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Former Series Champs Earn Four Top-Tens in Scriven Memorial at VIR 2018 Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda team Abel Motorsports of Louisville, KY battled extreme heat and a challenging weekend at Virginia International Raceway in the season’s second FR Americas Championship event. Drivers Jacob Abel of Louisville and Blake Upton of Sammamish, WA earned top-seven finishes in Saturday’s opening race of the tripleheader weekend, while Sunday’s two series rounds were highlighted by Abel’s 9th place run in the day’s first race. Upton scored 10th place in the nightcap. The 100-degree weather that prevailed at VIR made the stout FR Americas competition even tougher than usual. Team Principal Bill Abel noted, “We faced a tough group of competitors and tough conditions as well. We fought hard, overcame challenges, and learned a lot that’ll benefit us as this unusual year continues. It wasn’t our best race weekend, but we’ll continue to improve when we get to Barber in two weeks.” The team’s veteran driver, 19-year-old Jacob Abel, posted a strong run in Saturday’s first race of the weekend, driving from 11th on the grid to finish 6th. Sunday’s two rounds were especially challenging. “We had to start P10 in Race 2. As tough as the competition is, our goal was to get in a fast lap and start toward the front of the grid in Race 3. We did that, qualifying 6th, but we had a major issue. We found a cracked bellhousing which we didn’t have time to change before Race 3. We patched it and added oil, and we were fast. We were challenging for fourth when the bellhousing failed which caused a suspension failure. That sent me off-track. We showed lots of promise but unfortunately didn’t have the results to back it up. We’re looking ahead to Barber!” Abel posted a solid 9th place finish in the weekend’s second race on Sunday morning. 19-year-old Upton, the team’s newest member, gained several grid positions Saturday to earn 7th at the checkered flag, his best result thus far in the young season. After struggling to 15th in Sunday’s first event Upton closed the weekend’s tripleheader with a capable 10th-place finish. “We had a good weekend overall. We had the pace to contend for a top-five, but it’s hard in these races…everyone here is so equal, if you don’t make a move at the start it’s easy to get locked into a place in line. But I learned a lot and we’ll take the momentum we gained at VIR and put it to good use at Barber. We’ll be fighting hard for the podium.” The Abel Motorsports team is regrouping at their Louisville headquarters in advance of the season’s third FR Americas event scheduled for beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AL, in two weeks. Jacob Abel tested an Acura NSX GT3 Evo race car at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course this week, learning more about sports car racing as he works to further his driving career.
ABOUT ABEL MOTORSPORTS: Abel Motorsports of Louisville, KY, is a top-tier open wheel development team, with driving, marketing and sponsorship opportunities available in a variety of professional series. For more information, visit www.abelmotorsports.com. |
