Joe Consiglio made another massive step towards his first World Championship by winning the Mexican Grand Prix in style. The Maltese driver finished in front of team mate Adam Rouse, the first 1-2 for Nordsjoen since Monaco, and Fusion's Phil Perkins, who held off Mark Wicks to clinch a precious podium.
The long home straight made for some very interesting start action, as drivers tried to use their rivals' slipstream to gain a crucial position. Consiglio kept his position, but behind him a battle erupted between Rouse, Bayes and Wicks. In the back rows, no major accidents were recorded, although by lap 4 the field had already seen some dramatic action.
Nikos Evangelidakis met the wall early in the race - and had to retire as the damage was beyond repair. Few laps later, a massive shunt saw Gavin Thomas collide heavily with Dave Carr-Smith, both cars disintegrating on impact and scattering debris all over the track. The marshals were quick, however, to remove all debris so a Safety Car situation was avoided. Among the mayhem, Chris Kinsman lost control of his previously damaged car and hit the wall violently - and almost being collected by an incoming Ponissi, an impact that would have had serious consequences for the drivers involved. It is the first serious crash in this season's Superleague - a sobering moment indeed.
As the field thinned, most drivers stopped for their first - and in many cases last - stop, with good fights opening for 3rd between Phil Perkins and Mark Wicks, the Cornish driver surely relishing the idea of coming back to the podium. Behind them, Kieran Ryan was able to see off a timid attempt by Bayes for 5th, the Australian having trouble with handling afterwards. Ryan McConkey took advantage of a rare Ponissi spin to pip him for 7th, while the Italian settled for 8th.
Up front, Joe Consiglio found a consistent rhythm and managed to keep Rouse at distance, the English driver eventually lowering his pace to preserve his car and avoid yet another technical problem.
With this result, Joe Consiglio opens a 17-point lead over Janne Tanskanen in the Drivers Championship. The Finn now needs to defend from Wicks and Rouse for 2nd, the three drivers within a mere 7 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Nordsjoen's lead now looks solid enough to last, with Woods Racing gaining a slender lead over Evans Blue.
For full results and Drivers' Comments, click here: 2009 Mexican Grand Prix results