RACE: Mishael Abbott Road America summary

TOOK FIRST EVER POLE POSITION IN NATIONAL COMPETITION
Two Podium Finishes for Mishael Abbott at Road America

Elkhart Lake, WI (July 30, 2007) -- Mishael Abbott welcomed the chance to work double duty again at Road America last weekend and was rewarded with her first career pole position in National competition and two podium finishes racing in both her Formula Mazda and C Sports Racer.

Mishael was back at Road America for the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) "Scaredy Cat" Nationals, just a month after the annual June Sprints® National Road Racing Championships when she tangled with another competitor and nearly destroyed her Formula Mazda race car.

Thanks to the efforts of her Dad and K-Hill Motorsports, her car was repaired and made race ready for the "Cat" Nationals. Mishael used the Friday test day and Saturday qualifying sessions to adjust the car setup and consistently improve her lap times around the 14-turn road track. By the end of the second qualifying session she was on the pole with the fastest lap time of the day.

Mishael was also racing her C Sports Racer, an Elan DP02, in a separate race group. The gap between race groups was nearly ideal for her and her team to prepare the second car. Driving what is generally considered a handicapped race car when racing in SCCA's C Sports Racer classification, Mishael qualified the car third for Sunday's race.

"To get my first pole in National competition here at Road America means so much to me," said Mishael. "We have had some bad luck here in the past and really tore up the Formula Mazda at the June Sprints but we kept working and it all came together for us today."

The C Sports Racer group was the first race for Mishael on Sunday. The entire field got a good start and maintained position for a number of laps. Mishael moved up to second place around mid-race and stayed there through the end to capture her first podium finish of the day.

With Mishael starting in the pole position for the Formula Mazda race Sunday afternoon, the second and third qualifying cars got an unusually fast start heading into turn one. Mishael slotted behind in third and the cars raced nose to tail for the entire 12-lap race on the 4-mile race track. Mishael finished in third place for her second podium finish of the day.

"Thanks so much to my K-Hill Motorsports team for giving me two top cars to drive this weekend," Mishael said. "Finishing on the podium in both the Formula Mazda and C Sports Racer are awesome results for us this weekend. I can't wait to get to VIR and build on this."

Mishael Abbott's next race is at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for the Oak Tree Nationals, August 10-12. She will be piloting her C Sports Racer in one of the last National races of the year. In 2004 Mishael recorded her first SCCA National win at the Oak Tree Nationals in her Formula Mazda.

-credit: mishaelabbott.com