One-Off Challenges Issued for April and May 2016

 Two One-Off Challenges have been issued by the FRL for the months of April and May. The first of these special events will be held on Thursday, April 21st ahead of the FEC race at Laguna Seca. The class selected for this race couldn't be anything else but a Mazda product. For this race though, a return to the FRL format will be made with an old favorite among veteran FRL drivers. The 1994 Mazda MX-5 will be the car used. Open modification allowed, up to B-600. The race will be staged in three 5-lap heats.

 The second challenge event will be a special race ahead of the actual Indy 500. On Thursday, May 26th, the FRL presents the Indy 200. This will be a 80 lap event on the most famous circuit in America. Car choice will be between the Dallara chassis Indycars running either the Chevy or Honda engine package. These cars will be modified to run drag compound tires to simulate aggressive tire wear. Tuning can be set to preference.

Plan now to join in for two fun evenings of racing!

24 Laps of Sebring Results - 3/13/16

The clouds opened up this weekend over Sebring International Raceway. On a very wet racetrack, 8 cars rolled off the starting grid for the FEC 24 Laps of Sebring. As the flag dropped, Ethan got a perfect start in his Porsche 911 GT3 and pulled around pole winner Andrew Steppat. The two would run 12 laps nose to tail in the rain until Andrew benefited from a quicker pit stop and passed Ethan for the lead.

 From the start, things looked promising for the Aston Martin of Bryan Dean, but he would come through Turn 1 a little wide and get tapped by rookie Andy Capshaw, sending Dean into the wet grass. He would get back onto the track in P5 with work ahead of him. His DNR teammate Allen Ruff would have trouble through the first turn as well, ending up on the grass and short time later in Turn 2, into the tire wall alongside Capshaw and Tyree. When asked how the race went for Tony in the #47 Aperture Science Continental GT3 he had this to say.

 "My run was pretty pathetic. Right out of the gate I got bump and knocked around and then I finally slid going into turn 2 and hit the wall hard. Did some damage to my front springs and brakes. I knew if I pitted that early I would bring up the rear the rest of the race so I managed to keep going for the next 11 laps before pitting trading spots with Andy a few times."

 Tony would have a rough race and finish P7. The same would be true for Andy Capshaw who had a rough go of it in the wet conditions. Though things would get interesting for him in the late stages of the race. After 20+ laps of wrestling to keep his Aston Martin factory ride on the track, he finally hit the wall hard enough in the late stages to do serious damage to the driveline. Hobbling along in second gear, he was overtaken quickly by front runner Andrew Steppat. Steppats Corvette had to make a quick move to keep from ramming the DBR9, a move that sent the FEC points leader onto the grass and hard into the tires. This opened the door for Ethan Maestri to pass for the win.

We asked Andrew how the race went from his perspective:

"In the first 12 laps I had a couple chances to pass for the lead, but just couldn't do it safely. So the rest of those laps I was just trying to keep up. Had a really quick pit stop and passed Ethan for the lead on lap 12. Around lap 20 Andy got into the back of me and I slid all the way into the tires. No mechanical damage to the car but fell to 2nd. Then on the last lap, I swerved to avoid Andy and crashed into the tires. Had severe mechanical damage, top speed of about 50. Had to drive about 75% of the lap like that and got passed by Bryan just before the finish line. There were probably only 2-3 car lengths. The race stewards really needed to be out on the track waving the blue flags for lapped cars."

 Frustration aside, it was a very good race for the front two cars for most of the event. There were four lead changes in the race and despite the third place finish, Steppat posted the fastest lap time of the day and maintains his points lead in the series.

 For Ethan Maestri, the wet weather wasn't too much of an obstacle. "Oh definitely, this was a track we had circled and knew we could do well on even before getting into the Porsche. We had a great week leading up to the race. Practice went well, we got some time on the track while it was wet, so the weather may actually have been to our advantage. I got the hole-shot on Andrew at the start and knew it was going to be a fight the whole way. That Corvette could run hard in a straight line, but our 911's felt like they cornered just a bit better and accelerated a little faster in the rain. I was sure I had given the race away when I came off late, but then I passed Andrew while he was up against the wall on the last lap and I just thought 'I must be hallucinating'. But we crossed the line P1 and that was just an awesome feeling."

For MBR driver Paul Maestri, it would prove to be a little more frustrating keeping his 911 on the track. "I just didn't get enough time in the car I think. I should have had 4th place. I could close up on Travis in a run but just kept coming off track too much. I hate it for this #88 Coke Zero car and crew. We could have done a bit bettter, just didn't happen this time."

For Travis Billingsley and the #18 BMW team, this was a stand out performance in his Z4 debut. After getting knocked around in Turn 1 on the first lap, Travis settled into a pretty good rythm. He would come off the track a couple of times, giving up a spot to Paul, but would get a good run and be there to take it away whenever the 88 slipped off. He would finish P4, the best of the rookie class this race.

 The points race in the series tightens up just a bit at the top with Ethan closing to within 8 points of Andrew Steppat. The manufacturer points get a bit of a shakeup at the top. Aston Martin extends their lead over now second place Chevrolet. While Porsche has a great debut race, jumping immediately into fourth place behind the vacated Dodge SRT Vipers.

 We head overseas to Belgium now as the series returns to Europe for the running of the 24 Laps of Spa.

Results:

Position:	Driver:	Points:	Lap Time:	Lap Points:	Total:
1	Ethan Maestri	25	2:11.798	9	34
2	Bryan Dean	18	2:12.953	8	26
3	Andrew Steppat	15	2:11.154	10	25
4	Travis Billingsley	12	2:14.130	6	18
5	Paul Maestri	10	2:14.084	7	17
6	Allen Ruff	8	2:16.009	5	13
7	Tony Tyree	6	2:19.308	4	10
8	Andy Capshaw	4	2:23.403	3	7

Points: 

Position:	Driver:	Points:
1	Andrew Steppat	95
2	Ethan Maestri	87
3	Bryan Dean	73
4	Paul Maestri	52
5	Allen Ruff	38
6	Travis Billingsley	31
7	Tony Tyree	27
8	Mikey Collins	17
9	Andy Capshaw	13
10	Carter Merkling	11
11	Chris Rader	10

Manufacturer Points:

Aston Martin	137
Chevrolet	112
Dodge	88
Porsche	51
Bentley	27
BMW	18
Nissan	11
McLaren	10

Rain For the FEC 24 Laps of Sebring

 Rolled and independently verified by Dionne Maestri, the d20 weather roll came up with a 2. Therefore we will be having tonight's race in the rain! Lobby will open around 8:45 pm with invites going out shortly after.

One-Off Challenge Run-Down

 It was a great night for racing at Sebring International for the FRL's One-Off Challenge using the Group 5 GT cars of the past. 7 Drivers took to the grid in this warm-up event before the FEC's 24 Laps of Sebring on Sunday.

 There was trouble right from the start as Carter Merkling, still getting used to manual shifting, over-rev'd his powerful turbocharged Ford Capri and promptly began doing donuts on the Start line. This strung the field out a bit early on and set up some fun racing as drivers tried to reel each other in over a long stint. Carter would get things straightened out, but never really got a good rythm going and would finish P7, scattering tires all the way.

Merkling puts the power down, and promptly spins around as the green flag drops on the One-Off Challenge at Sebring.

 Rookie Andrew Capshaw came into the event stone cold, having not selected or raced any of the eligible vehicles beforehand. He would make a valiant effort in keeping his Ferrari BB/LM on the track, but over-rotated in several corners keeping him back in P6. Tony Tyree would have to check up early to avoid the pirouetting Capri of Carter Merkling. After getting passed by Andrew Steppat, he would spend the rest of the race riding around the track in P5, getting tires thrown at him by the Michelin Man.

 For the front four, this would prove to be a fairly eventful race. Andrew Steppat and Bryan Dean battled early in the opening laps. While Ethan led the race until an early bobble in Turn 3 put him behind Travis Billingsley's Ferrari. Travis showed some exceptional car control, eventually being caught by Andrew Steppat in his BMW M1. He would later graciously pull down to let the M1 by. Though in the later stages of the race, Andrew would bobble in Turn 15 and Travis was there to collect P1 again, until he found it necessary to pit. Late in the race, a pass by Ethan Maestri put him in P3 for the end of the event.

 Bryan Dean was an early factor in the race, but a spin on the rumble strip in Turn 15 (the same one Steppat had trouble with) would put him into the wall and out of contention for a top 3 finish. He would come home P4.

 Andrew Steppat chalks up his third straight event win for 2016. Ethan Maestri finishes P2 (his third straight) and Travis Billingsley is the class of the rookie field with a P3 podium finish in only his second FRL sanctioned event. The drivers set their sights on the FEC 24 Laps of Sebring now. Qualifying session begin tonight and run through Saturday night in order to set the grid for Sunday's event.

One-Off Challenge Tonight

Tonight the FRL hosts it's first "One-Off" Challenge, a single race on Sebring Full Circuit. Mainly held to get drivers together on the track under full race conditions and to get everyone back to Thursday night racing that is the staple of the FRL series.

 Tonight's race will feature the Group 5 GT cars of old. Pick a car from the list below and join us on the track around 9 PM for some heads-up racing action!

Additionally, last night's Test-N-Tune went well as drivers tested their mettle against other FRL drivers, some for the first time, to see what the action is like. Testing was done in both dry and wet conditions. Here are some of the pics from last night's action.

Roar Before The (Sebring) 24

 Greetings drivers, we kick off our racing week with a Test-N-Tune on Sebring! For some of you, this may be your first opportunity to get on the track with other FRL drivers. For others, this is your chance to test your tuning with other cars around, or maybe you just want to put in a few extra laps before the races get going in earnest. Whatever the reason, join us on the track around 9 pm this evening. Test schedule as follows:

-1st stint in the Group 5 cars - 3 Laps.

-Brief interval to allow for tuning changes 

-2nd stint in Group 5 cars - 5 Laps

-3rd stint in GT-R class cars - 3 Laps

-Tuning interval

-4th stint in GT-R class cars - 5 Laps

Rain laps can be run if agreed upon by group.

Afterward, we'll open the action to races/tracks suggested by the group.

Maestri Bros. Racing Switches To Porsche

3/7/16  Joplin, MO - Rumors began to circulate over the weekend that the MBR garage was having success with their testing of the recently added 911 GT3 RSR to the FEC roster. Word came from MBR's Ethan Maestri this morning that confirms those rumors.

 "MBR is pleased to announce the switch from the SRT Viper's to the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR machines beginning with the 24 Laps of Sebring this Sunday. It's been a difficult and sometimes confusing road to get our team setup in this series, first with Audi, then SRT and now Porsche. But all of this has been with the goal of positioning ourselves for the best results in the FEC. The Viper's did a fantastic job getting us started on that path, but we feel these RSR's have an even greater capacity for letting us continue our charge to the top of the order. Our testing on multiple tracks has yielded very promising results and we look forward to building our partnership with Porsche and improving our team even further."

 When asked about sponsorship for the team, Ethan responded: "We've got some exciting things to announce in the way of sponsorships. For the #88, Paul has a great livery together with Coke Zero & Sony's Gran Turismo. For the #3, I'm pleased to say that we've been able to welcome back long-time sponsor Red Bull for my ride. It is so great to see the car back in the classic MBR colors. It brings back some great memories of previous FRL races. Hopefully we'll be able to have the same success with these cars that we've enjoyed in past series as well."

Sebring Race Week Schedule 3/7 - 3/13

 Get ready for another exciting week leading up to the The FEC 24 Laps of Sebring on Sunday night, March 13th. Here's what's on tap for the week leading up to the main event.

 Wed. March 9 - Test-n-Tune  We'll run short lap heats on Sebring in both the Group 5 "One Off" cars and the FEC GTR's. May even try a rain track once or twice. Lobby and invites around 9 PM.

 Thur. March 10 - "One Off" Challenge @ Sebring - 15 Lap event. Lobby and invites around 9 PM.

 Friday and Saturday - March 11th/12th - Qualifying for the 24 Laps of Sebring. Lobby and invites beginning around 8 PM both evenings (if necessary).

 Sunday, March 13th - 8 AM) There will be a d20 dice roll (save 6) to determine track conditions for the race that evening. The result and video will be posted as soon as possible here on the blog and distributed to participants via email as well.

 The FEC 24 Laps of Sebring - Lobby and invites around 8:30 PM. Grid lap around 8:45. Race start around 9 PM.

 We look forward to another exciting week of online racing in the FRL!

Porsche 911 GT3 Added To FEC Eligibility List

With the new Porsche Pack being released for Forza 6 today, we welcome a new car to the list of eligible cars to drive in the season's FEC events. The 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR will be available for use in the current series beginning with the race at Sebring on 3/13/16.

The restriction on car switching will be lifted for ALL teams and drivers from now until the event at Spa on April 3rd. This should allow enough time for everyone to test the car and determine if they wish to switch from their current race car to the new Porsche 911. After April 3rd the window to opt for the switch will be closed.

Please note that the only switch option is to go from an existing car selection to the new Porsche 911 GT3. No other cars may be selected to switch too.

One Off GT-Challenge - 3/10/16

 In the week leading up to the FEC GT-R race at Sebring on Sunday 3/13/16, there will be a "One Off" Challenge race at Sebring on Thursday 3/10/16 featuring the Group 5 GT cars of yesteryear. See below list for eligible race cars.

• P.I. will be set at S-800
• TCS, STM and ABS will all be forced 'off' (just like the real deal)

This will be heads up racing! No electronics or computer assists, just man and machine. Race will be 15 laps in length. Get set for a week of speed at Sebring beginning next Thursday!