27 Mazda Powered Formula Car Drivers Put On An Epic Show For The IndyCar Fans at Sonoma
The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear was a featured series during the GoPro Grand Prix alongside IndyCar at Sonoma this past weekend.
The event served as the season finale for the IndyCar 2016 schedule, and Team Penske driver Simon Pagenaud took the IndyCar Series win and the 2016 Championship. This was the sixth time that the Formula Car Challenge was paired with the Verizon IndyCar® Series, and the FCC had featured races on Saturday and Sunday.
Pole Positions for RACE 1:
Pro FM: Joseph Burton-Harris (JBH)
FormulaSPEED: Carter Williams
Formula Mazda: Bill Weaver
When the green flag dropped the 27 Mazda powered rockets charged towards Turn Two in an amazing show of skill and determination. Overall pole winner Joseph Burton-Harris took a commanding lead, leaving Pro FM points leader Bruno Carneiro and Daniel Swanbeck battling for second. On lap 6 Swanbeck made a pass on Carneiro, and Robin Shute was able to get by soon after. All of the action gave JBH a lot of breathing room out front, and he was able to hold onto the lead until the checkered flag. In the FormulaSPEED class, pole sitter Carter Williams kept the lead the entire race but had Sting Ray Robb on his heels until the finish. Bill Weaver, pole sitter in the FM class, took a commanding lead and took the top spot in Formula Mazda.
RACE 1 Podium Pro Mazda:
Winner – Joseph Burton-Harris
Second – Robin Shute
Third – Daniel Swanbeck
RACE 1 Podium FormulaSPEED:
Winner – Carter Williams
Second – Sting Ray Robb
Third – Tao Takaoka
RACE 1 Podium Formula Mazda:
Winner – Bill Weaver
Second – Stew Tabak
Third - Dutch Shultz
On Friday and Saturday temperatures was in the mid 80's, but for Sunday's race it cranked up to 100 degrees. “The drivers have a limited supply of tires per our rules, and the added heat certainly was going to make Sunday's race a lot more exciting,” noted Series Official Ben Hettema.
Pole Positions for RACE 2:
Pro FM: Joseph Burton-Harris (JBH)
FormulaSPEED: Carter Williams
Formula Mazda: Bill Weaver
When the pace car started rolling out for race two, front row Pro FM driver Bruno Carneiro's car would not start. His crew was able to get the car started a few minutes after the entire grid had gone on track and so the #21 Rodizio Grill Pro FM would have to start at the back of the field. Once the green flag fell, JBH kept the lead in Pro FM, and FormulaSPEED class driver Sting Ray Robb was able to get by pole sitter Carter Williams on lap one. Bill Weaver held his position out front in the FM class, followed closely by FM points leader Stew Tabak. By the halfway mark in the race Carneiro had moved through most of the field and was in 8th position overall. With only a few laps to go, a full course yellow came out and bunched the field up. The race ended with one lap of green flag racing, and Carneiro was able to finish in 5th. JBH took the Pro FM win, Robb won in FS, and Weaver took another FM victory.
RACE 2 Podium Pro Mazda:
Winner – Joseph Burton-Harris
Second – Robin Shute
Third – Daniel Swanbeck
RACE 2 Podium FormulaSPEED:
Winner – Sting Ray Robb
Second – Carter Williams
Third – Jonathan Sugianto
RACE 1 Podium Formula Mazda:
Winner – Bill Weaver
Second – Stew Tabak
Third - Dutch Shultz
This event saw additional support from Molecule Sports, GoPro, and Goodyear. “We really couldn't make this event what it is without the support of our partners,” noted Series Communications Director Mark Milazzo. “GoPro gave each of our podium finishers a brand new camera, and that investment was close to 10k, and Molecule and Goodyear awarded product to select drivers in the series as well. Really this was such a fabulous event, and it provided fun and opportunity to everyone who attended.” Once the Formula Car Challenge races were over, the racers were able to enjoy watching some great racing. The final World Challenge race of the weekend was followed by the Patriot Jets Air Show, and then the final IndyCar race of the season.
The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear is the premier open-wheel motorsports series on the west coast and was recently named an Official Feeder Series to the Mazda Road to Indy. It was founded in 2005 to develop future motorsports teams, drivers, engineers and crew members. The series offers a platform in which costs can be carefully controlled, creating a level playing field for drivers. The concept has been fully realized as multiple graduates have made it to IndyCar and other top level positions in motorsports. The FCC features three different classes inside of the championship. All three classes are on track at the same time, but compete for points and championships only within their respective classes. All classes are powered by Mazda, and equipped with Goodyear Racing tires. The The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear heads to Southern California next for the Pacific Coast Road Racing Championships at Auto Club Speedway on October 29-30.
The GoPro Grand Prix marked the second weekend of the 2016 FCC Triple Crown National Championship. Winners of the Triple Crown become semi-finalists in Mazda's MRT24 $100,000 scholarship program. The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear is part of the Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout, which will see the champions of select junior open-wheel and karting series from around the world converge on Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in December to vie for a scholarship to enter the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in 2017. Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear is also an Official Feeder Series of the Mazda Road to Indy.
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