ICON VEHICLE DYNAMICS ANDREA PATHIAKIS TO CONTINUE SUCCESS IN LORORS SECOND ROUND
ICON VEHICLE DYNAMICS ANDREA PATHIAKIS TO CONTINUE SUCCESS IN LORORS SECOND ROUND
March 5, 2012- The 2012 Lucas Oil Regional Off-Road Series season opener came and went as driver Andrea Pathiakis finished the February 18th race with a 1st place trophy in hand. This weekend, March 10th, marks the next stop on the 2nd year of the six round Southern California regional series. The ICON Vehicle Dynamics, SDHQ, DMZ sponsored female hopes to gain more points in the series and keep on top of the Mini Stock class.
Pathiakis finished the inaugural LORORS season as the 2011 Mini Stock reigning champion. However for 2012, she commented that this was a brand new year and was focused on being fast and consistent; she couldn’t simply focus on being the champ. The series came off of a three month off-season where it was rumored that many other Mini Stock drivers were entering the class.
The Saturday race morning confirmed those rumors as seven fellow Mini Stock trucks showed up to race against Pathiakis. “I was stoked to see more Mini Stocks, the class keeps growing and getting more hype. My true responsibility is to be an ambassador to this class so I can’t be anything but excited to see more drivers” Pathiakis said before entering into the class practice. The ICON Vehicle Dynamics pit included familiar faces from last year including Tim Duncan of DMZ Fab & Race Prep who has been a key member of the team, along with continuing crew chief Sean Kepler of APRacing and ICON. During the Mini Stock practice, the #11 driver posted the fastest lap among the seven drivers and showed the same consistency as 2011’s winning championship. Driving like a seasoned veteran, Pathiakis also lead the qualifying session for four laps until the truck rattled out an exhaust leak. Thankfully a quick turn of Tim Duncan’s wrench and the quick thinking of crew member Kevin Dardicci, the Mini Stock was prepped and ready for the main event.
With the small problem in the qualifying laps, Andrea Pathiakis was pushed back from her usual pole position to starting on the outside, at the 4th spot. However as the green flag waved, Pathiakis quickly outdrove the driver in third and fellow ICON Vehicle Dynamics teammate, Mike Jenkins to begin hunting down the former short course racer and also fellow ICON teammate Jake Capriotti. Pathiakis and Capriotti had a fierce battle for more than half the race, interchanging positions and rubbing doors until Capriotti suffered mechanical problems and Pathiakis was able to take the lead after the cautionary yellow flag lap. She held that position for the remaining laps and despite losing her entire exhaust system, was able to take the checkered flag and 1st place for the 2012 season LORORS opener.
The ICON Vehicle Dynamics racing team was ecstatic with Pathiakis’ performance and will be continuing to support the female driver into the rest of the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series. With only minor changes and a new exhaust, the APR team and driver will be gearing up for the second round again at Glen Helen Raceway this weekend, March 10th. Fans will once again fill the stands to watch some of the best, grassroots short course racing action and for their opportunity to get a glimpse at the Mini Stock driver. Big news also hit the stands as LORORS announced that the series will wrap up the 2012 season by combining the Arizona, Southern California, and Utah divisions into an all for nothing shootout at the famous Las Vegas Motor Speedway which will be…televised. Driver Andrea Pathiakis has set her sights on racing against out of state drivers and hopefully entering as a top notch competitor; just as last year.
