The second race of the Star Mazda series was an up and down three days, but ended with a satisfactory result for the Goshen Motorsports Team. Billy Goshen moved up from 10th to a tie for 7th in the Points Championship. With only one driver, Goshen Motorsports moves into fifth in the team standings.
Thursday morning’s practice ended with Billy Goshen recording the 4th fastest time at 1:46.314. Things began to change in the afternoon session with the number 82 car developing a push. The problem carried over to the Friday morning practice and by the afternoon session it was a major problem as Billy could only record the 14th fastest lap, almost a full second slower than his Thursday morning time.
Without any practice prior to the start of qualifying on Saturday morning, the Goshen Motorsports team could only hope the changes were in the right direction. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Billy, on his second lap, radioed “the push is gone.” On lap 7, Billy recorded the 6th fastest time of 1:45.805 and the crew pulled him in to save the tires. Unfortunately, several fast times were recorded on laps 10 thru 13 and Billy went back out to regain his position. As luck would have it, two successive red flags prevented Goshen from recording any additional times. When he got out of the car, Billy said “I know I could have gone faster, but being 11th means I have to get a good start. I know I can move up during the race and I have to thank my crew for making the right changes. The car is handling great.”
The race began at 4:15 on the Miller Motorsports Park 3.048 mile high speed course with a field of 29 cars going from a standing start. Billy Goshen was able to come out of the first turn in 10th. By the mid point of the race, Goshen had worked his way up to 6th, but coming down the 3,200 foot straightaway the engine mysteriously shutoff dropping him back to 10th. In working his way back up, Billy recorded the 6th fastest time of the race at 1:45.463, on lap 17, only .24 seconds off the fast lap of second place finisher Charles Hall. With three laps to go, Billy came down the straightaway nose to tail with the #53 car of Mike Hill and they went into Turn 1 side by side, but Goshen was unable to make the pass stick. On the next lap, he again drafted Hill down the straightaway taking the inside going into the turn with the same result. The last lap was a little different.
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Billy said “I decided to stay outside and drove to the inside of the turn as deep as I could.
I think Mike was a little surprised at the move.” In a show of good sportsmanship, the two
congratulated each other on a tough battle to finish the race.
Billy said “the way the car was handling I think I had a good shot at a top five finish, but the
8th place finish is acceptable considering the problem with the engine shutting off. I may have hit the kill switch, but I didn’t have to turn it back on, so I don’t know what happened. This was an improvement on Sebring, but my goal is still a top five in points and a podium finish.”
The Goshen Motorsports Team thanks Premier Partners Global Tracking Communications Inc., Otto Environmental Systems North America Inc. and Gatorz Eyewear, and race sponsor John Kuhni Sons Inc. for having more than 30 family members, employees and customers in attendance over the three day period. Billy said “it is an added incentive to do well when you have that many people supporting you.”
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The Goshen Motorsports Team now head for Watkins Glen, New York for the third race of the Star Mazda Series on June 7, where Global Tracking and Otto Environmental will again have customers in attendance. Also, Premier Partner Baker Commodities Inc. will have a large contingent of employees and customers from their Rochester Division at the event. Billy said “Baker Commodities has supported me since I started in open wheel racing, so I am looking forward to meeting their people. It looks like I will have a lot of people cheering me on, so I hope to do well.”
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