Event Headlines
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Brabham and Andretti Autosport Enjoy Perfect Weekend in St. Pete ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – No one could touch Matthew Brabham on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg. The 19-year-old third-generation racer – grandson of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jack Brabham and son of sports car champion Geoff – won both legs of the Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to claim a commanding lead after four rounds of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Andretti Autosport teammate Shelby Blackstock (#28 Team Starstruck) finished a career-best second this afternoon after starting from the pole position, backing up his third place from Saturday, while Round 1 winner Diego Ferreira finished a distant third in Juncos Racing’ s #57 Team Vi5o Venezuela/Mindeporte entry. |
Brabham Overcomes Mechanical Problem in Qualifying to Claim Dominant Win St. Petersburg, Fla. – Third-generation racer Matthew Brabham produced an impressive performance to score a clear victory in this afternoon’s Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Round 3 of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Brabham, 19, who was born in Boca Raton, Fla., and raised in Surfers Paradise, Australia, had set the pace throughout practice with the #83 Team Andretti Autosport entry but qualified only eighth after the gear shift lever broke off in his hand midway through the 30-minute qualifying session. Undeterred, Brabham, who won last year’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda, earning a MAZDASPEED scholarship to graduate to Pro Mazda this season, was on the move almost as soon as the green flag waved. He leapt to sixth at the start, only for his progress to be delayed almost immediately by a full-course caution following a first-corner incident which eliminated Colombian Juan Piedrahita (JDC MotorSports). |
Ferreira and Brabham Lead Pro Mazda Field to St. Petersburg ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Diego Ferreira and Matthew Brabham shared the victory spoils when the new Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires commenced at the state-of-the-art Circuit of The Americas road course in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, and duly head the point standings as the contenders travel to Florida this weekend for two Allied Building Products Grand Prix of St. Petersburg races in support of the opening round of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Ferreira, 19, from Maracay, Venezuela, displayed steady progress with Juncos Racing during his rookie campaign in 2012, finishing among the top five in each of the final five races. He put that experience to excellent use in the 2013 season opener, qualifying on pole and leading from start to finish in Race 1, then adding a second-place finish in Race 2 to claim an early advantage in the championship. |