Tsukuba Circuit

Ric Wishon put together a flawless performance at Tsukuba Circuit on Monday night, taking the win in Round 5 of the OGRL Old Guy Racing League BMW M2 series from pole position. The #074 machine led all 25 laps in a race that saw zero cautions and zero lead changes, with Wishon never seriously threatened across the entirety of the compact Japanese circuit's demands. It was his fourth win of the season in five rounds, a dominant stretch that is reshaping the entire complexion of the series standings.

Behind Wishon, a late-race shuffle between #8 James Santoyo and #7 Andrew McMurray settled matters for the remaining podium spots. McMurray, who had qualified second, was shuffled back to third at the finish as Santoyo drove the #8 car from his P3 starting spot to a runner-up result — his first podium finish in the BMW M2 series. McMurray settled for third, also a series-first podium result for the #7 entry.

The hard charger award went to #5 Rick Sanchez, who delivered the most dramatic charge of the field by advancing four positions from his last-place starting spot of P11 to finish seventh. Sanchez's run came at a cost — nine incidents were logged against the #5 car — but the net gain of four positions earned him the hard charger honors on the night. Also worth noting was #9 Rick Mogstad, who gained three spots from P7 to finish fourth, though eight incidents on his scorecard kept his evening from being a clean one. At the opposite end of the ledger, #929 Uwe Hale fell six positions from his P5 starting spot to finish last, with ten incidents making for a difficult night that cost him valuable points.

With Wishon now sitting at 65 points after Round 5, the gap to second-place Camron Frederick stands at just four points, with David Tamira a further six back at 55 and Alex Bishop close behind at 53. The title fight remains tight for everyone chasing the #074, but Wishon's form through five rounds makes him the clear driver to beat as the series heads into the second half of the season.