Northwest Autosport and Canadian racing driver Lorenzo Mandarino cruised into victory lane with their first victory of the season this weekend in Round Four of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear at Miller Motorsports Park during the American Le Mans Series Larry H Miller Group Utah Grand Prix race weekend.
Driving the #23 Newway Forming Northwest Autosport Pro Formula Mazda, Mandarino, from Vancouver, British Columbia, mastered the 24-turn 4.5-mile circuit jumping up from seventh on the grid to earn his first series victory. “This is a competitive series and it was a tough race today so coming out on top with a victory is great, ” the series rookie explained. “I was able to jump up into third place on the opening lap and worked patiently for the leaders to make a mistake and when they did I was able to take advantage and move into the lead. The car was working really well and I have to thank everyone at northwest Autosport for all their hard work. We had topped the charts during testing here in April and were fast in the first session but we struggled a bit during the weekend as everybody else got faster but the guys kept on working and their reward was this victory. ”
Mandarino’s victory brings Northwest Autosport back to the top of the podium for the first time since Ryan Justice wrapped up the 2006 season with a victory at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “We’re pumped to be back in victory lane so quickly, ” Team manager Mike Hernandez explained. “Lorenzo drove a tremendous race and put himself into the heart of the championship battle. ”
While Mandarino was rolling to the win fellow Northwest Autosport driver Eric Freiberg, from Homer Glen, Illinois, was in the thick of the battle in his #3 Northwest Autosport Pro Formula Mazda, bringing the car home in the thirteenth spot after lining up fifteenth on the grid.
“The start of the race was crazy with cars going four and five wide and I was able to gain a few spots, ” Freiberg revealed. “The weekend had started off really well and we were getting faster but on Friday we fell back a bit as the car picked up an understeer. The guys at Northwest Autosport worked really hard and I’m looking towards the next race weekend and hopefully a stronger result. ”
Despite not finishing as high as expected the weekend was still special for Freiberg as he visited the Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 18, as part of the Star Mazda Racing For Kids Program. “This was my first time participating in a hospital visit for Racing For Kids and it was a lot of fun to put smiles on faces of some very sick kids, ” Freiberg explained.
Round Four of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear will be broadcast by Speed Channel on Saturday, May 26, at 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Round Five of the championship will be held in Northwest Autosport’s backyard as the series joins the Champ Car World Series at Portland International Raceway on June 8-9.
Based in Milwaukie, Oregon, Northwest Autosport is one of the top teams participating in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, which will feature twelve races across the United States and Canada supporting the American Le Mans Series, ChampCar and the GrandAm series. The team is dedicated to developing young driving talent and will award the highest finishing driver on their team a test in an Indy Pro Series car prepared by Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which is currently running a car for Northwest Autosport alumni Ryan Justice.
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