicorp and Cocoabo Enrichment and Enhancement Project representatives with the goal of better preparing for Cocoabo #28's run in the NSSCRA Chase.
Just as events unfolded in Hampton Island, there was optimism but ultimately falling short of the ultimate success as Cocoabo #23 finished just outside the Top 10 in 11th place. Outside of Fast Cocoabo, The Dart Group experienced mixed results in the event with iBen Toralmintii nearly but not quite pulling off the victory, crossing the line third after starting on pole position and narrowly missing out on one of the two open charters for the Guangxhi Telecom 400. Jama'obo Pegasii, another Vilita & Turori Motorsports backed driver for The Dart Group was 9th with Cocoabo #23 the highest finishing Team Tropicorp supported driver. While it wasn't a Top 10, there was a lot that the team were able to learn from the performance for Cocoabo #23, normally an open wheel driver, that gave the team increased confidence heading into the NSSCRA race weekend that they could help advance Cocoabo #28 through to the next round.
