Sebring Bonus Major (Feb 7-9th 2025)
CFR Sebring Bonus Major Event
February | Sebring, FL
Car Count - 11 FF
What a fantastic weekend at Sebring! The former World War II airfield, now a renowned racetrack, continues to be a unique and challenging venue. Sebring is famous for hosting one of the most prestigious races in the world, and of course, for its infamous “bumps.”
After completing a test day, we lost one driver immediately due to the high level of competition, leaving 11 Formula Fords for the remainder of the weekend.
John Robinson, a 2-time Runoffs Champion, led the charge all weekend. Though a bit older and out of the car for over a year, Robinson's wealth of experience helped him make up for his lack of seat time. I coach Robinson and let me tell you, the man needs more seat time. At 24 years old, with only three races last year, I could use more seat time myself!
Brian Graham, who runs BGR—a team known for developing up-and-coming talent (just look at their alumni list)— has been making a return to driving. After nearly two decades away from Sebring, he quickly reacquainted himself with the circuit.
This weekend was a Bonus Major, which worked out much better than the Hoosier Super Tour.
The format included a 4-session test day on Friday, which went mostly green, with only a few interruptions.
Saturday featured 3 sessions: 1 practice, 1 qualifying, and 1 regional race. Sunday held the main event, the "major race," in which we had our own group.
Unfortunately on Saturday, 2 of the 11 cars had broken down, leaving just 9 drivers to start the races.
Race 2: At the start of the race, drivers tried to hold on to Robinson as long as possible. Michael Dowden did the best job of this, staying in touch with Robinson in the opening laps before falling back. Dan Thorogood stayed close for the first 3 laps but eventually settled into 3rd for the remainder of the race.
The battle for 4th was intense. Charles Foster, driving a bright red DF5, led the charge for 4th, with Brian Graham—this time behind the wheel rather than on pit lane—challenging him. Behind Graham was Schimenti, watching as the two fought for position. Alan Oppel, who had been a contender in this group, suffered an early incident and fell back. Neil Radloff, who had an extraordinary weekend and improved his lap time by 4 seconds, set a personal best. Neil made an impressive run through the field, passing Schimenti, but became overzealous and spun off shortly after.
With about three-quarters of the race left, Brian applied pressure to Foster. Unfortunately, Foster made a mistake at the exit of turn 17 and made contact with the wall, damaging his car. The incident brought out the double yellow, and the race ended under caution. Foster’s car will need repairs, but more importantly, I hope he’s okay.
On a positive note, Alan Oppel, Dom Seddio, Michael Dowden, and Neil Radloff improved as the weekend went on, with each driver posting their fastest lap in the final race. A special mention goes to Michael Dowden, who quickly adapted to Sebring and drove his heart out in Race 2. In my opinion, he made the fewest mistakes and handled the changing conditions the best.
SCCA livestreamed the event, and you can watch Race 2 starting at 3:13:55
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeG3DeyuodQ.
It was great to see everyone at Sebring. Racing is very difficult, and there are many obstacles to overcome. I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to the drivers and crew who came out and raced this weekend, and also to all the volunteers who make these weekends possible.
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Originally Posted by Jonathan Lee
