This Time, Radisich Gets the Jump and Holds On to Win Super Vee Race

Pole-sitter Paul Radisich of New Zealand used a simple and successful game plan Sunday to win the 61.79-mile Valvoline Bosch/Volkswagen Super Vee race, a prelude to the CART main event at Long Beach.

Radisich, driving his Ralt RT-5 open-wheeled car without a problem, led Robbie Groff of Northridge around for the full 37 laps and won by 3.05 seconds. He averaged 69.354 m.p.h.

Radisich also sat on the pole at Long Beach last year when, he said, “I made a big mistake.”

In that race, he had hesitated when the starter didn’t wave the green flag right away as the cars rolled toward the line, giving Newport Beach’s Steve Bren a jump and a lead he never relinquished. Radisich ran second.

“I was thinking about the start last night and it went exactly the way I thought about it,” Radisich said. “I knew if I got to the first corner first, I’d have it in the bag. You can’t really pass here, if you have even speed.”