@MattGarwood31 • @Formula_1200 • Wampum, Pennsylvania - Aug 4, 2015 – F1200 driver Matt Garwood of Elmvale, ON headed south of the border this past weekend. With his first ever series win and a second place finish Garwood regains the series points lead in the 2015 Challenge Cup Series Championship.
Last Thursday Garwood along with close friend and former Formula 1200 driver Andrew Waring made the seven-hour trip to Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PIRC) for the third round of the 2015 Challenge Cup Series Championship. As there was no on-track activity for the series on Friday Garwood and Crew Chief Waring utilized the full day to set up and prepare the #31 car for the weekend's races.
As this was Garwood's first time at PIRC he knew that he'd have to make every second count to ensure he had a good grasp of the track layout and to maximize the car's setup.
It didn't take him too long to get up to speed during Saturday's qualifying session. Garwood's efforts resulted in earning second spot on the grid for the first race of the doubleheader weekend.
The driver who held the pole got an early jump and Garwood slipped back to second. The first half of the race saw five cars all battling for the lead making for a very busy and entertaining race for not only the drivers but the crew and fans. Garwood gave it his all and after a hard fought battle he wound up second, his best finish this season so far.
"Knowing the win was so close I was somewhat disappointed at the result but I knew if I pushed harder on Sunday we could achieve that goal." said Garwood.
On Sunday morning Garwood lined up for qualifying once again with the hope and intention of securing the pole.
Garwood commented: "Throughout the session I had the pole for the majority of the 25 minutes of track time until Saturday's winner and pole sitter got a fast lap in at the very end of the session. We'll be starting from second with a time difference of seven-hundredths of a second."
Garwood took his spot on the grid for the final race of the weekend hungry to get his first win, a goal he's been chasing for 3 years.
Garwood got a good start and quickly took the lead. Opening up a small gap on the cars in second and third place he put his head down and focused on driving smooth consistent laps in an attempt to increase his lead even more. However on the last lap going into turn seven Garwood got passed for the lead.
Garwood was not going to let the potential for his first-ever Formula 1200 win slip through his fingers after leading the majority of the race.
"Going into the last turn I got beside the leader racing him wheel to wheel and we'd crossed the finish line just that way, taking the victory with less then five-hundredths of a second, a very close photo finish!" enthused Garwood. "Winning my first race was like a feeling I've never experienced before in my life. All the hard work I have put in over the past three and a half years has now come to fruition."
As a proud "Laps for Muscular Dystrophy" (Laps4MD) driver, Garwood will be making his first donation to this important initiative as he has pledged to donate $1 for every lap he leads to Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
Garwood wishes to thank Crew Chief Andrew Waring for his expertise and support as well as Ray and Katrina Carmody (Carmody Racing) for their incredible support and hospitality throughout the entire weekend.
This coming weekend Garwood and the Vallis Motorsport Team will visit the "tricky triangle" Pocono Raceway in the hunt for the 2015 F1200 Challenge Cup Championship.
Garwood's impressive list of partners he is proud to represent include; FEL (Franczak Enterprises Ltd.) Vallis Motor Sport, KarmaComa Studio, Core Evolution Fitness, Athletes Brand and Autoglym Canada. Garwood is also proud to be "Laps for Muscular Dystrophy" (Laps4MD) driver where he has pledged to donate $1 for every lap he leads to go to Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
To learn more about Matt Garwood and his racing program please visit www.mattgarwoodracing.com, www.facebook.com/MattGarwoodRacing and follow him on Twitter at @mattgarwood31.
About Matt Garwood: Matt is a 20 year-old race car driver from Elmvale, Ontario currently studying at the Automotive Business School of Canada. Matt competes in the Formula 1200 open wheel racing series and in the near future looks to jump from regional racing to a national level series such as the Canadian Touring Car championship. He is a 3-time Canadian Karting League Champion and the 2012 Formula 1200 Rookie of the Year.
From: Matt Garwood Racing // www.mattgarwoodracing.com
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