Freedom Autosport Earns Top 10 in Daytona Opener
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Freedom Autosport began the 2011 season with a finish of eighth during Friday’s GRAND-AM 200 at Daytona International Raceway. Brad Rampelberg and Michael Cooper were teammates last year in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Series. Now, as co-drivers in the ST class of the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series, they drove the No. 27 MAZDASPEED3 to a top-ten finish in their first series outing.
Cooper qualified and started the 2.5-hour race before handing over to Rampelberg. Because of the fast speeds around Daytona’s high banks, the team knew they would need to make a second pit stop for fuel, which they were able to accomplish early in the race.
Rampelberg ran as high as fifth during his stint. He successfully avoided an incident in front of him in the closing laps to finish eighth.
“We ran our strategy, we ran our race, and it worked out well,” says Cooper. “We weren’t sure if we could get that high of a finish in our first race, but we did. It feels good to have the first race complete, and we learned a lot about the car.”
“Michael handed me a perfect car,” says Rampelberg. “On the last restart, we were three or four wide in turn six, and a car spun right in front of me. I had to lift to keep from hitting him, and the cars behind me got past. Our goal was a top ten, and it’s good to know we achieved that. The crew performed two flawless pit stops, and this bodes well for the championship, both for Mazda and Freedom Autosport.”
Friday’s race also marked the ST-class debut for co-drivers Bruce Ledoux and Nick Igdalsky, who were behind the wheel of Freedom Autosport’s No. 28 ModSpace Construct Corps MAZDASPEED3.
Ledoux and Igdalsky might be newcomers to the class, but they ran as high as eighth before an eventual finish of 13th. “I’d never driven a front-wheel drive car on the track before, and there was a lot going on at the start with everyone racing for position,” notes Ledoux. “I slipped through a five-car pileup in turn one, then got my momentum going.”
Ledoux is also quick to praise Freedom Autosport. “The Freedom guys are on it,” he says. “I’m really impressed with them. They’re conscientious, personable, and they have a well-crafted game.”
“The car was good, and the team gave us the opportunity to finish in the top ten, so I’m a little disappointed we couldn’t capitalize on that,” says Igdalsky. The race marked his first time competing in a front-wheel drive car, as well, and he added, “I felt like I got the hang of it in the last fifteen minutes of the race.”
While the Freedom Autosport MAZDASPEED3s had a great start to the season, the team’s two Mazda MX-5s were plagued by problems. The No. 25 MX-5 of Derek Whitis and Tom Long had to retire early with motor problems. The No. 26 MX-5 of Rhett O’Doski and Andrew Carbonell was unable to start the race after a crank bolt sheared off inside the motor during warm-up. The situation called for a motor change, but there was not enough time before the green flag to make the swap.
Although he was unable to race in the Daytona 200, Long got plenty of seat time during the GRAND-AM Rolex 24 at Daytona. He finished third in the GT class, driving the No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 with Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, and Charles Espenlaub.
Catch Freedom Autosport’s 2011 opener at the Daytona 200 on SPEED this Saturday, February 5, at 3:00 p.m. EST.
ABOUT MODSPACE
Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace), based in Berwyn, Pa., is a leading provider of modular buildings, portable storage and services for temporary or permanent space needs. Building on more than 40 years of experience, ModSpace serves a diverse set of customers and markets—including commercial, construction, education, government, healthcare, industrial/energy and special events—through an extensive nationwide branch network throughout the United States and Canada. www.modspace.com
ABOUT CONSTRUCT CORPS
Construct Corps is a leading provider of temporary skilled workers for construction, disaster response, environmental and manufacturing companies throughout the U.S. Through its exclusive Construct Buddy recruiting system, Construct Corps provides more workers in more locations with one point of contact than any other company. For more information on Construct Corps please visit www.constructcorps.com
ABOUT MAZDA
On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race tracks of America than any other brand of vehicle. At the track, you’ll see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models competing, because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car. In fact, the largest road-racing class in the world is Spec Miata, with more than 2,500 first- and second-generation Miatas tearing up America’s racetracks, making it the most-raced production car in the world. Mazda’s involvement in motorsports extends to its relationship with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the world’s premier road-racing circuits, and the Skip Barber Schools for driving and racing.