SHEA HOLBROOK SCORES TWO TOP-FIVE FINISHES IN THREE RACES OF PRIVACYSTAR UTAH GRAND PRIX
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 29, 2012 – TrueCar Racing experienced success and disappointment on opposite sides of the western hemisphere this weekend as two of its drivers ended up with differing results. Shea Holbrook, competing in the Touring Car class of the Pirelli World Challenge, took home fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishes in three races this weekend while Katherine Legge was unable to complete her race in the IZOD IndyCar Series after contact with the wall damaged her car.
- Photo credit: Mark Weber
Holbrook, driving the #67 TrueCar Honda Civic Si, had what she described as the best weekend of her racing career thus far. Racing in three events over two days at Miller Motorsports Park near Tooele, Utah, Holbrook scored a sixth-place finish in the first race yesterday morning (won by Todd Lamb) and then a fourth-place finish in the second race (won by Michael Cooper,) which was held back-to-back with the first. She rounded out her weekend with a fifth-place finish today after having worked her way from the back of the field.
“I was third on grid today because I had the third-fastest time from the second race of the weekend,” said Holbrook. “I was in a really good position to just stay up front and battle the entire time. On the start of the race, I’m not sure what happened. Either we had a misfire or I was in third gear… I couldn’t get the car rolling. The engine took a moment to breathe because I was on the throttle but then I got full power back and it was fine. By then I was last.” After analyzing data the team found clutch spin and an improper up shift was the cause of Holbrook’s slow start.
“Once all that happened I thought, ‘Okay, just have fun because now you will just start picking people off,'” continued Holbrook. “I had great radio communication with my coach and it was a good battle to get back up near the front.”
Holbrook narrowed the gap between herself and the lead car (ultimately Tristan Herbert) from 12 seconds mid-race to less than four by the end of the race. She had a similar situation in the first race of the weekend, where she spun her car but quickly recovered and gained back the positions she had lost. The second race of the weekend was her best and it also presented the most unusual sight of the weekend, arguably – an errant stock car, competing in another series and in a different area of the complex, accidentally drove onto the track on which the SCCA Touring Cars were racing.
“They radioed in and said, ‘Hey, there’s a stock car on the front straight, just take notice,” said Holbrook. “The matter-of-fact way in which they announced it over the radio was pretty funny.”
Holbrook held the touring car fast lap at least once in all sessions at Miller Motorsports Park. Her excellent performance of track impressed her team Compass360/Shea Racing, her teammates and fellow competitors, and coach Mikel Miller. “The beginning of the weekend was definitely a challenge but we proved we’re top contenders. I couldn’t be happier about my performance and I had the most fun I’ve had racing in a long time. The crew worked so incredible hard helping me get to this point and this weekend I felt I was able to give them the reward they’ve deserved. It was definitely a women empowered weekend! I’m now looking forward to heading home to walk at graduation and then off to Laguna Seca for the next race,” Holbrook concluded.
The 22-year old heads home to graduate from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication and Marketing. Holbrook will be highlighted in the commencement ceremony for her commitment to finish her four-year degree within four years while full-time racing.
Holbrook’s solid finishes move her to sixth in the Touring Car standings with 364 points, just four points shy of being in the top five.
Holbrook’s TrueCar Racing teammate Katherine Legge, driver of the No. 6 TrueCar Lotus Dallara DW12 in the IZOD IndyCar Series, suffered a series of tough breaks leading up to and in the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 this weekend and was unable to finish.
Watch the triple-header weekend online at www.world-challengetv.com and on NBC Sports Network Sunday, May 27th at 11PM-1AM eastern.
Special thanks to the fans, TrueCar, Lucas Oil, Premier Capital, Eibach Springs, HPD/Honda Racing, K&N Filters, Penta Water, and Cool Shirt.
About Shea Holbrook
Shea’s passion for driving started when she was 16 with a “Richard Petty Experience.” Shea quickly began excelling in the motorsports world through high performance driving events all throughout Florida. She then went on to obtain her SCCA license and since then Shea has been road racing competitively all over the nation with many organizations, from sprint races to 25 hour enduros. Shea debuted her first professional race season with SCCA World Challenge Pro Racing in 2010 finishing 6th in the championship. In 2011, Shea became the first woman to win a Touring Car race at the Long Beach Grand Prix with Pirelli World Challenge along with winning Best Standing Start and the Hard Charger Award. She’s also the fourth women to of ever won a professional race at Long Beach alongside Katherine Legge, Dancia Patrick and Simona De Silvestro. Shea is currently attending the University of Central Florida majoring in Communications/Marketing in which she’ll graduate in May. Something you may not know about Shea is that she is an accomplished national competitive water skier holding numerous state, regional and national titles. Shea received the “Living Legend Honoree Award” for her on and off track efforts and has been honored in the “Women in Motorsports” SuperCars Super Show Exhibit. In 2008, Shea became a “Women in the Winners Circle” graduate of the Lyn St. James program. “Fear is a state of mind, will is an action taken.” Shea lives this quote and believes through commitment and determination anything is possible. Helping others is another love of Shea’s. Shea Racing partnered up with Frito Lay Corp., in 2008 to raise $12,500 for the Susan G. Komen “For the Cure.” She has also raised thousands of dollars and awareness for her charity of choice, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD.) PPMD benefits Duchenne muscular dystrophy which affects her own family.
You can follow Shea on Twitter (@SheaRacing) become a fan on Facebook and watch her video’s on YouTube.
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