Abbott Earns Podium Finish at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, NY (July 17, 2003) - The
weekend of July 12-13, 2003 found Coral Springs,
Florida driver Mishael Abbott competing in Round
Five of the Star Mazda EAST Championship Series
at world famous Watkins Glen, NY. “The Glen” is
a challenging 3.4-mile circuit located in the
rolling hills of western New York the site of
the United States Grand Prix and NASCAR Winston
Cup races for many years.
This year the Star Mazda EAST Series race was
combined with SCCA’s “National at the Glen”.
Bringing top-level competitors from around the
nation to this circuit.
Abbott’s first exposure to the track was on
Thursday with a promoters practice day allowing
for a full day of driver familiarization and car
set-up. By the second practice session she was
circumnavigating the undulating banked turns
within two seconds of the official track record.
The dawning of qualifying brought an unusually
cool summer morning. The threat of rain hung in
the air making the first of two qualifying
attempts especially critical as an afternoon
rain would certainly effect lap times. Abbott
attacked the racing surface early in the session
with a sizzling quick lap of 1:58.51 at an
average speed of 103.61 miles per hour, a mere
0.6 of a second off the track record placing her
5th in the EAST Series field.
Rain did not fall as predicted for the
afternoon qualifying session. A miss calculation
in fuel during the final session negated Abbott
of what could have been a higher starting
position.
Sunday, race day, was clear and warm with 46
cars taking the green in the combined field of
Formula Mazda, Formula Atlantic, and SCCA Sports
Racing classes. A first lap accident involving
two fellow Formula Mazda competitors created a
full-course yellow, which lasted for three laps.
Once the field regrouped and received the green
flag again on lap four, Mishael attacked the
field third position in class. Another
full-course caution on lap eight again bunched
all remaining cars together creating a 100 MPH
traffic jam. On lap ten, Mishael turned her
quickest race circuit at 1:58.45, surpassing her
qualifying time. Her careful yet quick driving
style enabled her to avoid very difficult and
congested track conditions, holding off all but
two East Championship competitors realizing her
first podium finish for the 2003 season.
“Learning this prestigious and challenging
circuit was my initial goal for the weekend; to
leave here with a third-place trophy and prize
money far exceeded my expectations. Only with
the help of Velocity Motorsports and driver
coach/fellow competitor, Victor Seaber, was I
able to reach this achievement.”
Next on the schedule is the challenging month
of August with events at Pocono Raceway,
Virginia International Raceway, and the season
finale at Summit Point in West Virginia. The
success at Watkins Glen may result in an
invitation to the SCCA National Championship
held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in September.
While not on the track, Abbott is actively
seeking sponsorship support for the 2004 Indy
Racing League / Infiniti Pro Series (IRL/IPS)
series, ultimately leading to her career optimum
of competing in and winning the IRL Indianapolis
500.
More information is available by reaching her
at
www.mishaelabbott.com.
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