LOS ANGELES - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing rookie driver Cabot Bigham entered the final race of Red Bull Global Rallycross’ GRC Lites needing a minor miracle to win the championship down double digit points to two rivals, in a pair of Olsbergs MSE X Forces drivers Miki Weckstrom and 2015 GRC Lites champion Oliver Eriksson. He needed to hope he finished anywhere from four to five spots higher than them to overtake the points gap.
In a frenetic final that saw Weckstrom eliminated on the first lap of the race and Eriksson dropped down the order, Bigham emerged in second place - behind weekend dominant driver Alex Keyes, his DRR teammate - in the early stages of the final after starting 10th and last.
Then when Keyes fell off the road with a mechanical issue, Bigham suddenly had the lead and the title within his grasp. Eriksson recovered to fourth place, but it was not enough to retain his title, and the 20-year-old rookie out of Mill Valley, Calif. had won the GRC Lites title.
“Coming into this year, I really didn’t know what to expect!” Bigham said. “I knew I had the pavement experience, but was lacking in dirt. I was so fortunate to have such a supportive team in DRR. I also had my buddies Alex (Keyes) and Tanner (Whitten) to help me along the way. Everyone helped bring me up to speed so fast. I can’t thank them all enough!”
CORE autosport had a banner day behind Bigham, with rally rookies Scott Anderson and Colin Braun second and third to secure the Jon Bennett-owned, Morgan Brady-led CORE team its first double podium finish in GRC Lites competition.
You can see coverage of the GRC Lites finale from Los Angeles on Thursday, October 13, on NBCSN at 4:30 p.m. ET.