FRP 2021 Season Opener CMP
April 5, 2021 – The first Formula Race Promotions (FRP) event of 2021 went off without a hitch this past weekend at the evolving Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina. Dubbed ‘The Easter Egg Challenge,’ four FRP classes saw on track time as the much-anticipated season took the green flag. With a Promoters Test Day on Thursday, competitors received more than five hours of available track time over the three-day event.
It was Nicholas d’Orlando who asserted himself as a championship contender in the F1600 class taking a pair of race wins over the weekend as Alex Mayer did the same in F1000, continuing on his dominant season in 2020. Reigning F2000 champion Brandon Dixon took the top honors in race one but Reece Everard flexed his muscles on Saturday scoring the pole position and driving to a victory in race two.
“Thank you to all who attended,” expressed Bob Wright. “Our 2021 season is underway, and we could not be more ecstatic. Thank you to our teams and competitors for another safe and competitive weekend as well to the staff of Carolina Motorsports Park for the incredible hospitality and support in our first trip to the venue. We look forward to seeing you all at Mid-Ohio.”
F2000
Similar to Mayer in F1000, it was multi-time and reigning champion Brandon Dixon who started his season off right carrying his momentum from 2020 to earn the first pole position of the new year. Reece Everard slotted into the second position, just ahead of Thomas Cadwalader.
Dixon jumped out to the lead of the first F2000 event of the year, but it wasn’t a run and hide type of race as Reece Everard paced Dixon and the duo were separated by just three tenths after eight laps of the Carolina Motorsports Park facility. Everard closed the gap to less than a tenth on lap nine, but Dixon responded a lap later turning his fastest lap of the race on lap ten. Thomas Cadwalader slipped by Robert Wright for P3 on the same lap, pushing Wright back to fourth and Austin Hill in fifth. Dixon again went faster on lap eleven to signify his pace and run for the title as he led flag-to-flag to take the victory. Everard continued to push Dixon until the end, turning his fastest lap of the race on lap sixteen and finishing only .458 behind the multi-time champion. Cadwalader crossed the line in third for a podium result to start the season with Hill and Wright rounding out the top-five. However, Everard misjudged his weight and was disqualified after post-race race technical inspection moving Cadwalader into the second position and Austin Hill to third.
Saturday saw Everard rocket to the top of the timesheets in qualifying claiming the fastest lap and pole position on lap seven of his seven-lap qualifying stint. Showing pace with a 1:27.935, Everard was .447 ahead of round one winner Dixon as Cadwalader, Hill, and Wright rounded out the top-five.
Everard jumped out to an over four-second lead after only two laps as Dixon was mired back in the third position but on lap three, the #7 machine of the multi-time champion moved into second and began to take chunks of time out of the leader's gap. By lap six, Everard had settled into a rhythm of his own and kept the gap just around three seconds.
On lap nine, Dixon had a slight bobble and slowed over a second that lap as the door looked to be open for Everard to take his first win. Everard had a difficult lap on the eleventh circuit giving the second he gained back to Dixon as the pair played cat and mouse. Austin Hill and Robert Wright had a steady race to run third and fourth as Cadwalader ran fifth, right under the rear wing of Wright. Everard managed to hold his gap and score his first F2000 FRP victory of 2021 as Dixon and Hill stood on the podium in second and third. Thomas Cadwalader was able to get by Wright in the late stages of the race to earn the fourth position pushing Wright back to finish fifth.
April 5, 2021 – The first Formula Race Promotions (FRP) event of 2021 went off without a hitch this past weekend at the evolving Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina. Dubbed ‘The Easter Egg Challenge,’ four FRP classes saw on track time as the much-anticipated season took the green flag. With a Promoters Test Day on Thursday, competitors received more than five hours of available track time over the three-day event.
“Thank you to all who attended,” expressed Bob Wright. “Our 2021 season is underway, and we could not be more ecstatic. Thank you to our teams and competitors for another safe and competitive weekend as well to the staff of Carolina Motorsports Park for the incredible hospitality and support in our first trip to the venue. We look forward to seeing you all at Mid-Ohio.”
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