Ashley Freiberg Gets Biffed Twice in Toronto

Woman of pressdog® Ashley Freiberg got speared in both races in Toronto, only to come back each time to pass several cars on the track. Check the news release below:

ASHLEY FREIBERG QUALIFIES 8TH AT TORONTO, THEN BAD LUCK TAKES OVER IN BOTH RACES

This weekend in the streets of Toronto, TrueCar Racing driver Ashley Freiberg (pronounced FRY-BURG) qualified her personal best of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear season, claiming the 8th position out of a competitive 21-car field. Although the races on Saturday and Sunday did not play to her luck, she still ended up charging back up the field from the back to finishing in 13th and 11th place.

“Overall I am happy with the weekend,” said the driver of the #91 Star Mazda. “This track was a blast, and JDC MotorSports and I made some good improvements. I am really excited about my qualifying performance, because I knew I could still get more out of the car if the rain hadn’t stopped the session early.”

Although qualifying put her in the forth row, at the start of Saturday’s race Freiberg was hit from behind going into turn three which resulted in a spin that sent her to 18th place. “It was frustrating because I knew I had the ability to get a good result. My team gave me a good car, and I had been making big strides driving wise,” said the first woman to win a Skip Barber Championship in 2010. “After that I just had to put my head down and gain as many positions as possible.” After the wreck she managed to pass five cars while having a shifting problem, and ended up finishing 13th.

On Sunday, Freiberg had to start 16th due to Saturday’s race times. “Once again,” said Freiberg, “my focuses of the race were to just stay clean, stay smart, and take away as many positions as possible.” On the first lap, she was hit from behind and spun in turn eight, putting her dead last in 21st. By the end of the race, she had worked her way back up to 11th place.

“For some reason, I am just not having the best luck being hit in four out of eight races this season. Honestly, this pushes me even harder to get better and keep learning, because I know I work hard and can be running toward the front,” said the 20 year old from Vermont. “What happened this weekend was out of my control; all I can do is my best, and hopefully the results will follow.”

"I have to give a big thank you to TrueCar, Virgin, Bell Helmets, JDC, and (driver coach) Mike Zimicki for all the help this weekend. Couldn't be happier with the improvements we have made so far, we just need to keep focusing forward."

The Star Mazda Championship Rounds 9 and 10 will be held on July 20-22 at the Edmonton Indy Grand Prix in Edmonton, Canada. To follow the action live go to www.starmazda.com/timing/ for live timing and scoring. You can also find on-track schedules for the events.