The Catalunya GP circuit hosted the first annual "Preston Ball Run" as the last race of the year and the finale of the 10th season of FRL racing. Travis Billingsley got off to a tough start as he and Andrew Steppat got together during a frantic start to the race. No damage was suffered by either driver, but it set them back a pace. Preston Liberatore got off to a flying start at the front of the line and gapped much of the field of 10 cars early on. Paul Maestri got solid start in the mid-field and picked his way through the fray to set up in pursuit of the Liberatore's F50. Ethan Maestri, Brandon Adkins, and Seth Jensen would each take turns swapping paint and passing in the early going. Seth would suffer a couple of unfortunate "offs" but kept his head down and fought back to insure a P6 finish. Blake Wild makes his return to the circuit after a brief hiatus and while not running at the front, did show top level class in allowing the lead cars by in the late stages of the event.
For the first 8-10 laps, Ethan Maestri, Andrew Steppat and Travis Billingsley set about hunting down Paul and Preston at the sharp end of the field. By lap 10, Ethan was drafting off Preston's rear bumper and Andrew Steppat was closing on the two, but it was not to be for the #001 McLaren as he was booted from the server. Ethan dove hard into the hairpin at Turn 9 and bumped Preston, turning the stricken F50 side-ways. Ethan allowed the Ferrari to recover, which then allowed the #18 Ferrari to close in. The next lap would see Preston slide wide in Turn 2 and open the gap for the two pursuers to exploit.
The final ten laps would see a Herculean effort by both Ethan and Travis as they drove nose-to-tail and around each other, swapping the lead and negotiating traffic. Truly as tight a battle as any this season. In the end, Travis Billingsley drove his Ferrari F50 to victory lane. Ethan Maestri, a close second in the #3 Porsche 911. Preston Liberatore brings his Ferrari home in P3.
Although it was a DNF for Andrew Steppat, his dominance in the league continues to amaze as he had already locked up the championship coming into the race. His 9th FRL title was presented to a non-existent crowd (due to Covid-19 protocols). Still, an impressive achievement, and one envied by most. Travis Billingsley closes out a solid season in P2 points, Ethan Maestri rounds out the Championship podium in P3. Paul Maestri and Tony Tyree finish out the Top 5 positions, respectively. Seth Jensen rightfully deserves the accolade of "Rookie of the Season" by virtue of being there from the start and completing the full schedule. Preston Liberatore showed himself ready to join the top tier drivers at the front of the field and looks to cinch a Rookie Driver title in the next series.
Congratulations again to Andrew, and all that took part in a memorable Season 10 of the FRL!
Series Points Final:
Andrew Steppat - 400
Travis Billingsley - 341
Ethan Maestri - 323
Paul Maestri - 267
Tony Tyree - 252
Preston Liberatore - 242
Seth Jensen - 238
Blake Wild - 120
Ghabe Stouffer - 112
Bryan Dean - 84
Brandon Adkins - 52
Nicholas Hargrove - 50
Riley Liberatore - 42
David Dodson - 22
