Race Announcement - Qualifying

 For the two events at Spa and Le Mans, qualifying sessions will be suspended and Rivals lap times will be used to determine the starting grid at those events. One hour before each race begins, the displayed positions will be noted and the starting grid will be set based on those positions shown. Those entering the race without a posted lap time will start from the back of the field.

Billingsley Formalizes Entrance In the FEC

Team BMW released the following announcement today regarding their new driver sign on for the active FEC race series.  

"For the remainder of the 2016 FEC Series, Team BMW has reached an agreement with Travis Billingsley to sign on as a driver in the #18 BMW Z4 GTE car.  While this agreement is only confirmed for the current season, we are leaving open the possibility of a longer partnership with Travis.  Next season is a long ways off, so we are going to focus on this season for now and see what results the #18 car can produce; from the car, and from the driver."      

Travis Billingsley could not be reached at the time of this bulletin for an interview, but the following statement was provided by his agent.

"I am pleased to be signing with Team BMW for this race season.  While I have had a fair bit of race experience in the past, this is my first foray into this level of competition.  As such, I am pleased to be offered the opportunity to drive for BMW.  I look forward to the support of driving for a factory team, and the experience that support will provide in furthering my racing career.  I look forward to the upcoming races in the FEC Series.  After only a couple of days of practice and testing with Team BMW, it is obviously going to be a great season off the track, and on.  While I am not in a position to be a team owner/driver this season, or maybe not the next several, I hope that my time with BMW can be used to help springboard me to that position all the quicker." 

 Travis finished P6 at Watkins Glen, out of a field of 9 drivers. He now looks to getting settled in with his new team before the next stop on the series, The 24 Laps of Sebring on March 13th.

Watkins Glen 85 Results - 2/14/2016

 It was a barn-burner of a race Sunday night as the field of 9 drivers took to the sweeping curves of Watkins Glen. The pace was fast and the action heavy for 85 miles of racing. An eventful start put pole-sitter Andrew Steppat wide in the first turn, he climbed hard in the first straight to pull even with Ethan Maestri, but contact in the inner loop would bounce his Corvette to the outside wall, leaving Ethan's SRT Viper in command of the lead for nearly 16 laps. In the end, even with some blocking help from team mate Paul Maestri, Andrew was able to pass Ethan for the lead and win the Watkins Glen 85. 

 The DNR team had a strong showing as well. After a botched start by Bryan Dean, he was able to climb and hold onto 3rd place. Meanwhile, team mate Allen Ruff had a spectacular start, running in second place for several laps before eventually dropping into 4th position for the night.

 Two new drivers joined the field for the first time. Andrew Capshaw and Travis Billingsley made their FEC debut in this event. Their Aston Martin's may not have been the class of the field, but these rookies handled their cars quite well, gaining valuable track experience. Travis would finish in 6th position and Capshaw would bring home the 8th spot. Veteran Tony Tyree had engine trouble and was forced to drop out of the race early, scoring a DNF in the #47 Bentley. 

The manufacturer points battle heats up fast as the addition of two more Aston Martin DBR9's sping them into first place. We'll have to see if that is the car the new drivers remain with. Despite the first place finish and top lap time, the Corvette's took a hit this event, dropping into 3rd place while MBR's  SRT Viper's hold serve, maintaining their second position, three points behind the Aston's.

 The next race will be the 24 Laps of Sebring on March 13th.

Results:

Position:	Driver:	Points:	Lap Time:	Lap Points:	Total:
1	Andrew Steppat	25	1:46.404	10	35
2	Ethan Maestri	18	1:47.654	9	27
3	Bryan Dean	15	1:48.234	8	23
4	Allen Ruff	12	1:49.278	6	18
5	Paul Maestri	10	1:48.929	7	17
6	Travis Billingsley	8	1:51.457	5	13
7	Chris Rader	6	1:51.756	4	10
8	Andy Capshaw	4	1:54.771	2	6
9	Tony Tyree*	2	1:52.555	3	5

Position:	Driver:	Points:
1	Andrew Steppat	70
2	Ethan Maestri	53
3	Bryan Dean	47
4	Paul Maestri	35
5	Allen Ruff	25
6	Tony Tyree	17
7	Mikey Collins	17
8	Travis Billingsley	13
9	Carter Merkling	11
10	Chris Rader	10
11	Andy Capshaw	6

Manufacturer Points:	Points:
Aston Martin DBR9	91
Dodge SRT Viper	88
Cheverolet Corvette C7.R	87
Bentley Continental GT	17
Nissan GT-R	11
McLaren 12C GT3	10

Dean-Ruff Racing and the FRL

 The idea of auto racing being a team effort has been around for quite some time now. As the machines used in such endeavors have become increasingly complex, not to mention expensive, the need for a supporting cast to help a driver to ascend to the top of the order is just as vital as the abilities of the driver himself.

 Today, names like Penske, Chip Ganassi, Joest, Hendrick, and Red Bull are all synonymous with winning, not necessarily due to a single driver’s effort, but because of the time and ethic of the team itself and the results that effort gets.

 This idea of making FRL driving a team effort was brought to the series in its infancy by the combined garage of brothers Ethan and Paul Maestri when they formed MBR four years ago. Their combined efforts to not just paint their cars to give them a team identity, but to develop their cars performance together, has led to both drivers being at the top of the order at nearly every race they have entered.

DNR’s #81 and #199 Aston Martin DBR9’s driven by Bryan Dean and Allen Ruff

 However, thanks to increased interest in the FRL, new drivers have joined the ranks, and MBR’s allied-driver dominance in FRL racing is now being challenged. Longtime friends Bryan Dean and Allen Ruff have joined forces to create their own race team: Dean-Ruff Racing (DNR). We took a moment to speak with Bryan about the creation of the team and what they hope to bring to the FRL.

You both have come into the FRL fairly recently, what moved you to team up?

 “Allen and I have been lifelong friends. We’ve been in each other's weddings. Our families go way back and we got to know each other as teenagers. My most memorable moment with Allen was when I had a Seadoo pulling Allen on an inflatable inner tube. I proceeded to throw him off the tube causing him to cartwheel across the water giving him major whip lash, but man it was funny! So, based upon our personal relationship as being best friends for years it just made sense to team up.”

What is the philosophy of DNR?

 “We are working to develop our cars together per track. Our philosophy is simple I plan on clearing the way by not using my brakes and he's working on not running out of fuel...I kid I kid. We really are taking this serious but we are feeling our way through this series. Being that we are rookies, we know there's a lot to learn and look forward to seeing how well and far we can go in this series.”

What is the goal of DNR in the FEC and further in the FRL?

“Our goals are to get both Allen and I into top 3 positions for pole and a podium finish each race. We know the competition is tough but we think we have the recipe for success. Looking forward into FRL, we plan on buying a new race team this summer but that is still in the works as we look for sponsors.”

 We look forward to watching DNR as they develop their team through this inaugural FEC season and further into the FRL’s future series.

Circuit of the America's Results

The inaugural season of the Forzday Endurance Championship kicked off at Circuit of the America's lastnight. The 100 mile event ended with a dominating performance by Andrew Steppat in the #1 Stappat Racing Corvette C7.R. The field of 8 drivers completed the race with no major incidents, although Allen Ruff did run out of fuel and left the track around the mid point of the race.

 The next race will be February 14th at Watkins Glen.

Results:

Position:	Driver:	Points:	Lap Time:	Lap Points:	Total:
1	Andrew Steppat	25	2:06.719	10	35
2	Ethan Maestri	18	2:09.219	9	26
3	Bryan Dean	15	2:08.769	8	24
4	Paul Maestri	12	2:10.619	7	18
5	Mikey Collins	10	2:10.047	6	17
6	Tony Tyree	8	2:14.907	5	12
7	Carter Merkling	6	2:14.093	4	11
8	Allen Ruff	4	2:16.444	3	7

Manufacturer Points:	Points:
Cheverolet Corvette C7.R	52
Dodge SRT Viper	44
Aston Martin DBR9	31
Bentley Continental GT	12
Nissan GT-R	11