Brabham Equals Single Season Win Record with Dominant Run at Mid-Ohio

August 4, 2013 Leave a comment

Brabham Equals Single Season Win Record with Dominant Run at Mid-Ohio

Lexington, Ohio – Matthew Brabham bounced back from a disappointing weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park two weeks ago by scoring a convincing victory today in the first leg of the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio.

The third-generation racer from Boca Raton, Fla., qualified on the pole for the fifth time in 11 rounds of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. He then led throughout the 20-lap race to claim his eighth win of the year and equal the record for wins in a single season established by last year’s champion Jack Hawksworth.

Brabham’s progress was interrupted by a couple of full-course cautions but his concentration suffered not one iota as he extended his advantage to 3.890 seconds at the checkered flag.

Three weeks after scoring his first-ever victory, Andretti Autosport teammate Shelby Blackstock maintained his strong form by finishing second. Blackstock, from Nashville, Tenn., had his hands full in the closing stages as Diego Ferreira (Juncos Racing), from Maracay, Venezuela, had fought off the advances of Spencer Pigot (Team Pelfrey) and was charging along in third. Blackstock took the position by a mere 0.242s, with Pigot, from Orlando, Fla., also close behind in fourth.

Colombian Juan Piedrahita (JDC MotorSports) prevailed for fifth place after a race-long battle with Californian Kyle Kaiser (World Speed Motorsports). Not far behind, Lloyd Read (JDC MotorSports), from Newport, Wales, just held off the attentions of Kyle Connery, from Vero Beach, Fla., who made an impressive Pro Mazda debut for the returning M1 Racing team.

Argentina’s Julia Ballario, also making her debut for Juncos Racing, was involved in yet another tight two-car tussle before ultimately besting Mexican teammate Jose Gutierrez for ninth.

Bobby Eberle, from Missouri City, Texas, finished 11th overall and claimed Expert Class honors in his first-ever Pro Mazda start for World Speed Motorsports, narrowly edging Walt Bowlin (M1 Racing).

Contingency awards included the Quarter Master Hard Charger Award to Pigot for a gain of seven positions, the Staubli Award to Kaiser and the PFC Award to the winning team of Andretti Autosport.

Race 2 of the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio will be green at 10:05 am tomorrow.

Matthew Brabham, #83 MAZDASPEED/Team Andretti Autosport (Andretti Autosport) – First: “Canada was definitely a tough weekend for us and it is always good to bounce back and we did that in this race. I am really pleased for the team. It has been a great weekend for us. We were fast straight out of the box. We had to put the car back together after that last race [at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park] and we had no issues with the car or anything like that. The team has been working so hard all year and I can’t thank them enough. I am happy to have the one-two with Shelby and to win the race. It was definitely tough out there. It was really hot and it’s a physical track, but it is a lot of fun to drive. Hopefully, we can fight for the win again tomorrow.”

Shelby Blackstock, #28 Team Starstruck (Andretti Autosport) – Second: “Unfortunately, we had to accept second place. We had a really good jump at the start and I actually had a really good run on Matt. There was an opportunity there but I didn’t want to come back and explain to Michael [Andretti] how I took both of us out. I let that one slide and settled into a pace. Diego was full on the gas, which made it a little bit difficult at the end. Once I was down the straightaway I said okay, we’re good this lap and then I messed up in [Turn] Nine and almost gave him an opportunity. It was a good day overall but, hopefully, we’ll go for the win tomorrow.”

Diego Ferreira, #57 Team Viso Venezuela/Mindeporte (Juncos Racing) – Third: “This was our eighth podium of the season and I am really happy to be on the podium again. We had a bad qualifying in the rain and came fifth, so it is always good to get a podium. It was a good race. At the beginning, I was fighting with Spencer [Pigot] and with my teammate [Scott Anderson] and, on the last lap, with Shelby. My car was really good and I want to fight for the lead tomorrow.”

Bobby Eberle, #13 GOPUSA.com/MSR Houston/Method Evolution (World Speed Motorsports) – First Expert: “It was a great day. Earlier today in watching some of the cars in practice in Turn One, I noticed – at least to me – some of the cars moving mid-corner and that’s what got me. Walt [Bowlin] was tracking me down on the restarts, which certainly didn’t help, but I held on the rest of the track. For my first pro race, it was a great experience. I have been to this track once before so it wasn’t totally new but the experience is what takes awhile to sink in and get used to. It was a good day.”

###

About Allied Building Products Corp.: Allied Building Products Corp. is a wholesale distributor of exterior and interior building materials with $1.7 billion in annual revenues. Allied services professional contractors in 33 states with residential and commercial roofing, waterproofing, siding, windows, drywall, acoustical, metal framing and solar products along with all related accessories. Allied is a division of Oldcastle, Inc., the North American holding company for CRH plc (NYSE: CRH). For more information about Allied Building Products, visit www.alliedbuilding.com.

About Pro Mazda: The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires debuted in 2013 as a new series, replacing the Star Mazda Championship which ceased operation in 2012 after 22 years. The series is sanctioned by INDYCAR and owned and operated by Andersen Promotions. It is the second official step on the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system with the series’ champion awarded a scholarship package from Mazda to advance to Firestone Indy Lights competition the following year. For more information, visit www.promazdachampionship.com.

About Mazda: Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America. Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA and NASA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world’s largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. In 2006 Mazda established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks. In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy. Key to Mazda’s success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

MAZDASPEED Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com. Racers and fans can follow the action on Facebook (Mazdaspeed Motorsports).

About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company: Cooper Tire & Rubber Company (NYSE: CTB) is a global company with affiliates, subsidiaries and joint ventures that specialize in the design, manufacture, marketing and sales of passenger car and light truck tires. The company also has subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle and racing tires. With headquarters in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tire has manufacturing, sales, distribution, technical and design facilities within its family of companies located in 11 countries around the world. Additional information can be found at www.us.coopertire.com.