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EDWARDS CLINCHES FPA WINTER SERIES TITLE IN STYLE
Lally takes Fifth and Sixth at Brands Hatch Formula Palmer Audi
Finale
Paul Edwards continued his spectacular form today by winning round three of
the Formula Palmer Audi Winter Series in his patriotically liveried
Team USA Scholarship Van Diemen at Brands Hatch, England. The
result was enough to clinch the championship crown with one race
remaining. Countrymen Andy Lally and Jeff Simmons also showed
good form, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively, in the final
standings after today's double-header race meeting.
Edwards mounted a challenge for the lead in the fourth
and final race, but was caught on the outside line when his main
adversary, pole-sitting Englishman Paul Munn, missed a gearshift
on the exit of the Druids hairpin turn. Edwards fell to fifth
place in the ensuing melee and wisely elected not to press the
issue. "I knew I'd won the championship and I could see as he
came down the hill [toward Graham Hill Bend] that he wasn't going
to lift," recounted Edwards. "I could have closed the door on
everybody, but I just wanted to bring the car home in one piece.
To be perfectly honest, the car looked too good to crash!"
Going into the final two races, Edwards, 21, from Santa
Maria, Calif., held a perfect record by virtue of winning the
opening two races at Snetterton the previous week. Munn, though,
who has contested the entire Formula Palmer Audi Championship
in 1999, kept up the pressure by narrowly snaring the pole for
each of today's events (by a combined tally of 0.162sec!). Edwards
qualified second both times, but made a spectacular start to the
first 15-lap race and took the lead from Munn at the first corner.
He was never headed, although he almost made life difficult for
himself when he misjudged his approach to the infamous Paddock
Hill Bend on lap seven.
"I made a mistake," Edwards admitted. "I made a great
start, took the lead, and then pushed really hard for the first
five laps to build up an advantage." (Indeed, he stretched his
lead to more than three seconds inside the first four laps.) "Unfortunately,
I also overworked the rear tires, which started to lose grip.
On that lap I just went in [to the corner] a bit too hot, got
onto the damp line and only just kept it out of the gravel trap."
His advantage was instantly halved, and in the closing laps, Munn,
who needed to win in order to retain his chance of winning the
championship, mounted a determined challenge for the lead. Edwards,
though, was up to the challenge and finally took the checkered
flag 0.280sec ahead.
"I'm over the moon," said the gifted Edwards, who also
won last year's EFDA Formula Opel Winter Series while carrying
the colors of the Team USA Scholarship. "It's especially satisfying
to win with the support of Team USA. It means a lot. "There was
a lot of pressure," he continued. "Two weeks ago, I was really
nervous, but now I've achieved what we all set out to do and I
hope it helps me to sort something out for next year. I need some
publicity in the States after racing and living in Europe for
four years, and this was the best way to do that."
Added noted auto racing writer/broadcaster Jeremy Shaw,
who first established the Team USA Scholarship in 1990: "Paul
has done a fabulous job these last two weekends. Formula Palmer
Audi is set up along the lines of the Barber Dodge Pro Series
in the U.S., with almost identical cars, so the emphasis is on
driver skill. The series is very competitive and while there were
a lot of talented drivers, Paul, by winning three of the four
races, has demonstrated his ability. He's a class act both in
and out of the car and clearly has an extremely bright future
ahead of him."
Lally and Simmons finished sixth and seventh in today's
first race, then followed Edwards across the finish line to claim
fifth and sixth, respectively, in the final race.
"It was a great experience," said Lally, 24, from Northport,
N.Y., after securing a fine fifth place in the final championship
standings. "I'm so grateful to everyone who was involved in putting
this scholarship together. The racing is tough over here [in Europe].
I learned a lot."
Lally's sentiments were echoed by Simmons, 23, from E.
Granby, Conn., who endured more than his share of misfortunes
during the two weeks but, like Lally, impressed everyone at FPA
with his pace and his positive attitude. "I made a couple of
mistakes, which really hurt me," said Simmons, "but I definitely
learned a lot, and if I could come back, there are a few things
I would do differently. Like Paul and Andy, I would like to say
thank you to everyone who has supported the scholarship."
The Team USA Scholarship has been made possible by the
support of Valvoline, CART, Tasman Motorsports, Audi, PacWest
Racing, Mercedes-Benz USA, Road Racing Drivers Club, Klein Tools,
Skip Barber Racing School, No Fear and Mitel Semiconductor.
Race 1 results: 1, Paul Edwards (USA), 11m25.213s, 96.73mph; 2, Paul Munn (GB), 1m25.493s; 3, Tom Sisley
(GB), 11m26.273s; 4, Giorgio Pantano (I), 11m29.278s; 5, Dan Hazlewood
(GB), 11m36.954s; 6, Andy Lally (USA), 11m37.657s; 7, Jeff Simmons
(USA), 11m37.850s; etc.
Fastest lap: Edwards and Sisley, 44.669s, 98.82mph.
Race 2 results: 1, Munn, 11m24.747s, 98.43mph; 2, Sisley, 11m24.767s; 3, Pantano,
11m25.100s; 4, Edwards, 11m27.581s; 5, Lally, 11m29.071s; 6, Simmons,
11m29.525s; etc.
Fastest lap: Sisley, 44.645s, 98.88mph.
Final championship positions: 1, EDWARDS, 72pts; 2, Munn, 64; 3, Pantano, 52; 4, Adam Carroll (IRL), 48;
5, LALLY, 44; 6, Martin Rihs (A) and Hazlewood, 42; 8, SIMMONS,
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