Eric Filgueiras Set for F2000 2015 Effort

 In 2014, Filgueiras won an HSR Championship in his Acura RSX; and the past four seasons for Filguieras have given him seat time in a number of different series and number of different cars.

“2014 was a great year for us overall. It was a real struggle before that with funding missing from the equation. In 2013 I managed to negotiate a test with TRG in their Aston Martin Vantage GT4 at PBIR, but once again was cut short due to funding. As a driver, knowing that I would finally get a chance to race a full schedule that we set for ourselves was relieving for the 2014 season. And on top of that to win our championship, a couple of races and almost win a 4 Hour Enduro that I raced solo in were great accomplishments for us.”

The admirable persistence exemplified by Filgueiras can only be used for a source of inspiration to those trying to build a career in racing. Where does that motivation to persist come from? Filguieras has two things on his mind: winning and learning.

“The easiest or most common answer if you asked many drivers that would be ‘winning,’ and for me it’s extremely important to win and do well. But I think for me it also has a lot to self-improvement. How can I learn the most and take that gained knowledge to the next challenge. It helps me improve in life overall, and vice versa.”

The pre-season weekend at the Palm Beach International Raceway was a bit of a rocky one for Filgueiras and his team, but despite the events that occurred, Filgueiras made the most of it.

“Considering our situation, great. Our team purchased the car in very early January and was slated to pick the car up in New York the same weekend as the Rolex 24, but we were unfortunately sideswiped on the highway before we could even get out of the State and were forced to abort that trip. The car was transported to the Lipten Energy Solution’s shop in Wixom, MI. where the team owner and his son spent days on end prepping the car to the best of their ability before it was brought down a day before the first practice session. The weekend was basically a big shakedown for us. Nothing broke, I kept the nose clean and we walked away knowing more. That’s always the minimum of what we want to do on race weekends.”

Filgueiras is embracing the competition that he expects to face in 2015, with PBIR in the rear view mirror, and an entire season on the horizon; Filgueiras is clear about what he wants to accomplish.

“I’m looking forward to the kind of competition that we have in the series, but also learning more of the technical aspect of the cars. Picking up on certain things so I can become an even more well rounded driver. Of course we would love to come into the series and set the world on fire, but realistically it’s going to be tough for us. We are a one-car privateer team, which makes it difficult, but not impossible to perform. I believe in my own abilities and that of my team as well.”

Look for Eric in the No. 22 Spencer Racing car when he makes his appearance at Road Atlanta on April 9-12 for the start of the 2015 season.