BUTTONWILLOW, Calif. -- The FCC Mazda powered open wheel racers visited Buttonwillow Raceway Park recently for the first of two doubleheaders to take place in the Southern California Region this season. These races were part of the Cal Club SCCA Majors Super Tour that ran on the large "25" course running clockwise. Seventeen drivers were entered in the group, and many of them took advantage of the extra test day on Friday before heading out for an additional Saturday morning practice session prior to qualifying.
SATURDAY POLE POSITIONS:
FM - Bill Weaver 1:46.03
FS - Carter Williams 1:42.56
Pro FM - Jim Mali 1:43.00
Round three got off to a clean start. In the FormulaSPEED class Courtney Crone got a great start and took a position from Colin Mullan. Mullan was able to get past her within a few laps and held onto that position. Carter Williams led the class from start to finish, as did Bill Weaver and Jim Mali in FM and Pro FM.
Dutch Shultz and Larry Mason had a great battle in FM, with Mason eventually getting past Shultz.
"It was a pretty conservative race," noted Series Official Ben Hettema. "I think a lot of the drivers were thinking they would need to be conservative as a tire strategy for the following race." FCC rules mandate that the same set of Goodyear Racing tires are used for both of the double-header races.
SATURDAY (ROUND THREE) RACE WINNERS
FM - Bill Weaver
FS - Carter Williams
Pro FM - Jim Mali
SUNDAY POLE POSITIONS
FM - Bill Weaver 1:46.38
FS - Carter Williams 1:42.93
Pro FM - Jim Mali 1:42.99
In race two Williams and Mali led their respective classes from start to finish. There was a lot of action for the remaining podium spots though. FormulaSPEED drivers Crone and Mullan were nose to tail and side-by-side much of the race and had spectators on the edge of their seats. Bill Weaver and Larry Mason fought hard for the FM win, with Mason claiming the top spot. Derry O'Donovan and Dutch Shultz battled for third in the Formula Mazda class, with Shultz finally overtaking O'Donovan for the final FM podium position.
SUNDAY (ROUND FOUR) RACE WINNERS
FM - Larry Mason
FS - Carter Williams
Pro FM - Jim Mali
At every Formula Car Challenge event series partners provide additional awards to the competitors. Select drivers were awarded complimentary Goodyear Racing tires. Williams, Weaver and Mali were each presented with The Molecule Pole Award as the fastest qualifier in each class. The award includes a selection of Molecule suit care products. Next up on the FCC schedule is a double-header at Portland International Raceway on May 19-21.
The Formula Car Challenge presented by Goodyear is part of the Mazda Road to Indy USF2000 $200K Scholarship Shootout, which will see the champions of select junior open-wheel and karting series from around the world vie for a scholarship to enter the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda in 2018.