Staff
A superb Saturday gave way to a sobering Sunday for Steve Arpin.
The Fort Frances native was on top of the world–and the standings–after winning his second-straight final during the Red Bull Global Rallycross circuit’s inaugural visit to Canada.
After winning the feature on the second of two days of racing in Thompson, Conn. two weeks earlier, Arpin drove his Loenbro Motorsports machine to the checkered flag and become the season’s first repeat winner.
His total time of 7:04.591 had Arpin 1.4 seconds ahead of Tanner Foust (Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross), who clocked in at 7:06.036.
Arpin was second in all three of his heats Saturday, then won his semi-final race as a precursor to his success in the final.
The victory put Arpin in first place in the driver points race for the first time since he joined the Global Rallycross tour in 2013.
The tables turned sharply against Arpin on Sunday, though.
After finishing fourth, first, and third in his preliminary heats, and then third in the semi-final, Arpin made contact with another car on the opening lap of the final that knocked him out of the race.
His 10th-place finish, combined with Foust going on to win Sunday’s final, allowed the latter to leapfrog Arpin in the standings with 418 points.
Arpin sits in second (391).
Arpin will look to regain top spot when Global Rallycross invades the Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on July 9.
The final will be broadcast live on NBCSN at 7 p.m. (CDT).
