Performance Tech Thrills At Mazda Weekend

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 12, 2016) - Kyle Masson and Andrew Evans brought excitement to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as they continued progress with Performance Tech Motorsports at the all Mazda weekend for Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires.

Masson took home two, third-place finishes out of the three races held this weekend. He was on course for making it three-for-three but a bent pushrod sent him to the back of the field in the final race of the weekend. Teammate Evans made impressive charges to the front of the field, narrowly missing out on podium.

Masson’s quest for podium position in his No. 18 NeuroSpine Institute Lites 1 wasn’t without obstacles this weekend. In Race One Masson overcame a gearbox issue to land his third place finish. Learning during race action has become a signature of Masson and one of his strongest traits. Once Masson had worked past his issue he was locked in battle for third with Michael Wheldon.

As Masson worked to hold off Wheldon, Clark Toppe, who was running second, spun on track. Masson avoided being collected by Toppe as he entered back onto the course between Masson and Wheldon. From there the two were neck and neck. Wheldon made his final pass for the win on the last lap in the last turn and drag-raced Masson to the finish. Masson finished third overall.

Evans, who struggled to find his pace during qualifying, put on an impressive run in Race One. After qualifying fourteenth in his No. 43 L1 Evans fought through the field to an eighth-place finish. This was Evan’s first ever race in the Mazda Prototype Lites Presented by Cooper Tires series. He went on to collect two, fifth-place finishes in Race Two and Race Three. His success this weekend will help continue Performance Tech’s fight in the team points championship.

Race Two for Masson went without issue. He ran a clean race while chasing down leaders Wheldon and Toppe. Masson took home his second third-place finish in Race Two. Unfortunately, Race Three told a different story. Halfway through Race Three Masson was entering the famed Corkscrew turn when he veered off track bending a pushrod in the process. The bent pushrod ended Masson’s race at lap 17.

“I’m extremely pleased with the two podiums we earned this weekend because they were difficult to attain,” Masson said. “Part of it was because of my lack of consistency in Race One and in Race Two part of it was due to lack of a good setup. To me the highlight of the weekend was before Race Three, we worked together to find the right setup and get the issues fixed on the car. It’s a shame I couldn’t finish the race because we worked realy hard to get the car ready.

“Moving into Road Atlanta I think I’ve gained a lot of experience and knowledge. I’m learning much quicker than in the beginning of the year. Road Atlanta is the track I know best it’s kind of my home track so I have a lot of confidence going there. We learned a lot of valuable information at Laguna to carry into Road Atlanta so I feel very confident.

“The all Mazda weekend was really cool because we got to view how the other side of the ladder does things. I think it’s great that Mazda put a weekend together for all of the series they support. The best part of the weekend to me was watching what they did for Building Homes for Heroes. It shows Mazda’s commitment to the community, it was really special. It made me proud to be associated with a company that gives back. Thanks to the team for helping me grow this weekend and thanks to my parents for their support. Also thank you to my sponsors NeuroSpine Institute, Global Microsurgical Centers, Children’s Mircale Network and Ping My Doc.”

Team Principal Brent O’Neill was proud to see the progress Masson has made and surprised at the natural talent Evans showed behind the wheel.

“Kyle is really maturing as a driver, he has matured a lot over this race season,” O’Neill said. “He has little mistakes here and there but he’s making less and less of them. He’s not overthinking things too much. He just gets in the car and gets the job done. Andrew really impressed me this weekend. He had never raced in the series before and after qualifying he did a great job. He struggled a little in qualifying but once he figured it out he really did well.

“It was a good weekend and we really enjoyed being a part of the all Mazda weekend. John Doonan (Director of Motorsports at Mazda North America Operations) gave everyone one-on-one time. You were able to network with other Mazda drivers interested in moving into the series. We really had a good time there.”

The final race weekend of the 2016 season will take place at Road Atlanta over the 19th Annual Petit Le Mans Presented by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort weekend. Round 13 will take place Thursday, September 29 at 1:20 p.m. ET. Round 14 takes place Friday, September 30 at 8 a.m. Follow the action live on scoring.imsa.com or on Twitter at @IMSALive. 

For updates from the team follow Performance Tech on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. For more information visit performancetechmotorsports.com.