It was a solid weekend for Copeland Motorsports on the Streets of St. Petersburg as the elite Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich team racked up three top-five results and seven top-ten finishes with their four drivers over the double race weekend. Competing on the tight and twisty confines of the barrier lined circuit, Dan Williams led the team on the results sheet in race one with a fifth-place result while Luca Mars earned a fourth-place finish in race two.
“It was a great weekend for us as a team and our hard work is proven by the preparation and results from this past weekend,” explained Dean Copeland. “All four of our drivers had top-ten results and showed the pace needed to win. Our test and race program efforts have paid off, and we can’t wait for the next one.”
After the one and only qualifying session took place on Friday afternoon, Saturday would be the home of a pair of wheel-to-wheel races. With race one taking the green earlier in the morning, Dan Williams led Copeland Motorsports fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth place finishes. Luca Mars trailed Williams with the 2019 series champion Bryan Ortiz in seventh. Peter Atwater had a consistent race working his way into the top-ten and claiming the ninth position on track.
With a quick prep and turnaround between the two races, the second green flag of the weekend would fly on Saturday afternoon. This time, Mars led the way for the Copeland Motorsports squad earning a fourth-place result, a career best for the rookie. Bryan Ortiz crossed the stripe in fifth with Dan Williams in eighth and Peter Atwater in P19.
Copeland continued, “It is great to see Luca get is best finish to date and to have all of our guys in the fight.”
The next event on the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich schedule will be May 14-16 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Photo Credit: Copeland Motorsports