Freedom Autosport Concludes Competitive Season with 2nd in ST Championship - Speedway Digest

For the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5, the 2015 season came to an end with a rainy crash at Road Atlanta last Friday, but the entry finished second in the ST team championship thanks to a year of consistent success in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series.

Andrew Carbonell and (Retired) U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer were teammates for the first time this season, but they had success right from the start, finishing ninth in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Another top-ten followed at Sebring International Raceway, then Carbonell and Dwyer won round three at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In fact, for the first half of the Continental Tire season – five rounds – the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 never finished outside the top ten. And when that car finished 11^th at Lime Rock Park, Britt Casey, Jr., and Devin Jones kept the team in the top ten by finishing seventh in the No. 25 Mazda. Road Atlanta marked the only round in which a Freedom Autosport car was not in the top ten, although Casey and Jones took 17^th in the No. 25.

Freedom Autosport’s final 2015 tally included a win, two second-place finishes, three fourth-place finishes and six more top tens. The results are an impressive record of teamwork and consistency.

Carbonell, who also finished second in the ST driver championship, said, “Overall it was a great season. We had top-ten finishes in every event up until the last one, which is the type of consistency a team needs to win a championship. Liam did an incredible job all season of building on what he learned last year and running great stints like what we saw in the rain at Road Atlanta. There were also a lot of new people on the team this year and it was great to see how well everyone came together and became a true team as the season went on. This is momentum to take into next year; we get a running start into the year rather than a learning start like this season.”

The 2015 season was Dwyer’s first full season in the Continental Tire series. He was especially impressive in the finale at Road Atlanta, where he ran in the top three while battling the rainy conditions. He noted, “It was my first year on the team and my first year of professional racing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better season. Our finishes this season are a true testament to this team and to our dedication, and to the entire crew and the work they do here at the shop and the track. We had a really successful season, and I’ve got to thank the team, Mazda, and our military and veterans.”

Now that the 2015 season has concluded, Freedom Autosport will be focused on testing and preparations for the 2016 IMSA Continental Tire season. Keep up with the team on their website, Facebook and Twitter during the off-season for announcements and updates.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.