With just two races two go in the Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear, rookie drivers Ethan Raap and Josh Fine are one and two in the championship series points for the Pro Formula Mazda division.
Competing under the Ian Lacy Racing banner, and partnered with Intermountain Athlete Development Foundation, Fine and Raap made the trip from Salt Lake City to Portland International Raceway (PIR) where they secured the top two podium positions for the fourth straight 2021 event in a row.
“It was a very good weekend for us,” said team owner, Ian Lacy. “Both drivers are strong competitors, and I am proud they have been able to accomplish so much in such a short time.”
This weekend at PIR, Fine qualified just two tenths of a second ahead of Raap giving them starting positions P7 and P8 in a combined field of 18 F3, F4 and Pro Mazda cars. Both days saw the drivers have clean races, and Raap was left to battle lapped traffic in an effort to chase down his teammate. The track heavily favored the higher horsepower F3 cars with two long straightaways, keeping the finishing position for both drivers P7 and P8 in the overall finish and first and second in class.
Both drivers have been dominating the Pro Formula Mazda class and have been challenging for overall wins against the faster F3 cars. Raap took the top position in class and third overall at the Thunderhill Raceway event which was also an SCCA US Majors sanctioned event, and repeated that at Laguna Seca. Fine finished with an overall win in the first Sonoma race, with a class win in both Sonoma races. Raap wrapped up both Sonoma races in P2. At PIR, Fine and Raap finished in P1 and P2 respectively, for both race days.
Fine and Raap both began their racing careers in karts, having competed in numerous karting events including SuperKarts SuperNationals, SKUSA Summer Nationals, ROTAX Grand Nationals, and ROK events, both nationally and internationally.
Ian Lacy Racing is based at Utah Motorsports Campus in Tooele Utah just outside of Salt Lake City. Lacy began his career in formula car racing back in 1990’s at the Russell Racing School quickly making a name for himself with four consecutive driving championships. His love of the Pro Formula Mazda, made it an obvious choice when helping to build a driver development program with the Intermountain Athlete Development Foundation.
“The cars are affordable and bullet-proof,” said Lacy. “They will help us move young drivers from karts to cars, and give them an opportunity to further develop their skills.”
For more information on Ian Lacy Racing contact Ian Lacy at 702.499.3840 or visit Ian Lacy Racing on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ianlacyracing