Fontana, CA –Larry Mason drove the Auto Diagnostic Services Team LMR Formula Mazda (FM) to a third place podium finish to start the 2018 season on a high note at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on January 13th for the first round of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour. “It was a tough race as they moved us into Group 8 instead of Group 2. This had us racing late in the afternoon with the sun shining right in our eyes as we entered the final turn on the track. It wasn’t an issue until I got balked by a slower car and when I made a move to the outside to avoid contact, I hit a cone which tore off the right front wing. Fortunately we had enough of a gap to keep our 3rd place podium finish,” explained Mason.
“In Race #2, we qualified third again and I had a great start and jumped into the lead right away! Unfortunately the first and second place cars seemed to have more power as they both drove by me and gapped me by about 10 car-lengths as we exited Turn 2 of the oval.” As the race wore on, the fourth place driver passed Mason for third and Mason passed him back on the next lap. This happened again but when Mason looked to the inside at the end of the last straight, the other driver out-braked himself and slid off into the marbles. Instead of totally blowing the chicane and tucking in behind Mason, he decided to jump the curbing and re-enter the track. Mason was already there and received a massive hit to the left rear of the car that knocked him into the air and into a wild spin. Mason was transported back to the paddock by ambulance but was able to walk away. “Thank God for Bell Helmets! It was a hard hit and my helmet smacked the roll bar padding quite hard.”
The crash caused extensive damage. Hopefully the team can rebound sooner rather than later as Mason is currently leading the championship points battel. “It’s going to take a lot of work to fix the car, but we’ll get it done and get back on track as soon as possible.”
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| Mason gets hit hard and thrown into the air by another FM driver! |
 Photo credit by Caliphoto |
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