Tsukuba Circuit

Round 5 of the Old Guy Racing League Formula Vee season at Tsukuba Circuit produced a hard-fought victory for #60 Mark Bolton, who converted his pole position into a race win despite facing genuine pressure throughout the 23-lap contest. Bolton led 14 of the 23 laps, but four lead changes across the field told the story of a race that was never fully under control. Starting from ninth on the grid, #11 Pernell Hanelt delivered the drive of the day, slicing through to finish third and earning hard charger honors with a six-position gain. It was a clean enough run for Hanelt, who crossed the line with four incidents — the same count as runner-up #2 Andrew McMurray, who climbed from third on the grid to second at the flag, having briefly held the lead for two laps during the race.

Uwe Hale in #929 was a factor throughout, leading seven laps after advancing from fifth on the grid before ultimately settling for fourth. Ric Wishon in #074 had a tougher afternoon, sliding three spots back from his front-row starting position to finish fifth. Meanwhile, #14 David Tamira had the worst result of the night, falling seven positions from fourth on the grid to last in the classified finishers with eight incidents — a damaging performance given where the standings currently sit.

The hard charger story belongs to Pernell Hanelt. Starting ninth in an eleven-car field, his path to the podium required clean execution and the ability to navigate a race that saw no cautions in 23 laps, meaning every position gained was earned on the circuit with nowhere to hide. Hanelt and his #11 entry now enter the standings conversation with a result that will demand attention moving forward.

In the title fight, Camron Frederick holds the points lead with 61 points, just two clear of David Tamira at 59 and three ahead of Ric Wishon at 58 — the tightest three-way battle of the season so far. Andrew McMurray's runner-up finish moved him to 51 points, keeping his #2 machine in contention, while Clark Wolfe sits fifth at 50. Tamira's difficult evening at Tsukuba means he gave ground at exactly the wrong moment, and with the gap at the top razor-thin, every round from here will carry genuine consequences.