Series 11 Results - Long Beach

 It was, as expected, a crazy time in LA as the FRL visited the street circuit of Long Beach for round three of the series. In the DP class, Andrew's return to racing would be a short one as connectivity issues quickly took him off the track. This left the racing to Ethan and Travis as the two remaining cars in the class. Ethan looked to have things well in hand. But with about 6 minutes left, a sideways GT car obstructed his path and brought him to a standstill. The resulting battle would fall Travis' way and he scores his second race victory of the series. 

 Bryan Dean continues to dominate at the front of the field, despite starting P3 in the class. He scores his second victory here in the streets of Long Beach. Paul Maestri earned pole to start the race but fell victim to poor braking and a tire wall, forcing him to fight from the back of the field, but would come back to claim P3. Matt Smith had a strong race and finished on the podium in P2. 

Results:

DP Class

1. Travis Billingsley - 50 points

2. Ethan Maestri - 40 points

3. Andrew Steppat - 35 points

GT Class 

1. Bryan Dean - 50 points

2. Matt Smith - 40 points

3. Paul Maestri - 35 points

4. Tony Tyree - 32 points

5. Blake Wild - 30 points

6. Nicholas Hargrove - 28 points

Points Standings after 3 Events

DP Class

1. Travis Billingsley - 140 points

2. Ethan Maestri - 130 points

3. Ghabe Stouffer - 85 points

4. Andrew Steppat - 35 points

GT Class

1. Bryan Dean - 140 points

2. Paul Maestri - 110 points

3. Matt Smith - 102 points

4. Nicholas Hargrove - 80 points

5. Seth Jensen - 65 points

6. Tony Tyree - 60 points

7. Blake Wild - 30 points

8. Brandon Adkins - 28 points

Series 11 Results - Sebring

 

The FRL's 11th season makes another stop at the famed Sebring raceway for round 2 of this multi-class season. The qualifying results in the DP Prototype class would be a foretaste of what was to come. The #18 and #2 Corvette's would post times in the low 1:52's, with the advantage going to Travis Billingsley, giving him his second Pole starting position in this FRL season. In the GT class, Bryan Dean set the pace with a class leading 2:06.520 to start in P1 in class. 

 With the grid set and pace lap completed, the DP's rolled across the Start/Finish line and took the green flag for the 40 minute event. Travis and Ghabe gave each other a wide berth heading into Turn 1, which Ethan Maestri in the #3 Ford DP took immediate advantage of, passing both Chevy's to take the lead early. For the next 20 minutes, an intense battle would unfold for these three DP cars. While Travis hunted for a line around Ethan, Ghabe sniffed for a similar opportunity to sneak around Travis. At times, a blanket would have covered all three cars on track. Ghabe was able to take advantage of a slight bobble from Travis and passed for P2.  On lap 8, Ghabe got a massive jump out of Le Mans and powered around Ethan on the Ullman Straight but held off on the brakes just a smidge too long into Sunset Bend, allowing Ethan to undercut him and power into Turn 1 to retake the position. That would prove to be the only other pass for the lead in the race. But the place swapping for P2 and P3 would continue, ultimately leading to further errors (and the eventual lag-out by Ghabe) which allowed Ethan to eventually win the race.  

 In the GT class, Bryan would set sail from the green flag, leaving four other drivers to sort P2 out amongst themselves. Matt Smith, in his #12 RSR held onto that P2 spot tightly for several laps. But an eventual off-track excursion opened the door for others to snatch the position from him. Paul Maestri in the #7 BMW M6 would spend the early laps stalking Seth Jensen's #6 Ford GT, eventually passing him and both he and Jensen where able to quickly overtake Matt. Seth would hang onto Paul's bumper for most of the race, however, the jumble from the overtaking DP class caused him to lose his grip on Paul. For his part, Paul set about slowly closing the gap Bryan initially enjoyed. But time ran out before a battle could develop. In the end, Bryan took his first class victory in the #808 Porsche RSR. 

 The series heads for the California sun for Round 3 at Long Beach on November 14th.

Results:

DP Class

1. Ethan Maestri - 50 points

2. Travis Billingsley - 40 points

3. Ghabe Stouffer - 35 points

GT Class

1. Bryan Dean - 50 points

2. Paul Maestri - 40 points

3. Seth Jensen - 35 points

4. Matt Smith - 32 points

5. Nicholas Hargrove - 30 points

Points Standings after 2 events:

DP Class

Travis Billingsley - 90

Ethan Maestri - 90

Ghabe Stouffer - 85

GT Class

Bryan Dean - 90

Paul Maestri - 75

Seth Jensen - 65

Matt Smith - 62

Nicholas Hargrove - 52

Tony Tyree - 28

Brandon Adkins - 26

 

Series 11 Results - Daytona

 It has been a busy week to start the eleventh season of the FRL. The final prep for and the running of the first race in the series at Daytona was as frenetic as could be expected. Behind the scenes though, much hand-wringing and discussion was taking place due to an unusual set of circumstances. Fortunately, all was able to be sorted in due order and since the checkered flag flew over the 45 minute event, some significant changes have transpired.

 For the race, in the DP class, all unfolded as expected. As the green flag waved, Travis Billingsley was able to secure his pole position and quickly began extending his lead over the only other car in the class, Ethan Maestri's #3 Ford. Travis' #18 Chevy was able to run cleanly throughout the event and crossed the line nearly 20 seconds ahead of his competitor. 

 In the GT class, the Porsche's had their day on a circuit well suited to their speeds. Bryan Dean was able to finish with a P2 in class despite several hairy moments on track. Paul Maestri was looking good for a P2 finish, but instead had to pit late and yield that position to Bryan. He would finish on the podium in P3. Ghabe Stouffer truly dominated the event, leading from pole and finishing P1. Less fortunate drivers like Nick Hargrove's #5 Corvette would experience bad internet and was disconnected early in the race. Brandon Adkins in his #8 Ford GT would suffer from a bought of narcolepsy and crashed out later. 

 Post race, the FRL made the decision to move Ghabe Stouffer from the GT class into the DP class, partly due to his dominating performance, but mostly in order to preserve the entry list at four. His points from the Daytona race are unaffected and places him alongside Travis after this first event at 50 points apiece. The next race will take place October 31st at Sebring.

Daytona Results:

DP Class 

1. Travis Billingsley - 50 points

2. Ethan Maestri - 40 points

GTLM Class

1. Ghabe Stouffer - 50 points

2. Bryan Dean - 40 points

3. Paul Maestri - 35 points

4. Matt Smith - 32 points

5. Seth Jensen - 30 points

6. Tony Tyree - 28 points

7. Brandon Adkins - 26 points

8. Nicholas Hargrove - 24 points

Series Points:

DP Class 

1. Travis Billingsley - 50 points

2. Ghabe Stouffer - 50 points

3. Ethan Maestri - 40 points

GTLM Class

1. Bryan Dean - 40 points

2. Paul Maestri - 35 points

3. Matt Smith - 32 points

4. Seth Jensen - 30 points

5. Tony Tyree - 28 points

6. Brandon Adkins - 26 points

7. Nicholas Hargrove - 24 points

FRL Season 11 Announcement

  Sept. 4, 2021 - Today the FRL Board of Directors is please to roll out the announcement for Season 11 of the FRL. This season promises to bring some big changes to the series. First off, the schedule itself is being shifted from a fall schedule to a winter schedule. Starting in October and running into December. After a break during the holiday season, the action resumes with three more events, with the series champions being crowned in February. 

 Yes, you read that right, champions will be crowned at the end of the series. For the first time in FRL series history, two classes will take to the track at all 8 scheduled events. The first class will run the P-rated Ford and Chevrolet DP prototypes from 2015 and the 2014 Lola B12 chassis, powered by Mazda. The second class will feature some of the GTLM cars from the IMSA series as well. Those selected are the 2014 Corvette C7.R, the 2017 Porsche 911 RSR and the 2011 Ferrari 458 GTC. For both classes, each car will run its preset 'homologated' setup. This dictates what updates and weights are used on each car to balance them for their respective class. The P-rated prototypes will homologate to P949 at most while the GTLM cars will homologate between R829-R835. Each driver will be able to adjust tuning to suit their preferences. 

 The Prototype class for the FRL 2021-2022 Winter Season 11.

 The class competitors will be as follows:

Prototype:

Andrew Steppat               Preston Liberatore

Travis Billingsley            Ethan Maestri

The GTLM class for the FRL 2021-2022 Winter Season 11

The GTLM class competitors will be as follows:

Paul Maestri     Nicholas Hargrove    Blake Wild             

Seth Jensen          Tony Tyree             Ghabe Stouffer

Additionally, other participants not listed will be classed in the GTLM field. 

Full schedule as follows:

October 17th - Daytona International (Day) - 45 minutes

October 31st - Sebring - 40 minutes

November 14th - Long Beach - 30 minutes

November 28th - Watkins Glen - 40 minutes

December 12th - Road America - 40 minutes

January 16th - Circuit of the Americas - 35 minutes

January 30th - Laguna Seca - 40 minutes

February 13th - Road Atlanta - 45 minutes

 An additional chance for this series will be that the race events themselves will be true timed endurance events and not "goal-lap" events as we have run before. Endurance will be the aim here and the furthest traveled car will be declared the winner for its class. 

The prospect of having two points series in progress has the opportunity to create some great championship battles to watch as this season progresses! We hope to see you all on the track in October.

Travis Billingsley Goes For Two In Indy 200

  It was a sparse field of 7 cars that arrived at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the FRL's 6th running of the Indy 200. Paul Maestri led the group in qualifying with a blistering 37.130 lap time to earn the Pole Position. Ethan Maestri and Tony Tyree fought hard for the other front row position, setting qualifying times within .002 seconds of each other.

 With the grid set and the formation lap done, the green flag waved to start the 80 lap event. Tony Tyree, in the only Chevy in the field, missed his shift and squandered his P3 start position. Travis Billingsley quickly advanced and lined up behind the Maestri brothers to begin a heated three-way battle at the start. Paul soon left an opportunity for Ethan to pass for the lead but remained close and kept Travis behind him. Tony was able to recover and catchup to the rear train and soon worked his way around Brandon Adkins. But a close shave with the apron would force him to spin and head to the pits to repair damage. Confusion on the "caution" call from Tyree would lead to Paul lifting off the throttle and giving a position to Travis, but he soon recovered his spot and even advanced on Ethan to re-take the lead. 

 Two laps later, with Ethan in tow, Paul dove down into Turn 2 with the #3 right behind him. A slight bump form the #3 caused Paul's #7 to loop out of the turn and lightly into the inside wall, undamaged but out of the fight. Ethan lifted out of the throttle to avoid his stricken teammate and gave up positions to Travis and Seth Jensen. Ethan and Seth would soon find themselves jockeying for position. Ethan would make his move on the #6 car and pass coming out of Turn #2, but in a moment of kharma, would have the favor he did his brother turned on him as Seth battered his driveline in Turn #4 and sent the #3 MBR Honda spinning into the outside wall just past the entrance to pit lane. Seth narrowly escaped disaster by ducking directly into the pit entrance. Stricken and barely able to move, Ethan would have to limp around the entire 2.5 mile track at a sickening 70 mph, knowing his race was done.  

 For Brandon Adkins, just making the Indy 200 race was a victory. Qualifying at the back of the field didn't bother the veteran driver at all and a participation trophy would have been gratifying enough. However, as other drivers suffered spins and setbacks, Brandon advanced from 7th to 6th as the #47 spun-out early on. He advanced from 6th to 5th as Blake Wild suffered repeated connectivity issues and spins. When Seth and Ethan had their tussle, Brandon was there to pass them up and advance again into P2. As the night progressed, Travis extended his lead, Paul Maestri secured P3, but Brandon Adkins found himself taking the checkered flag in P2. Truly a crowd pleaser to see a running order like that.

 Travis Billingsley takes the win for the second time in a row, and this makes his third win at Indy in this event. Congratulations to him and all the #18 crew.    

TCR Report - Final At Sonoma Sunsets the Spring 2021 Campaign

  Andrew Steppat was crowned the TCR Cup series champion before stepping onto the track at Sonoma for the series' final two heats. That did not stop the multi-time champion from attacking the track. This left the remaining 6 car field to settle who was second, here, on the night.

 There were the usual off's and tangles that we usually see, particularly in an event that was moved forward and leaving little or no prep time for some. However, in the end, Travis Billingsley led the "best of the rest" charge and put a solid stamp on his claim to second overall in the series. Paul Maestri, despite an incident with his rival Seth Jensen, had another great showing and posted his second P3 podium finish in as many races. Ethan Maestri, still reeling from Rio, was an easy target for the top runners, and despite leading several laps in the second heat, showed his age and lack of preparation. 

 Seth quietly posted yet another Top 5 finish which tightened the points gap that plagued him earlier in the series. Ghabe Stouffer suffered lag issues yet again and dropped outside the Top 5 in points on the night. He yielded that spot to Tony Tyree, who despite having a poor driving night, continues his Top 5 championship streak. 

 For the rest of this seasons participants, several names stand out as having scored a fair amount of points, but their continued presence at the track is missed and so are their finishing goals. We'll look for you all next season. For now, the FRL heads into May and looks forward to the Indy 200 on May 30th.

DRIVER	Points
Andrew Steppat	350
Travis Billingsley	310
Ethan Maestri	230
Paul Maestri	225
Tony Tyree	202
Ghabe Stouffer	198
Seth Jensen	179
Blake Wild	90
Nicholas Hargrove	85
Preston Liberatore	65
Bryan Dean	30
David Dodson	26
Sonoma GP
Andrew Steppat	50
Travis Billingsley	45
Paul Maestri	40
Ethan Maestri	35
Seth Jensen	30
Tony Tyree	28
Ghabe Stouffer	26

TCR Report - Rio Fulfills Most Drivers Expectations

  The penultimate round of the FRL's TCR Cup series took place at a track notorious for having danger as its prevailing theme and has been known to leave even the best drivers broken and bloodied by the side of the road. To say that Rio is a tough track in any of it's permutations is an understatement. To take on the longest version of the track in reverse at such a late hour on a Sunday night is to practically beg for disaster to strike. 

 For some, the "danca com a morte" would be a short one. Ghabe Stouffer was, perhaps mercifully, kicked out of both heats early on. Though in the first heat he was able to outlast Seth Jensen. Seth, in the first heat, suffered from an acute charley horse and exited quickly to nurse his hammy and fix his coif. He would bounce back well in the second heat, outlasting most of the field and netting himself P3 for that heat. Nicholas Hargrove had a great start to the night, surviving the fray around him and eventually crossing the line P3. Heat 2 would treat the #5 driver like a red-headed step-child and he would finish P7. It could be argued that Paul Maestri and Tony Tyree were the most consistent drivers of the night. Each would take turns bouncing off walls and curbs and even making trips to the pits in some cases. But in the end, Tony's finishing average on the night would be the same as Seth Jensen's and Ethan Maestri's. Only fastest posted lap times would know the difference. Paul posted P4 in both heats, giving him his first podium finish in some time.

 Ethan Maestri's performance started well, as he would pass Andrew Steppat early in the first heat and the two drivers would fight mightily for seven of the eight laps in the heat. Andrew would make a pass late that forced Ethan to "go for broke" in Andrew's Corner on the last lap. He cleared the corner but carried far too much speed to correct for the run up the hill. Instead of pulling alongside Steppat's #1 Audi, he would instead pile into the 100 Meter sign (and the concrete barriers) heavily. Ending his race altogether. Round 2 didn't go much better for the #3 driver and he wound up in P5. 

 Travis Billingsley, by contrast, endured a poor start to heat one and climbed steadily into P2 for the heat. The second heat saw things go mostly his way and he engaged in a battle with Andrew Steppat for P1. Andrew would prevail however, taking wins for both heats. The final round of the TCR series will take place May 2nd at Sonoma Raceway. 

DRIVER	Points
Andrew Steppat	300
Travis Billingsley	265
Ethan Maestri	235
Paul Maestri	185
Tony Tyree	174
Ghabe Stouffer	172
Seth Jensen	149
Blake Wild	90
Nicholas Hargrove	85
Preston Liberatore	65
Bryan Dean	30
David Dodson	26
Rio Full - Reverse
Andrew Steppat	50
Travis Billingsley	45
Paul Maestri	40
Nicholas Hargrove	35
Ethan Maestri	30
Seth Jensen	28
Tony Tyree	26
Ghabe Stouffer	24