Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 Opens Season with Top Ten at Daytona - Speedway Digest

Freedom Autosport opened the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season with ninth at Daytona International Speedway. The 2.5-hour race was a solid first outing for co-drivers Andrew Carbonell and U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer, who are teamed up in the No. 26 Mazda MX-5.

Dwyer started the race for Freedom Autosport, and the team took advantage of a full-course caution to pit at the 45-minute mark. Carbonell then took over, and he says the competition got especially interesting after a late-race caution. Carbonell pitted to top off with fuel, and when the green flag flew again, he began working past the cars that had regrouped behind the pace car.

On the final lap, Carbonell made two passes to move up to ninth in the ST class, giving Freedom Autosport a great start to the 2015 season.

“I had predicted we’d get a top ten at Daytona based on the test that Andrew and I had at Road Atlanta, and that’s exactly what ended up happening,” said Dwyer. “Andrew was so fast in the car, and I did exactly what I needed to do in my stint to hand a good car over to him. I’m extremely happy with how quickly the Freedom Autosport team got us through the pit stops, and I’m really excited about the rest of the season.”

Carbonell said, “Stopping for fuel during the late caution worked perfectly because the extra fuel allowed us to push to the end. With the field bunched up from the caution, it made for an exciting finish for the team while allowing me to use the draft to my advantage.”

Now that Dwyer and Carbonell have had their first race together, their optimism about the season has only increased. “We saw again in the race that Liam and I have a very similar feel for the car, and it’s easy for us to agree on setup and handling,” Carbonell noted. “That makes it easier for the team as a whole – everybody is on the same page.”

Freedom Autosport will be anxiously awaiting round two at Sebring International Raceway, where they won in 2014. Until then, they will continue honing the No. 26 MX-5 in hopes of being on the top step again.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.