NEW RICHMOND, Wis. — Jake Timm’s dream season continued Thursday night with a victory on opening night of the 25th annual Masters at Cedar Lake Speedway.
He paced the final 22 laps to score his second win of the year with the Summit USMTS National Championship.
The outside of the front row was the place to be for Rodney Sanders as he jumped to the high side and sprinted to a huge lead in just three laps.
Five laps later, Timm got around polesitter A.J. Diemel for second place and put Sanders squarely in his crosshairs. The leader made it easier for Timm as Sanders smacked the wall in the first turn after completing lap 12.
That gave Timm the opportunity to pounce and he took control with 13 laps down while Sanders fought to keep him within striking distance.
The first caution of the 35-lapper came with 18 laps to go, and Sanders again churned the cushion in the first corner and pounded the outside wall.
This time, however, the five-time USMTS national champ lost wholesale positions and battled a damaged machine for the remainder of the race, eventually hanging on for a 15th-place finish.
Timm on the other hand, tip-toed around the top too but kept right rear fender straight and motored straight to the checkered flag for the 10th time in his career.
The win was his Timm’s second Thursday night triumph during the Masters, but his first in 2021 was actually a USRA-sanctioned modified race so this was his first under the USMTS banner.
“When we got to lapped traffic, for once the yellow seemed to actually help me,” Timm recalled. “It got pretty hairy with the character and everything down there (in turn one) and there’s guys sliding all over and racing with each other. Two guys cross each other up on the straightaway as I was trying to sneak underneath them and I’m lucky I didn’t get a flat because I got hit in the right rear pretty good.”
Ryan Gierke took a peek underneath the leader after the final caution with six to go, but settled for his best USMTS finish with a runner-up paycheck while Terry Phillips filled out the podium.
Continuing his turnaround this month, Joe Chisholm clawed his way from 20th on the starting grid to fourth at the finish line.
The finish:
Jake Timm, Ryan Gierke, Terry Phillips, Joe Chisholm, Brandon Davis, Alex Williamson, Jim Chisholm, A.J. Diemel, Dave Cain, Tanner Mullens, Jacob Hobscheidt, Tyler Davis, Zach Benson, Matt Leer, Rodney Sanders, Dan Ebert, Steve Lavasseur, Kyle Brown, Gabe Hodges, Kaden Blaeser, Gary Christian, Jeremy Nelson, Adam Hensel, Steven Glenn, Jason Hughes, A.J. Hoff.