Adam Sinclair
Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway more than 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of traveling 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 spent several 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 sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place (almost) every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
Contact Adam: Email
Silver Hare Racing Rides Wave of Momentum to Mid-Ohio
After posting a pair of victories in the last four rounds of the 2023 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series, 16-year-old Connor Zilisch can’t wait to hit the track once again in his No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro for this weekend’s 3-Dimensional Services Group Classic at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.
Zilisch and his 14-year-old teammate Ben Maier will take to the legendary 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course nestled smack between Cleveland and Columbus for 45 laps or 70 minutes of competition – whichever comes first – set for a 12:40 p.m. EDT start Sunday.
His victory in the second of two races on the downtown streets of Detroit three weekends ago was a highly improbable one, to say the least. Zilisch and his Silver Hare Camaro clearly was the car-and-driver combination to beat the entire doubleheader weekend. He qualified on the pole for Saturday’s opening race and led the first 11 laps before being unceremoniously run into a tire barrier on a restart, but not before clocking what turned out to be the fastest lap of the race to earn the pole position for Sunday’s doubleheader weekend nightcap.
As fate would have it, Zilisch was sent to the back of Sunday’s starting grid due to a technical infraction. Undeterred, he made a determined march to the front of the field and took the checkered flag in second place, half a car length behind apparent race winner Thomas Annunziata. But officials penalized Annunziata for contact deemed avoidable during the race’s final restart and declared Zilisch the winner. It was the second win of the season for the native of Mooresville, North Carolina, the first coming three rounds prior at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on March 26.
Zilisch arrives at Mid-Ohio very much in the championship hunt through six of the season’s 13 rounds. He’s third in the driver standings behind fellow teenager Brent Crews and seasoned veteran Thomas Merrill. Sunday’s race will be his first TA2 start at Mid-Ohio after having to forego last year’s event due to a previous commitment. He did take part in last year’s weekend doubleheader there during his Rookie of the Year season in the prestigious Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Series.
Maier, driver of the No. 75 Silver Hare Racing/Gel Blaster Camaro, has been nearly flawless in his first six outings on the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli tour. He posted his second top-10 of the season in the Saturday race at Detroit, and appeared headed for a potential top-five run in the Sunday race had it not been for a cut tire, from which he rebounded for a 17th-place result.
The native of Chester, Maryland, competed at Mid-Ohio on back-to-back weekends last year and logged stellar results. He swept both races of a Spec Miata doubleheader the final weekend of June, then returned the following weekend for his first career start in the Stadium Super Trucks series as undercard to the headlining IndyCar Series and drove to a third-place finish.
A Friday-afternoon practice sessions kicks off the weekend for the TA2 competitors. Saturday begins with TA2 practice at 11:05 a.m. EDT, followed by TA2 qualifying at 3:20 p.m. As are all Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series events this season, Sunday’s 12:40 p.m. race will be live streamed via the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. The series’ new television partner MAVTV will air a 60-minute version of the race weekend at 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 29.
Silver Hare Racing leverages its Trans Am effort to promote its arrive-and-drive program, where aspiring racers and even tenured professionals hone their road-racing skills on some of the most revered tracks in North America. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton have all wheeled Silver Hare Racing-prepared cars to burnish their road-racing abilities in top-flight equipment.
The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing for both competition and private testing. Silver Hare Racing has a dedicated, fulltime crew and operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. At the track, two 53-foot Featherlite transporters serve as the team’s base, each outfitted with a lounge and smart TVs for data and video review, as well as for hospitality.
To further Silver Hare Racing’s driver development capabilities, the team’s race shop in High Point is now equipped with a SHOCKWAVE Simulator, a tool specifically developed for drivers to accelerate racetrack familiarity, improve car control and confidence, and build stamina. SHOCKWAVE has been involved in racing since 1965 and is currently actively participating in NASCAR, ARCA, Trans Am, Late Models, and Sprint cars. Its Trans Am package replicates a Howe Racing TA2 chassis, complete with cockpit controls and sounds.
“With NASCAR having so many more road-course races, it’s our goal for Silver Hare Racing to be the preferred team for drivers to get that road-course experience,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “We want to be that important step in the ladder for the young, up-and-coming drivers like Connor and Ben. We want people to know we have an arrive-and-drive program, where for people who want to run this track or another, we provide the opportunity to do that and be successful.”
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Connor Zilisch, driver, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro: |
“We weren’t there last year, so we might be a little bit behind on setup, or even me, I might be a little bit behind as a driver. Thankfully we have some good practice time to get it all sorted out and get off on the right foot. I think Mid-Ohio will be a really cool track in these cars.
“It’s a driver’s racetrack, for sure. Lots of elevation, like I said. High corner speed, you’ve got to get over the hills well and get good runs off the corners, there are some crests over some exits and things that make it a little bit tricky. It’s definitely one of the harder tracks we’ll go to from a driving standpoint, which I think will suit us well because I feel like I’ll be able to make up time driving while at some other tracks you might not be able to. I think it’ll be a good track for us and I hope we can get some good speed. Hopefully we’ll be quick and qualify up front, that’s the main thing – we’ve got to keep qualifying well if we want to finish well and have good races.
“Hopefully we can back up our pole and our win at Detroit with another pole and a win at Mid-Ohio and keep ourselves in the championship fight. Looking forward to the rest of the season and finishing out strong and having good finishes and working toward the championship.
“Mid-Ohio is narrow and the straightaways might not be as long as at some other tracks, but I feel like there are still good braking zones for passing. It might be tough in a few spots, but the Keyhole, down the back straightaway, there are good spots to get around people. It’ll really be just about making the most of what you’ve got, and qualifying is definitely going to be important. You’ve got to qualify well and, if you qualify well and race up front, you’ll be good. We’ve just got to focus on our speed in practice and make sure we’re in a good place with the car and the setup and hopefully we’ll be able to keep it up front and get ourselves another good finish.”
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Ben Maier, driver, No. 75 Silver Hare Racing/Gel Blaster Chevrolet Camaro: |
“The Keyhole (turn two), you really want to get a good run out of there because of the straightaways that come after it. Coming onto the frontstretch, it’s important to get a good run off the last turn. Setting up for the straightaways and getting good runs will be important, and also carrying speed through the turns.
“After racing at Detroit with walls all around the track, it’s going to be a relief to not feel stressed about trying not to hit the walls. Mid-Ohio will be a lot more forgiving.
“Now that we’re about to pass the halfway point in the season, I just need to work on little points and refining them, and pick up some speed and hopefully be running with the guys in the front, eventually.”
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USA and Germany battle for lead in Formula E World Championship
Formula E heads stateside for a debut race in Portland, Oregon where the fight for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title is heating up as only six points separate the top three drivers going into Round 12 of the 16-race season.
Driver Jake Dennis of US-based Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team will be going all out to overcome the one-point gap separating him and championship leader Pascal Wehrlein of TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in the 2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix this Saturday.
Britain’s Dennis is sure to have the home crowd on his side and has consistently finished on the podium throughout Season 9 with one win and seven top-three finishes in the 11 races to date.
Long-time standings leader Wehrlein lost his top spot in Monaco but reclaimed his authority with a controlled victory the next time out in Round 10 in Jakarta, leading home his closest rival Dennis. That was his first win – and podium - since Round 3 in Diriyah while Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) hit a rich run of form, overcoming the German in the standings with a win in Monaco.
After maintaining the lead for several rounds, Cassidy now finds himself third in the standings, just five points back from second-place Dennis.
A disastrous weekend in Indonesia after back-to-back podiums in Monaco and Berlin just weeks before meant Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) fell out of the top-three in the standings with just 15 points from more than 50 on offer in the Jakarta double-header. Evans sits 19 points behind Cassidy but remains firmly in the championship picture.
In Rounds 11 and 12 one driver found himself at the top of every timed session in Jakarta, a first in Formula E history for Maserati MSG Racing's Maximilian Günther. The German driver clicked instantly with the circuit and dominated the timed sessions on the way to his first Julius Bär Pole Position.
He repeated this performance on Sunday with a second pole and secured a historic race win, becoming the only driver to win from pole in the past 14 races and sealing the first victory for Maserati in a world championship single seater race since the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio won at Nurburgring back in 1957.
NEW VENUE IN THE USA
Formula E is gearing up for a sixth visit to the United States of America with a debut race at the Portland International Raceway (PIR) and the 2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix.
The all-electric series has raced in America every season since its inception in 2014. From Miami to Long Beach to New York City, Formula E has introduced world class electric racing to all corners of the country. Heading to eco-friendly Portland in the Northwest, the net-zero championship is set to introduce a whole new set of potential fans to the leading global electric racing series, as well as its drive for clean, sustainable EV tech.
The Portland International Raceway is a familiar pitstop for American motorsport series such as IndyCar, and the layout has a history of providing some close battles. In 1997, the premier American single-seater series saw the closest three-way finish on a road course as Mark Blundell bested Gil de Ferran and Raul Boesel by half a tenth of a second.
The Raceway officially came into being back in the 1970s after several decades as a ruin. The track was established after wide-spread flooding destroyed an entire town, leaving behind nothing but roads that could be used only as a racetrack during Portland's iconic Rose Festival.
The track became a home for professional motorsport in 1975 when the Trans-Am Series began competing at the track, and in the decades that followed, IndyCar and the NASCAR Truck Series followed suit. The track saw a significant slowdown in competition during the 2000s and 2010s, but it has since been revived as a coveted racing venue for IndyCar and the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the past few years. Now, Formula E is set to join the long list of prestigious series to hit Portland’s pavement, and the series is ready to make history as the track's first all-electric race.
The track is one of the longest Formula E has ever raced on, measuring at 3.190km. The track differs slightly to that used in the IndyCar series with Formula E and the FIA choosing to add 20 metres to Turn One. This is one significant track change that is set to make this weekend’s race a thrilling watch.
WHEN TO WATCH
Free Practice 1 for the Southwire Portland E-Prix gets underway at 17:00 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Friday 23 June.
Free Practice 2 starts at 10:30 PDT on Saturday followed by qualifying from 12:40 PDT. Round 12 gets underway from 17:00 PDT.
FOLLOW LIVE!
Follow the action on-track as it happens in the new Race Centre. Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow drivers during every session of every E-Prix - plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.
WAYS TO WATCH
Find out how to follow the action live in every country by visiting: fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
USA: CBS will show Saturday’s race across their pay-tv platform, CBS Sports Network. Free Practice Sessions and Quali will be live on CBSSports.com as well as the CBS Sports App.
Formula E: The States Driving This Eco-Friendly Motorsport
- Gambling.com calculated which states are the most interested in Formula E.
- They used Google Trends to measure nationwide interest in the phrase ‘Formula E’, and then broke this down by state to see where the term is looked up the most.
- All data was collected and correct on 06/23/2023.
Gray Leadbetter Returns to Crandon with Pro Spec Points Lead
Defending Championship Off-Road Pro Spec champion Gray Leadbetter will return to her Ryan Beat Motorsports-prepared #28 Bilstein/Pennzoil/Toyo Tires Chevrolet Colorado at Crandon International Raceway, as the takes on the Forest County Potawatomi Brush Run on Saturday and Sunday. Leadbetter remains in possession of the points leader’s red number plate coming into the third and fourth races of the 2023 campaign, and she’ll look to extend the advantage at the same track where she locked up last year’s title.
“It’s going to be a blast to get back to short course this weekend at Crandon,” said Leadbetter. “Ryan Beat and the whole R/BM team have worked their butts off to build the best truck on the Pro Spec grid, and I was thrilled to kick off the year at Antigo right where we were last year: fighting for the win. I feel on top of my game after all the driving I’ve been doing this month, and I think we have a good shot at our first win of the year at the Brush Run!”
The opening round at Antigo Lions Roaring Raceway saw Leadbetter back in the quick and consistent form that won her last year’s class championship. After qualifying fastest for Saturday’s kickoff race, she clawed her way through the field from sixth place on the grid after the invert to finish second, within a second on track of the winner. Sunday saw her recover from an early spin to finish second once again, this time after a brilliant restart after the competition caution that saw her fighting for the lead. The end result of the weekend was a five-point advantage over her closest competition coming into “The Big House.”
But between those two race weekends, Leadbetter headed to Jay, Oklahoma’s MidAmerica Outdoors to take part in the first round of the 2023-24 Nitrocross season in the SXS class. Competitive pace all weekend long yielded back-to-back fourth-place finishes in Saturday’s finals, with a brief stint in the lead in the first feature. It’s all added up to one of the busiest months of the 18-year-old’s young career, which started with preseason testing with R/BM and will eventually see her race six features across two different series and race classes.
Last year’s Crandon Brush Run saw Leadbetter take finishes of fourth and second, but she scored her fourth and final win of the 2022 campaign as part of the series’ most recent visit for last September’s World Championship. That win and a third place finish in the finale were integral to her championship win, which came by a razor-thin three-point margin.
Leadbetter’s first track time comes on Friday, with Pro Spec practice at 12:00PM and qualifying at 3:55. Her races are scheduled for 4:15PM on Saturday and 4:45PM on Sunday. As always, the action can be streamed live on FloRacing throughout the weekend.
Gray Leadbetter’s 2023 Championship Off-Road program with Ryan Beat Motorsports is supported by Chevrolet, Bilstein, Pennzoil, Toyo Tires, Tremor Wheels, Steel-It, Sunoco Race Fuel, RIGID, Magnaflow, Mechanix Wear, FK Rod Ends, Hyperco, Brembo Brakes, Ehren, Fortin Racing, Fiberwerx, Automatic Transmission Design, Power Steering Solution, Geiser Performance, Antigravity Batteries, Hawk Performance, DS Customs, and Calico Coatings. Following Crandon, her next race in the series will be the ERX Off-Road National at ERX Motor Park on July 14-15. |
Era Motorsport Ready for Sahlen's Six Hours at the Glen
The IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship takes teams to their third endurance race of the season with the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen, and LMP2 team Era Motorsport is ready to impress in the fourth race of the season.
Season-long drivers Ryan Dalziel and Dwight Merriman will once again be joined by Indy NXT driver Christian Rasmussen who is joining the team in endurance races for the 2023 season.
The Era Motorsport team is hungry for their first win of the season after bad luck striking at every round so far this year ruining otherwise impressive drives.
Most recently at Laguna Seca the No. 18 Era Motorsport car was spun by a competitor as Ryan Dalziel was passing for the lead with less than 30 minutes to go in the race.
A total of 57 cars will be taking the green flag at Watkins Glen International on Sunday June 25 at 10:30 am, with nine cars competing in the LMP2 class.
"I'm very excited for Six Hours of the Glen!" said Dalziel. "When we were here a few weeks ago testing we had some incredible pace, and I'm excited to see how that plays out for us for the race weekend."
"The ever-growing LMP2 field makes things harder for us, but at the same time more exciting as we know it's a great class that always provides some of the best racing.”
Rasmussen is also looking forward to a competitive weekend after promising test sessions.
"I'm pumped to be back in the LMP2 car with Era Motorsport," he said. "I think we showed promising pace at the test we did back in May. I think if we can carry that into the race weekend we are in for a good weekend of racing."
Event Schedule | All Times Pacific
Friday, June 23
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Practice 1
Saturday, June 24
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM: Practice 2
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Autograph Session
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM: LMP2 Qualifying
Sunday, June 25
8:00 AM – 8:20 AM: Warm-Up
9:35 AM – 10:20 AM: Open Grid Fan Walk
10:40 AM – 4:40 PM: Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen
How to Watch
Racing coverage for the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen will reside on Peacock, where the race will be shown from flag-to-flag, and USA, which will cover the race from 2:00 PM onward.
International coverage varies from country to country, but most regions will be able to watch the race live at IMSA.com/TVLive. A full list of international broadcasters can be found here.
Fans can follow Era Motorsport on Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Instagram for live updates and behind-the-scenes action.
Richard Petty & Billy Lane Continue Investing In the Next Generation of Tradespeople
Northern Tool + Equipment will celebrate the upcoming release of its all new NorthStar line of engines by announcing an exciting build-off in front of thousands of people at the Minnesota Street Rod Association Back to the 50’s event on June 23rd. Two Minnesota high schools will spend the next year constructing rat rod go-karts using 740cc NorthStar EFI engines under the watchful eye of mentors Richard Petty, a NASCAR legend, and celebrity motorcycle builder Billy Lane. The build-off is part of Northern Tool + Equipment’s Tools for the Trades™ program.
“Tools for the Trades™ is a great program, and it’s important for kids to know they have career options. This country will always need tradespeople to make and manufacture things,” said Petty. “The team at Petty’s Garage and I are excited to meet the students and help them with this build-off.”
The schools will each receive a new, cutting-edge NorthStar EFI engine. Later this year, multiple sizes of the engine, from 180cc to 825cc, including two new engines at 300cc and 420cc, will be used in NorthStar products and available for purchase at Northern Tool. Each school’s career and technical education program will also receive a donation of professional-grade tools and equipment, including air compressors and air-powered tools donated by Ingersoll Rand.
“Ingersoll Rand is excited to support these students with the opportunity to learn valuable skills by providing access to the same quality equipment used by professionals across the skilled trades,” added Kate Hartman, marketing leader at Ingersoll Rand.
Northern Tool created Tools for the Trades™ to help address the skilled trades labor gap by providing schools, students and instructors with the proper equipment to grow trades learning options and the experiences to fuel interest in the trades for the next generation. The schools selected for this build-off, Minneapolis North and Lakeville North, will be able to provide students with invaluable hands-on experience through the project. The finished carts will also be custom pinstriped by renowned pinstriper Cliff Anderson, Jr, and the eight-month process will be featured on social media with progress narration by celebrity YouTuber Dylan McCool.
“We’re passionate about supporting and fueling the curiosity of the next generation of tradespeople,” said Northern Tool + Equipment Co-owner Wade Kotula. “This is an exciting project because it will teach real-world skills while also exposing students to the wealth of knowledge our mentors possess, and they get to start and end it all at an amazing event in MSRA’s Back to the 50’s Weekend.”
Finished carts will then be unveiled at the 50th Anniversary of Back to the 50’s in 2024 and will be raced at Lane’s Sons of Speed® classic motorcycle racing series.
“It’s a thrill and an honor to be involved in teaching students these skills,” said Lane. “There are a lot of good ways to make a living, and this effort by Northern Tool + Equipment to expose students to the trades at a young age is critical.”
Braun Puts No. 60 Acura atop Watkins Glen Practice before Rain
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Justin Marks Earns Third Motul Pole Award of 2023 at Wet Mid-Ohio
Practice and qualifying are in the books for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Justin Marks in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro laid down the quickest lap in the wet following a rainy day at the Ohio venue. Marks earned his third Motul Pole Award of 2023 with a time of 1:45.340.
Multiple competitors in the various classes opted not to take a lap in the wet conditions.
“These are really hard conditions because they’re constantly changing,” said Marks. “The track can change up to two seconds from lap to lap when it mists or stops misting, so you have to attack at the right time, and you have to get a little bit lucky. It started to mist right as we were about to be released for qualifying. I was worried it was going to get heavier and heavier, so I attacked right away and tried to get the lap in. I still planned on staying out the whole time in case it did stop raining and the track started getting faster and drier. We did good today. It was not very comfortable in practice, and we talked a lot about what changes we were going to make. They made some really good changes and made me feel like I was in the car that I needed. I missed the test session yesterday, so if we have a dry race tomorrow, we’re going to end up guessing on our setup, but we’ll do it with enthusiasm.”
TA Qualifying Top Five:
1. Justin Marks, No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro (1:45.340)
2. Boris Said, No. 2 Weaver/Householder/Technique Dodge Challenger (1:47.782)
3. Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (1:50.991)
4. Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang (1:53.567)
5. Kerry Hitt, No. 22 Advanced Composite Products Inc. Chevrolet Camaro (1:54.682)
XGT Qualifying:
1. Will Rodgers, No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang (1:51.024)
2. Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 (2:14.706)
3. Chris Evans, No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang (2:21.210)
SGT Qualifying:
1. Lee Saunders, No. 44 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper (1:53.788)
2. Carey Grant, No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup (2:07.171)
3. Milton Grant, No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup (2:18.881)
4. Ricky Sanders, No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup (No Time)
GT Qualifying:
1. Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang (1:57.440)
2. Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GTA (2:00.827)
3. Jack Rinke, No. 12 Chevrolet Performance Turn Key Motorsports Camaro (No Time)
4. Michael Attaway, No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 (No Time)
5. Todd Napieralski, No. 39 Chevrolet Performance/SKF/Turn Key Motorsports Camaro (No Time)
TAH Qualifying:
1. Wally Dallenbach, No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang (No Time)
Full qualifying results can be found here.
TA Practice Top Five:
1. Matthew Brabham, No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (1:55.355)
2. Justin Marks, No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro (1:56.345)
3. Boris Said, No. 2 Weaver/Householder/Technique Dodge Challenger (2:04.701)
4. David Pintaric, No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang (2:06.810)
5. Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang (2:07.498)
XGT Practice:
1. Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 (53.443)
SGT Practice:
1. Lee Saunders, No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper (2:22.632)
GT Practice:
1. Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GTA (2:12.932)
2. Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang (2:22.414)
Full practice results can be found here.
The TA/XGT/SGT/GT race will be contested on Saturday, June 24 at 1:10 p.m. ET and will be streamed live here. The TV broadcast of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Rain Cancels Qualifying; Callum Hedge to Start from Pole
Rain marred the opening day of competition for Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda (FR Americas) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Race Director Scott Goodyear opted to cancel this afternoon’s qualifying to instead allocate the time for a free practice session. With qualifying officially cancelled, the starting lineup for tomorrow’s race will be set by the Championship Points Standings and points leader Callum Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) will lead the field off the grid. SEE MORE: Starting Grid The morning practice session was led by Cooper Becklin (No. 19 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), who recorded his first-career podium at Mid-Ohio last year during a very wet Race 3. Manuel Roza (No. 12 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), in his rookie season of FR Americas competition, was second in the session while driving on Hankook tires. Meanwhile, championship points leader Callum Hedge (No. 17 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was third on the speed charts. SEE MORE: Practice 1 Results Becklin continued to pace the field during the afternoon practice. Ohio native Austin Hill (No. 8 SoOhio Equip/Alum Trailers/Ferris Mowers/Big Tex Trailers/PJ Trailers/CM Truck Ligier JS F3) was second at his home track, preparing to make his first FR Americas start at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Cole Kleck, who is competing in his very first FR Americas race weekend, was third quick in the session. SEE MORE: Practice 2 Results Lights out for FR Americas’ Race 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. ET. Fans attending the PERMCO Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio will also have the opportunity to meet the drivers of FR Americas & Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda during an all-driver autograph session at 2 p.m. ET. The session will be held in the FR/F4 paddock, near the series trailer and souvenir stands. Follow FR Americas on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and watch Race Monitor for live timing and scoring. This weekend’s races will also be available to stream free at YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV. STREAM THE RACE: YouTube.com/SpeedTourTV |
About Formula Regional Americas Championship & Formula 4 United States Championship, Powered by Honda: The FIA-certified Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) & Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) are designed as entry-level open-wheel racing series offering young talent the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform while keeping affordability and safety as key elements. The Championships align with the global FIA development ladder philosophy of using common components to provide a cost-efficient, reliable and powerful racing structure as drivers ascend through the levels on their way to U.S. or global racing success. The F4 U.S. Champion is awarded a scholarship to compete the following season in FR Americas, while the FR Americas Champion is awarded a Super Formula Scholarship from Honda Performance Development and Honda Racing Corporation. |
