Freedom Autosport Right at Home on the VIR Podium

Freedom Autosport closed their homecoming weekend at Virginia International Raceway with a third-place finish for Andrew Carbonell and Rhett O’Doski in the Bosch Engineering 200.

Carbonell and O’Doski accomplished their podium finish in the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 after Carbonell passed for third on the last lap of the 2.5-hour GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race.

In fact, it was his teammate Tom Long that Carbonell passed for the podium spot. Long and Whitis, in the No. 25 Mazda MX-5, finished fourth. Eric Foss and Brad Rampelberg finished tenth in the No. 27 MAZDASPEED3.

“Our Mazda MX5's fastest laps weren't even in the top 20, but through great driving and some amazing work from the crew, we got a 3-4 finish and three Freedom cars in the top ten,” notes team co-owner Whitis.

Teamwork proved to be key to Freedom Autosport’s success. The No. 25 and 26 Mazdas didn’t have the fastest lap times. To compensate, Long and Carbonell drafted each other for the final 45 minutes of the race.

“I figured we’d work together since we were underpowered,” says Carbonell. “It was fun, probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a race. We wound up three-wide going into the Roller Coaster on the last lap. I was able to get a good run onto the front straight, and it was a drag race to the end. We couldn’t have been there without each other.”

“Every one of our cars came from the back, and every one of us had to work hard to get up front,” says O’Doski. “We’ve had some disappointing results this year, but finally everything came together: teamwork, strategy, and a little bit of luck. It’s good to be on the podium again.”

Foss and Rampelberg drove a solid race, as well, coming from the back of the grid after a last-minute engine swap. Despite the setback, the duo was still able to crack into the top ten with their No. 27 MAZDASPEED3. Meanwhile, Nick Igdalsky and Bruce Ledoux completed the Freedom Autosport lineup with their finish of 30^th in the No. 28 ModSpace/Construct Corps MAZDASPEED3.

Even with all of the excitement on track, the Freedom Autosport drivers still found time to meet with Mazda owners participating in the weekend’s Mazda car corral. In addition, the team sold team shirts and raffled off prizes, including a high-performance driving school donated by Chin Motorsports, to raise money for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The team, assisted by the Team Ohio Mazda Club, raised over $1200 during the course of the weekend.