Double Main Event Wins Extends Freiberg's Series Point Lead

LAKEVILLE, June 15, 2010: Ashley Freiberg has been opening a lot of eyes in recent months.

Freiberg (pronounced FRY-BERG) continued her winner’s circle celebrations last weekend at Lime Rock Park with impressive back-to-back feature victories in the Skip Barber open-wheel cars on the tight 1.54-mile road circuit.

The 18-year-old driver from Homer Glen, Ill., left little doubt with the competition after runaway victories on Friday and Saturday and a superb pole position in qualifications in her Mazda-powered car.

The feature wins at Lime Rock extended Freiberg’s current point lead in the Skip Barber Summer Series to 15 points with the next double race weekend set for Road Atlanta on July 10-11.

“It was great to win both main events last weekend,” said Freiberg, who recently became the first woman to win a Skip Barber series championship when she captured the Barber Southern Region title this winter. “Both races were completely different with the conditions. It was sunny and dry on Friday, but Saturday was under rain and made for a tough race.”

Freiberg’s performances were not challenged with a 21-second victory on a dry track Friday and a sensational 45-second win in the rain on Saturday. The two triumphs gave Ashley five wins in six starts in the 16-race Summer Series.

Earlier this year in the Southern races, Freiberg stepped to the top of the victory podium in seven of the 14 events on her way to the coveted series crown.

“In the second race, I was getting a little frustrated because we had three restarts due to crashes back in the field,” said Freiberg, who’ll look for her first National Series win on July 17-18 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. “In the rain, Lime Rock is always a tough track to handle. It is a tricky place when the pavement is slick. The track was pretty slippery all weekend, even in dry conditions. But, when the rain hit, it was tough for everyone.”

Freiberg has proven to be exceptional in the wet in other events and Saturday’s runaway win was no different. Ashley’s fastest race lap was more than two seconds quicker than her nearest competitor that day.

“I do like to race in the rain,” explained Freiberg. “I don’t know if it is my driving style or how I control of the car, but the slippery track seems to work well for me. Mentally, it is pretty tough to drive in the rain, but I always seem to be fast in those conditions. The Lime Rock weekend went very well and I am happy to get back to victory lane.”