Round Two of the FRL’s Season 5 has concluded and the water is even muddier than before. What can we divine from the muck? Well, let’s look at the tape before we head on to Rio.
It was a breakout race for several drivers this past Sunday. After rejoining the FRL in early January, Paul Maestri struggled to find the Top 3 until a dominating performance at his home track, Road Atlanta. There he would score a second place finish in the FEC Championship. But even after getting that particular monkey off his back, it would be a few long months before cracking the Top 3 again. Last Sunday, Paul would demonstrate a level of driving from the veteran not seen in several seasons of FRL racing and he would further benefit from the premature exit of Andrew Steppat to score his first heat win since 2013. What’s more, he would overcome several setbacks in the second heat that would land him in position for his first overall event victory since Season 2 of the FRL back in 2012. All this comes at a moment in the series where there isn’t a clear dominant driver at the top of the pecking order. Paul’s win Sunday, combined with the internet ill’s of Andrew Steppat and unfortunate mis-queues by up-and-coming driver Travis Billingsley leads to a three way tie for the points lead as the series heads to Rio for the Race of Brazil.
Daniel Fleischmann made a stunning debut at a record setting event at Laguna Seca last April. The FEC event featured a 12 car field and one of the more challenging tracks of that particular series. However, Daniel handled his Ferrari 458 like a pro and finished strong with a 3rd place finish in his first ever FRL event. He would then follow up with an 8th place finish in the One Hour of Le Mans in the rain. Afterwhich he would disappear from the series for some time, until surfacing again this past Sunday. He would start from the back but quickly made his returned presence felt as he harassed the Maestri brothers for all 12 laps of the first heat. He would follow up that Top 3 finish with another P3 in the second heat behind Andrew Steppat and Travis Billingsley. With effort like that and a quick ascent in the points standings, Fleischmann’s S60 Volvo may be a key factor in determining the Top 5 of the series.
Drew Dilbeck and Allen Ruff also had personal best feathers to place in their caps after Sunday. Drew’s P4 overall finish is his highest since joining the league during the FEC campaign last Spring. Allen Ruff recovered from a poor start to the season and finishes with his first Top 5 finish in his brief FRL career as well. The resultant points impact is noticeable as Drew finds himself in the top five in points for the first time. Allen ties his RZM teammate Bryan Dean, who had to sit out due to illness, for the seventh spot with 10 points.
Not to be overlooked in all this is the struggle that two of the series veterans had in this event. Andrew Steppat suffered a lag-out in Heat 1- a heat he was leading. Ethan Maestri suffered a lag-out in the second heat just after passing his brother Paul and heading toward what could have been a 25 point victory for the #85. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. The bottom line being that if these issues continue for them - or any other drivers - further upsets will be possible.
The season is wide open as we head south of the equator to Rio de Janiero. The twisting terrain and uneven pavement of the streets of Rio promise to deliver even more action for Round 3 of the FRL WTCC series.
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