Rabe: Top Ten and Hard Charger Lead

July 11, 2014
Jason Rabe

Monticello, NY – A tricky first visit to the twisting Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Jason Rabe and his No. 14 Delaware Investments/Monticello Motor Club/Triad Magnetics K-Hill Motorsports No. 14 produced challenging conditions, a top ten Sunday run, and the lead of the season-long CellMark Paper Hard Charger competition in the F2000 Championship Series.

Rabe was sidelined by early weekend mechanical gremlins, limiting his track time on perhaps the hardest circuit on the schedule – and one that the self-made racer had never been to previously.

“We've been catching bad breaks/mechanicals during our much needed testing and practice days this season,” said Rabe. “A lot of these tracks are new to me, so qualifying sessions have seemed like our practice sessions. Mid-Ohio is a technical and challenging track, also the hardest to pass on, and, probably the most difficult this season.”

Mid-Ohio marked the seventh and eighth races of the 2014 schedule for the F2000 Series, with Rabe heading into the weekend off a solid Spec Racer Ford showing a week prior.

Coming into qualifying and a race on Saturday, Rabe had commented he was shooting for a top ten result, because of the challenging nature of the track.

He would start and finish that race 13th, but ran a fastest lap quicker than any laps set by the five cars ahead of him for the 19-lap/30-minute sprint.

“During Saturday's race we showed a top 10 pace throughout, we just got caught behind some slower cars,” Rabe noted. “Mid-Ohio is a tricky place to pass.”

Sunday’s qualifying session went worse, as a black flag coupled with a wet track that was drying left Rabe in 14th, despite being in the top five most of the session. The track quickened right at the end of the 30-minute qualifying window, leaving those not on a clear flying lap well down the order.

“We had a good start for the race,” recalled Rabe. “The race overall went a lot better, we were able to pass cars and made it to tenth.”

That four position improvement makes it 35 positions gained on the year for the No. 14, giving Rabe the lead of the season-long CellMark Paper Hard Charger Championship and a shot at a cash bonus at the end of the year if he can keep it up.

“Thanks again to Delaware Investments, the Monticello Motor Club, and new sponsor Triad Magnetics for their support,” added Rabe.

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