FCC SOUTHEAST: Official Press Release from Sebring - Wills leads championship!

:checkered:SOUTHEAST: Results from Sebring - Wills leads championship!

10 Formula Mazdas took the green this past weekend at the Sebring double header.
2010 SCCA FM Natl Champ Darryl Wills won both races in the opening weekend for the Southeast Region of the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear, and now leads the 2011 championship.

While much of the country is covered in snow or just beginning to thaw, racing starts early in the New Year in Sebring, Florida. The Formula Car Challenge Southeast began its third successful season this weekend. Each year the series has grown and with renewed support from Goodyear and Moses Smith Racing (manufacturer of the Formula Mazda) 2011 is shaping up to be something very exciting.
Southeast Series Coordinator Bruce Lawrence of The Speed Connection has secured cash and prizes for the points fund from Goodyear and MSR, and is working on further local sponsorship. The points fund will continue to grow throughout the year and more information can be found on the Formula Car Challenge website.

SATURDAY, RACE 1 : Two days of testing and qualifying in the chilly January morning put Darryl Wills of Deer Park, Texas on the pole for the first race of the Southeast Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear. When the green flag dropped, 10 cars made up the field of Formula Mazda’s at Sebring International Raceway.
As the sun came out and the weather began to warm up, so did the racing. An early race incident brought out a full course yellow flag, bunching the field back together putting Curt Harrelson in second, and Russell Hillenburg in third. Along with Sebring’s unique challenges, roughness, and big curbing, the track really takes a toll on the suspension. Dale was no exception, early race suspension damage caused to him to retire his Formula Mazda from the fight early. Later in the race, while passing a lapped competitor, Ty Young’s nose was clipped by the out of class car, causing minor damage but ending his race. Darryl Wills dominated the first race of the season and remained uncontested throughout the weekend. Although the cars out front seemed to run away with the race, there was continuous battle mid-pack making for some exciting racing in Florida.

SUNDAY, RACE 2: Much like the Saturday race, qualifying was cold, but the weather had warmed up for the beginning of the race. Once again Darryl Wills was on the pole and Beau Borders was sitting next to him looking for the opportunity to get out in front at the start of the race. Wills, with a flawless start, took the lead and never looked back. Russell Hillenburg, also visiting from Texas ran in the second place position for the entire race. As was the case in Saturday’s race, the middle of the pack was the place to race this weekend at Sebring.
Curt Harrelson, Beau Borders, Dale Swope, Brock Baldwin, and Carson Weeder all battling for position traded third through sixth positions throughout the race. Ty Young, a newcomer to Formula Mazda had a fantastic start in Race 2 but eventually drifted back from the fierce action. Beau Borders was able to claim the second place spot on the track from Curt Harrelson on the final lap of the race, and both drivers said they had a great battle and an awesome fight. Darryl Wills not only won both races in this double header, he also set a new track record of 2:10.751 at Sebring International Raceway.
Southeast FCC Series Director, Bruce Lawrence, exclaimed "Overall the four day weekend double race went well. After a rainy test day the rest of the weekend shaped up really nice. I want to thank everyone for making this first event of the Southeast Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear a great one. We are seeing many veterans and several new faces in Formula Mazda Racing with every weekend and it makes for some exciting racing. It’s a great thing to have an affordable race series again and there is no better ‘bang for the buck’ than Formula Mazda. We are looking forward to the 2011 season as well as some premiere Formula Mazda Events including the NASA FCC Championships at Mid-Ohio."


Official Press Release: http://www.formulacarchallenge.com/NewsItems/eastcoast/01.10.11.pdf

The next Southeast FCC race is being held at Roebling Road on March 5-6, this is an SCCA National race as well. Please contact Southeast Series Coordinator Bruce Lawrence at the Speed Connection to enter and for more details. www.thespeedconnection.com

Additional series information can be found at the official FCC wesbite: www.FormulaCarChallenge.com
www.facebook.com/FormulaCar

Additional information about Formula Mazda can be found:
www.mosessmithracing.com
www.facebook.com/FormulaMazda