Golinello Makes World Challenge Debut at Mid-Ohio; Top Tens in Double Header

August 13, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ohio—Richard Golinello made his SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge debut at Mid-Ohio last weekend, driving his No. 55 R&C Motorsports Ford Mustang to finishes of sixth and seventh in the GTS class during the double header.

Golinello joined five other Ford Racing Mustang Challenge competitors for the weekend. Since the announcement that the Mustang series will not return in 2011, both competitors and series officials have been working to incorporate the cars into World Challenge.

The Mustangs joined the GTS class, but they were also racing for Mustang honors. Golinello’s sixth-place finish in Saturday’s race netted him third place among Mustang entrants. In Sunday’s race, Golinello finished seventh in GTS and fourth in the Mustang class.

“The car is running really well and the handling was great,” says Golinello. “We really saw strides now that the suspension problems we discovered at the last round have been sorted out.”

Tony Buffomante Captures Third Win of the Season

August 12, 2010

For most racers, a second place finish and a fourth place finish at the previous race would be considered a successful outing. Not so for Ford Racing Mustang Challenge series points co-leader, Tony Buffomante. For Tony, that performance only served to motivate him even further to attack the next race – at Autobahn Country Club. From the moment he arrived at Autobahn, Tony was focused on dominating the event, and returning to the top step of the podium for the third time this season. Being less than an hour away from Tony’s hometown of Naperville, IL, of all the tracks visited by the Mustang Challenge series, this could be considered Tony’s home track, which made for extra motivation with many friends and family in attendance.

In the first practice, Tony set the fastest time and repeated this performance in the second practice session, breaking the existing track record by 0.3 seconds. While knowing there was room for improvement in his car’s setup, the team modified suspension settings to adapt to the changing track, and Tony drove the #34 Capaldi Racing FR500S to his fourth pole position of the season.

Golinello Gets a Little Help from his Friends at Autobahn

August 03, 2010

JOLIET, Il.—Richard Golinello raced the ninth round of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series at Autobahn Country Club on Sunday, and he did it with help from his competitors.
Sunday’s Autobahn Grand Prix was nearly over before it began for Golinello. As he turned onto the front straight after the initial sighting lap, he noticed that the left front of the No. 50 R&C Motorsports Ford Mustang felt odd.
Golinello thought it might be a flat tire, so he went to the pits while the rest of the field lined up on the starting grid. The tire was fine, but the left front suspension was broken: the spindle had sheared off. Golinello assumed he would have to retire from the race before it even started.

Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Championship Hits High Gear at Autobahn

July 28, 2010

Tooele, UT—(28 July 2010)— Jason von Kluge and Tony Buffomante will resume their battle for the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge championship crown this weekend as the series makes a return visit to Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois for the Autobahn Grand Prix. When the green flag flies to start the race on Sunday, it will mark the start of a final three-race run to close the season and name the 2010 Mustang Challenge Champion at Miller Motorsports Park.

The New Jersey Motorsports Park round saw Buffomante retake the championship lead and then grow his advantage during the doubleheader race weekend as he and von Kluge both made podium appearances while youngsters Ben Crosland and Kyle Gimple broke through to take their debut Mustang Challenge race victories.

Buffomante’s family racing reputation might well have been established in the upstate New York region, but the second generation racer now calls Chicago home and he’s looking to make the most of the home field advantage this weekend.

Capaldi Racing Captures Fifth Consecutive Podium; Reclaims Series Points Lead

July 28, 2010

July 27, 2010
After falling out of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge points lead at Mid-Ohio, Tony Buffomante and Capaldi Racing were eager to earn it back. When they unloaded the car at New Jersey Motorsports Park for the next race, Tony hit the ground running—setting the third and first fastest times in the first two practice sessions of the weekend. Qualifying for the first race was very competitive, with Tony posting the third quickest time – just 0.373 seconds shy of the pole. After falling behind Pratt Cole and Jason von Kluge at the start of the race, Tony reclaimed his third place starting position when Pratt and Jason tangled. Once he passed series veteran Dan Aweida, Tony’s race ended with him taking second, for his fourth consecutive podium finish this season.

During qualifying for the second Mustang Challenge race of the weekend, Tony once again set the third fastest qualifying time. In the race, although he dropped down to fifth, at the start of the second half of the race, Tony passed Pratt Cole, crossing the line in fourth place and recapturing the championship points lead.

Golinello Earns Two Top-Ten Finishes at New Jersey

July 20, 2010

MILLVILLE, N.J.—For Richard Golinello, the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge double-header at New Jersey Motorsports Park was about learning and moving forward. At the same time, Golinello drove to two top-ten finishes in his No. 50 R&C Motorsports Ford Mustang.
The seventh and eighth rounds of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series were held on Saturday and Sunday at the 2.25-mile New Jersey circuit. Golinello tested there recently, marking his first visit to the track, but the real results came during the races.

Championship Showdown as Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Stages Double-Header at New Jersey Motorsport

July 15, 2010

Tooele, UT—(16 July 2010)—With just one point separating the two leading championship contenders, the seesaw battle atop the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Championship between Jason von Kluge and Tony Buffomante is as close as race fans could ask for. The fight for the championship crown could take a critical turn this weekend when the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge storms into Millville this weekend as Buffomante and von Kluge both look to emerge from the double-header race weekend with a firm grip on the lead.

While the racing through the field has once again shown the Mustang Challenge to be highly competitive from the front to the back of the pack, the duo have dominated the top step of the podium so far in Mustang Challenge competition, with von Kluge taking four wins to date to Bufomante’s two race victories. The ultra-slim points margin shows how close they are fighting as the series makes a third visit to New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Capaldi Racing Welcomes Devin Cates to Mustang Challenge

July 14, 2010

July 14, 2010
Devin Cates, driver of the #62 Riley Technologies Camaro in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will be returning to his Mustang roots this weekend, making his Mustang Challenge debut at New Jersey Motorsports Park driving the #68 Capaldi Racing FR500S. Devin started racing in 2006 when he was 16 years old, and, in his first season, finished 2nd in a NASA Camaro Mustang Challenge race behind the wheel of a Mustang. Devin then moved into a Spec Miata where, in 2008, he placed 3rd in his class at the NASA National Championships.

Last year he competed in his first Professional Series, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. Running in that series, Devin scored one win at New Jersey and one pole at Mid-Ohio; he also had two front row starts and five top ten finishes. So far in 2010, Devin has co-driven the Riley Technologies Camaro to a top 10 finish at Barber Motorsports Park and ran in the top five at Mid-Ohio, ultimately finishing 17th overall.

Golinello’s Great Start Continues at Mid-Ohio

June 24, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ohio—Richard Golinello knows a thing or two about getting a great start. The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge rookie earned his third consecutive GREENFilterusa.com “We’re Going Green” Award during Sunday’s race at Mid-Ohio, continuing his impressive first year in racing.

Golinello made his professional racing debut in March at Homestead-Miami Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 50 R&C Motorsports Ford Mustang. During the double-header round, Golinello earned Rookie of the Race honors in the second race. He has continued to impress ever since.

Mid-Ohio marked the sixth round of the season and the third race in which Golinello has won the GREENFilterusa.com “We’re Going Green” Award for passing the most cars on the first lap.

Capaldi Racing Continues Podium Streak at Mid-Ohio

June 23, 2010

June 23, 2010—After vaulting into the championship points lead with a win at historic Watkins Glen, Tony Buffomante and the Capaldi Racing were hoping for another dominant weekend to cushion their points lead. The team also welcomed two-time NASA Spec Focus National Champion, Craig Capaldi, to the driver line-up.

After the practice sessions, Tony was the quickest, while Steve Phillips and Craig were both comfortably in the top 10. In qualifying, Tony attacked the track and set the 2nd fastest time, while Craig and Steve both stepped it up, qualifying 4th and 5th respectively. When the green flag dropped for the race, Tony settled in behind pole sitter Jason von Kluge where he remained for the remainder of the race, finishing 2nd.

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