Sebring, FL – The historical track of Sebring International Raceway will forever more hold a special place for Andrew Hobbs as he captured his first win this weekend in the Skip Barber Winter Series.
His first visit ever to the famed course and the only advice from grandfather and legendary racer David Hobbs - was that Sebring is much faster than you think it is! With zero banking, the flat track is deceptively fast with two gigantic sweeping corners that begin at 17 and head back to Turn 1, pushing young drivers to learn the limits of their car and their skills. But pushing those limits is how they become great! Skip Barber is now the official driving school of the IZOD IndyCar Series and the first step on Mazda’s Road to Indy ladder system. As the training ground for the next generation of legends, they have rules of engagement. If you make contact or put all four tires off the track, penalties are assessed, either in a pit stop to check for damage or in time removed from the driver’s finish.
With sound advice from grandfather in mind, there were lessons to be learned and challenges to surmount as Andrew set about learning the many twist of the 17 corners on Sebring’s long course. Andrew admittedly was working hard to find a rhythm amongst the tighter corners of the track, but gained confidence with each session. He would start race number one from the fourth position.
With the wave of the green flag, Andrew was able to post consistent times and stay within site of the front pack. But in pushing the limits, he found himself off track. That lesson learned would relegate him to an 11th place finish. Starting the second race in the finishing order of the first meant that Andrew had his work cut out for him. But with more confidence yet, at the wave of the green flag Andrew began working his way through traffic. He was not only able to catch the front pack but stay with them. Running fourth and putting the pressure on, the car in P3 (Position #3) found himself in the Florida sand, moving Andrew in to 3rd. The front two cars were battling hard as Andrew continued to make up ground. And then it happened....P1 and P2 took each other out! With only two laps remaining, Andrew just needed to keep it clean and bring home the win! Andrew’s first on his Road to Indy.
Andrew commented, “This was my first time at Sebring, so I had a lot to learn. I struggled a bit on the back section, but felt like I was really gaining as the weekend came along. It always feels great to stand on top of the podium, even if all I really did was keep it clean!” Sometimes “keeping it clean” is exactly all a driver needs to do. Andrew went on to say thank you to the many that are supporting his dream of following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, including; MasterTech, Enterprise Rental Cars, Merchant Services, Prestige, and David Hobbs Honda. He also expressed gratitude for driver coach Steve Welk and all the guys at Skip Barber for their hard work.
Andrew’s pursuit will continue with the Skip Barber Summer Series starting June 16th-17th at Circuit Mont-Tremblant located in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec, Canada. Using the natural topography, the twisting 15-corner design is considered one of the finest and most demanding circuits in the world. We’re sure it’s on a video game somewhere for pre-event practice!
