Sean Rayhall Targets 2015 Open Wheel Monterey Finale
Sean Rayhall in cockpit of 8Star Dallara-Mazda. (Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
Two-Time Indy Lights Race Winner to Close Season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca:
It is no secret that developing a racing career is an expensive endeavor. Sean Rayhall does not come from a wealthy family, therefore, to keep his racing career moving forward, the Winston, Georgia-resident has had to not only win on track but find alternative sources to fund his racing dream. Despite two wins in the Indy Light Series Presented by Cooper Tires already this season, the 8Star Motorsports driver still needed to find additional funds to put the No. 8 8Star Motorsports Bass Egg Machine with Silver Arrow Technologies Dallara-Mazda on the grid for the double-race weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The series’ rookie turned to GoFundMe.com toadd the Indy Lights Grand Prix Presented by Cooper Tire and Powered by Mazda as his eighth weekend of the season in the top-rung on the ladder system to the Verizon IndyCar Series of the Mazda Road To Indy’s. While not yet reaching the full funded amount, what was generated from generous boosters has been enough to put the talented young multi-discipline driver on the September 11-13 entry list in Monterey, California.
Working for a Dollar
The GoFundMe.com campaign (http://www.gofundme.com/lagunasecarayhall) has attracted over 30 people to donate substantial amounts of money to help fund Rayhall. While the giving did not meet the target for funding, it generated nearly $5,000 in contributions in the first 24 days. The campaign remains “live” for those wishing to help the young Georgian continue to pursue his dream of competing at the top levels of motorsports. The results have proven the future is genuinely bright for Rayhall.
Sean Rayhall on track in 8Star Motorsports Dallara-Mazda (Photo: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LLC Photography)
Recent History
The 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course will feature two events to close the 2015 Indy Lights Series season. Rayhall has participated on seven event weekends thus far bringing home two wins – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the most recent Indy Lights round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He has two additional top-five and four more top-10 finishes in 2015. Rayhall has led 53 laps on his way to finishing each of races he has entered.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has been an excellent venue for Rayhall in recent years. In 2013, he drove to the IMSA Prototype Lites pole position and had two race victories on the Monterey Peninsula as he captured the Prototype Lites championship. In 2014, he added another podium at Mazda Raceway in North America’s premier sports car racing series, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, taking second-place in the Prototype Challenge (PC) class.
Test Me
On August 13, Rayhall was honored to be one of only six Indy Lights drivers asked to participate in a Verizon IndyCar Series test at Sonoma Raceway. Sharing the car with recently crowned series’ champion Scott Dixon, Rayhall turned times in the direct comparison to the Champ in Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Chevrolet.
Details
Official Indy Lights Series practice begins at 10:15 a.m. Pacific Time (PT) on Friday, September 11. A second session will take place the same day at 3:45 p.m. PT. Indy Lights Series qualifying is scheduled for 30-minutes starting at 8:45 a.m. PT on Saturday, September 12. The first of the two Indy Lights Grand Prix Present by Cooper Tire and Powered by Mazda takes the green flag later that day at 3:45 p.m. PT. The second race of the weekend will go green flag at 2:40 p.m..
NBC Sports Network will broadcast both the 100-mile races from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on New Year’s Eve beginning at midnight Eastern. Live timing and scoring can be found at http://racecontrol.indycar.com/.
For more on Sean Rayhall, visit his personal web site at www.SeanRayhall.com, follow him on Twitter at @SeanRayhall and like him on Facebook at Sean.Rayhall.
Visit Sean’s personal partners to learn more about the people that support this rising talent: Bass Egg, www.bassegg.com, and Silver Arrow Technologies, www.silverarrowtech.com .
