Crone, Weaver, and Horak Secure Both West Coast and Triple Crown Class Championships
September 22nd, 2018
Sonoma, CA
The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear was a featured series during the IndyCar Grand Prix at Sonoma this past weekend. The event served as the season finale for the IndyCar 2018 schedule, and Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay took the IndyCar Series win, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s driver Scott Dixon secured the 2018 Championship.
This was the eight time that the Formula Car Challenge was paired with the Verizon IndyCar® Series, and the FCC had featured races on Saturday and Sunday. The 2018 FCC season featured 41 registered racers competing in 14 races on 7 different tracks.
Pole Positions for Round 13:
- Pro FM: Patrick O’Neill
- FormulaSPEED: Courtney Crone
- Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet
When the green flag dropped the Mazda powered rockets charged towards Turn Two in an amazing show of skill and determination. Overall pole winner O’Neill took a commanding lead, leaving John Purcell and Jay Horak battling for second. Horak was close to Purcell the entire race and kept the pressure on. Purcell made no mistakes and held onto the second spot until the finish with Horak close behind him. In the FormulaSPEED class, pole sitter Courtney Crone got a great start and held onto it until the checkered flag. Bryson Lew secured second with Rayce Dykstra finishing less than a second behind him. Bryce Cornet, who was racing for the very first time in the Formula Car Challenge, secured pole position and the win in Formula Mazda followed by Jarret Voorhies and Bill Weaver.
ROUND 13 Race Winners:
- Pro FM: Patrick O’Neill
- FormulaSPEED: Courtney Crone
- Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet
The grid for Round 14 was set by fastest time in the Round 13 race. O’Neill, Crone, and Cornet started on the pole for their respective classes. O’Neill and Cornet secured their class wins again and pulled off perfect weekends of poles and wins. In the FormulaSPEED class, Rayce Dykstra won the final race of the season.
ROUND 14 Race Winners:
- Pro FM: Patrick O’Neill
- FormulaSPEED: Rayce Dykstra
- Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet
After the final race of the season, the drivers met to receive their year-end awards. Courtney Crone, Bill Weaver, and Jay Horak were named 2018 FCC West Coast Champions, and 2018 Triple Crown Champions in their respective classes.
This event saw additional support from Molecule Sports and Goodyear. “We really couldn’t make this event what it is without the support of our partners,” noted Series Communications Director Mark Milazzo. Really this was such a fabulous event, and it provided fun and opportunity to everyone who attended. Once the Formula Car Challenge races and awards ceremonies were over, the racers were able to enjoy watching some really great entertainment. The Porsche GT3 and Historic Trans-Am Races, the Patriot Jets Air Show, and of course 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 is 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.
Next up on the Formula Car Challenge schedule is the FCC Winter Series. Details on the Winter Series are expected to be announced next week.
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