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Mike Vincec off to Sebring for next round of Skip Barber Series

Sunoco Team Ultra 94 driver looks to add to his points tally

With little time to rest following his return from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates following the Rotax World Finals, sixteen year-old Mike Vincec is on his way to Sebring, Florida to contest the next round of the Skip Barber Southern Region race series.

The Sunoco Team Ultra 94 driver goes into this event with two podium finishes from Road Atlanta last month and is hoping to add some more points this weekend in his quest for the series championship. "We are hoping for anther good weekend in the series" commented Mike. "I have done some testing at the Sebring circuit which will help cut the learning curve. It will just be as matter of getting used to how Skip Barber Formula 2000 handles on this course."

While the Stouffville teen enjoyed success at Road Atlanta last month, his trip to the Rotax World Finals got off to a slow start. A very strong field of the top Rotax drivers in the world assembled at Al Ain, United Arab Emirates for the World Final event. Mike's first few days were spent sorting out chassis and engine issues that would affect his times in qualifying and heat races. With each session though, his times improved. "We needed to break into that top group" said Mike. "But you have to know that the top group covered more than half of the seventy karts in this class, and it was going to be very close competition. Most sessions saw the top forty karts covered by less than one second."            Mike and Ron Fellows at Road Atlanta  Credit: M. Vincecâ

By then end of the qualifying heats Mike was in the top forty but would have to race in the last chance qualifier to make the final. He would finish fifth in this race to move into the final round. Mike would find more speed going into the final sessions and put in a terrific drive in the final to go from P32 on the starting grid, forced off track after turn 2 to P34 after the start, to P15 over the 21-lap race. Lap charts show Mike at the tail of the field on the first lap but by the end of lap two he had moved up five positions to P29. One lap later he was P23 and the next, P21. From there is it was a steady diet of passing, one by one until lap sixteen when he would sit 15th. From there it was a bit harder. He had quite a gap to the next driver. Mike would turn up the heat in the closing laps, three of his last four being his fastest of the race and among his fastest at the event. Not quite enough to grab another position but certainly a great drive from the back of the field.- Mike would like to thank everyone on Team Canada for their support in Al Ain. For now, he sets his sights on another successful weekend with Sunoco Team Ultra 94 in Florida. Please check www.mikevincec.com throughout the weekend for updates and results.

www.mikev.ca