The final rounds of the 2020 Lucas Oil School of Racing Formula Car Series were held in Sebring, Florida, on the full international course, on October 1st and 2nd, and Emily Linscott finished out her season with her strongest event of the year, and standing on the podium.
With no prior experience on the full Sebring layout, Linscott arrived back in Florida just days after the previous event ended at Homestead Miami Speedway determined not to let her lack of experience hold her back. Building on the strong form she showed the previous week, Linscott set the second fastest time in official warm-up, then qualified in 6th place for the first race of the event.
The long straights and the wide track width of Sebring always make for good racing, and in the Lucas Oil Formula Cars, this was to be no exception. The front pack of 8 cars battled the entire race, with Linscott running as high as 4th, then dropping to the back, and making her way back up to 6th place again before the Checkered flag flew. During her charge through the field she also set fastest lap of the race and was rewarded with pole position for the second race of the weekend.
The second race of the event at Sebring also heralded a huge battle, with the same 8 cars all in contention, and all drafting off one another and running side by side every lap. Linscott stayed in the top 5 battle the entire race, and then made a bold move into the final turn on the last lap that saw her go back up to 3rd, and holding the position on the run to the line to mark her first podium finish of the 2020 season.
Qualifying for the final event of the season took place on the morning of October 2nd, before the final race. Linscott set the 5th fastest time despite not having a towing partner to work with and was focused on rounding out the weekend with another front-running finish. In the lead pack for the first few laps, Linscott got pushed wide by a competitor, and was shuffled all the way to the back of the 8-car train for the second time during the race weekend.
Having learned from her experience in the first race, Linscott made short work of battling her way back to the front, passing car after car, to start the final lap in third place across the stripe. On the last corner of the last lap she “sent it” down the inside, and for the lead of the race in a move inspired by her previous overtake from the race before that had worked perfectly. This time, however, the famous Sebring bumps caught Linscott out, she slid wide, making contact with another car, before taking the Checkered flag in 4th place. Due to the series’ zero tolerance rules for contact, she was handed a time penalty that shuffled her back to 9th place on the official results sheet. Ultimately, the result was irrelevant; what was obvious above all else was her race craft, her bravery and her never say die attitude, which is what makes Linscott such an exciting driver to watch on the racetrack.
“I really enjoyed the track and the close racing it provided. I’m thrilled I finally got the 2020 monkey off my back and was able to stand on the podium again,” said Linscott. “Although the last race didn’t end how I would have wanted, I’ve finished this season driving the best I’ve driven all year and I’m looking forward to taking all of the experience I’ve gained this year into 2021.”
Linscott is hoping to be back in action again in America in 2020, as she aims to have her first tests to prepare for 2021 before returning home to England.
