Priaulx shows impressive pace when the rain allows
SEB PRIAULX made his mark on his first ever race at Sebring before adverse weather ultimately cost him the chance of fighting for a podium finish.
The 19-year-old Guernsey driver posted the fastest lap of the Mustang drivers on the iconic Florida circuit, despite only being able to race for approximately 20 minutes as the Michelin Pilot Challenge series resumed nearly six months after the season opener due to the enforced Covid-19 break.
Although Sebring is not the most favourable track for the Multimatic Motorsports team’s Ford Mustang GT4, Priaulx’s teammate Scott Maxwell took the reins for qualifying and placed them seventh on the grid for the two-hour race, with the experienced Canadian starting proceedings.
The race started with a strong possibility of rain and that proved to be true in the early stages.
Maxwell had risen to fifth place before a red-flag stoppage due to severe weather in the area.
After a break of over an hour, the action resumed and Maxwell remained in the top five before handing the car over to Priaulx with 40 minutes to go.
The Sarnian settled into eighth place after the pitstop cycle and posted that fast lap, but unfortunately more weather warnings led to a full-course yellow for the final 15 minutes.
‘It’s a shame that the weather played such a large role in the race and restricted our racing time,’ Priaulx said.
‘Seventh on the grid was around where we expected to be, but we felt our race pace was strong and we could potentially challenge for a podium finish.
‘Scott was right in the battle through his stint, but after dropping back a bit in the pitstop I couldn’t do much during the 20 minutes of racing I got.
‘I enjoyed being at Sebring for the first time though and getting back into the swing of things. Bring on the next race,’ he added.
The 2020 Michelin Pilot Challenge season continues in two weeks’ time with a two-hour race at Road America in Wisconsin.
