Dwyer, Carbonell 4th at Watkins Glen in Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 - Speedway Digest

Watkins Glen presented a number of challenges and setbacks for Freedom Autosport during Saturday’s IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race, but co-drivers (Retired) U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer and Andrew Carbonell proved that challenges only make them better. They finished fourth in the No. 26 Mazda MX-5, which put them into the ST class points lead.

The 2.5-hour race was plagued by rain, a common theme throughout the entire weekend at Watkins Glen. Dwyer was making his first appearance there, so he learned the track under less than ideal conditions.

Still, Dwyer caught on quickly and moved up five positions during the opening stint of the race. Carbonell took over for Dwyer, but shortly after entering the track he had to serve a drive-through penalty for too many men working on the car. Carbonell lost over ten spots with the penalty, and spent the remainder of the race fighting his way back to the front.

Carbonell was in fourth place when the final caution began, and the race ended without ever returning to green. Although disappointed they weren’t given one final stretch of green-flag racing to contend for the podium, Freedom Autosport is more focused on the season as a whole. Points are priority, and Watkins Glen was very rewarding in that regard: the team moved into the ST points lead with the fourth-place finish.

Dwyer is quick to note that the battle has just begun. He said, “The points lead is nice, but we’re only four races into the season with a long, busy summer ahead of us. We are in a good spot for sure. We just need to keep getting solid finishes. P4 here at Watkins Glen, especially in such wet conditions, is huge. If we can minimize the mistakes over the summer, we’ll be in good shape.”

Next week, Freedom Autosport heads to Canadian Motorsport Park for round five. Dwyer will be visiting the 2.459-mile track for the first time, though he proved at Watkins Glen that he adapts quickly.

Carbonell was on the podium in Canada last year, finishing third with co-driver Randy Pobst. Carbonell sees a lot of similarity between Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. “They’re both very high-speed tracks, and places where people think you need a high-horsepower car, but the strengths of the Mazda MX-5 really shine at a place like this because it’s so good in those fast corners. And the momentum we can carry though the corners makes an impact on overall lap time. We don’t have to slow the car down too much.”

Round five gets underway on Saturday, July 11, at 1:25 p.m. It will be broadcast live on IMSA.com. In the meantime, fans can watch the Watkins Glen race on Fox Sports 1 on July 5 at 10:00 a.m. and connect online through Facebook and Twitter.

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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.