Only Two races remain in the Skip Barber presents the Mazda Winter Series, and the battle for the Formula Skip Barber championship has effectively become a two-man affair following Rounds Nine and Ten over the weekend (March 31-April 1) at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Jake Eidson overtook the points lead from Danilo Estrela with two first place finishes. Fellow championship front-runner Nick Neri also had a spectacular race weekend gaining two first place finishes in each of his races, while Jack Mitchell Jr., another title contender, also captured two second place finishes.
Eidson led the field to the green flag for the opening race of Group One. Early in lap one, Eidson extended his advantage over Mitchell Jr. and Leonardo Jafet. Just after the cars went single file through turn six, Matt McMurry spun and got trapped in the gravel, bringing out the yellow flag. Race resumed on lap three, with new racer Peter Portante making contact with Ryan Verra on the front straight. As the racers entered lap four, Mitchell Jr. began making ground on Eidson, subsequently passing for first. Eidson, however, remained right behind the new leader, and going into turn 10 makes a pop for first, reclaiming the top spot. Estrela, who started at the back of the pack, has picked off numerous cars, now lies in fourth place. Going into lap seven, Lee Kaiser and McMurry have contact, resulting in McMurry hit the wall and the yellow flags coming out. When the race resumed on lap 10, Estrela quickly took over the third spot from Jafet. With Eidson still out front, the lead trio are are nose to tail in lap 11, before Estrela goes four off in turn 10 and finishes in the pit. Eidson in the end takes the win, followed by Mitchell Jr., and Jafet.
After winning the previous day's race, Eidson once led the Group One pack to the green flag. Jafet is the early mover, passing Mitchell Jr. early in lap two for the second position. Estrela, who began in seventh, also begins maneuvering through the pack, picking up three spot as he slides into the fourth spot by lap two. Unfortunately, Jafet soon spun, making contact with Estrela. Both drivers, however, manage to continue. As the racers enter lap four, Neri moves to third, but Tristan DeGrand is right behind him waiting to make his move. DeGrand looks to make it happen on lap five, and makes it stick. With the battles for positions behind, Eidson and Mitchell Jr. continue to extend their lead from the rest of the pack. As the fight for third continues to intensify between DeGrand and Neri, Mitchell Jr. begins catch Eidson, but can’t make any moves stick. Eidson takes the win when the checkered flag waves, with Mitchell Jr. in second and DeGrand in third.
The battle for the Formula Skip Barber title in the the Skip Barber presents the Mazda Winter Series concludes on April 13-14, with Rounds 11 and 12 at Sebring International raceway. Entering the doubleheader, Eidson leads the standings with 256 points, just two ahead of Estrela. Tied for third on 240 are Neri - the top rookie - and Mitchell Jr.
