Michele Abbate

After two seasons of global communication, Michele Abbate races in Australia for the 2017 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.    The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) champion will join fellow Toyota 86 racers and four-time Australian production car champions, Pedders Racing, to take on the mountain challenge.

With three attempts on the Mount Panorama Circuit completed, Pedders Racing is ready to make an impact at the growing the Bathurst 6 Hour.   The event’s 72 place grid is on the verge of being full for the first time in over 75 years of racing at the iconic circuit. The renowned endurance race has committed to bringing the true roots of Australian motor sport production racing, back to the fore of prominence.

For Abbate, it’s a dream come true to have the opportunity to race at one of the world’s greatest circuits. A dream so big, the young racer has cancelled her honeymoon to make the journey to Australia for the race.

Beginning in go-karts and autocross, Abbate made her racing debut with the Sports Car Club of America at the age of sixteen, notably achieving a podium finish behind two national champions in her debut outing. Expanding into road course racing and time attack, Abbate’s impressive performances and university education sealed the deal to become a factory driver for Scion Racing.

In her rookie year, Abbate became class Champion of the MotoIQ Pacific Tuner Car Championships in the National Auto Sport Association’s Southern California region, backing it up with a top four place in the overall standings in just her second season of the series.

Realizing opportunity as the renowned Scion FR-S (also known as the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ) hit the highs across the global automotive market, Abbate took the reins of team ownership with the new chassis and support from Scion Racing.  Her debut at the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in her first professional race with the United States Touring Car Championship series, Abbate took home another Rookie of the Year honor, while earning Scion its first manufacturer points in the history of the series.

Following two wins, ten podiums and a fourth of July 2015 championship victory in the SCCA USA Majors Tour Western Conference, Abbate of GRR Racing, went on to earn the Lindley Bothwell Driver of the Year Award, becoming the first female in the award’s 66-year history to take the honor. Abbate has since driven in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, as well as introduced a new Chevrolet SS 363 V8 GT-1 to the SCCA Majors Tour, while adding drift and motorcycles to her racing resume.  The events Michele Abbate races in Australia will now mark her international debut at none other than Mount Panorama, Bathurst.

Having gained sponsorship commitment, qualifying for the USA SCCA National Run-Offs led to a growing passion to take motor sport to the next level, so when the door was opened for a Bathurst co-drive with Australia’s Pedders Racing in a Toyota 86 chassis familiar to the Las Vegas native, it was a match made in motor sport heaven, and the American racer can’t wait to land ‘down under’.

“I couldn’t be more excited and thankful to take advantage of this amazing opportunity,” Abbate said.   “It has always been my dream to visit Australia and watch some of the best racing in the world, and, thanks to seasons of sharing information, a mutual commitment to the FRS (Toyota 86) chassis, and now with this open door from Pedders Racing, I don’t have to watch, I can actually get out there and race Bathurst!  We’ve been toying with the idea of joining forces for a while now, but our racing seasons and business commitments hadn’t fallen in line, so when the date was mentioned, my Crew Chief (fiancé) and I changed our plans because, let’s be honest, is there any where or any way better to do a honeymoon?!”

The Pedders Racing team has been competing at the national level for seven seasons, with victories, records and world-firsts achieved since debuting their Toyota 86 at the Mount Panorama (Bathurst) circuit in 2013. The volunteer managed team, supported by Pedders Suspension, who recently returned to the US automotive marketplace, introduced the world’s first 86 in a national production racing series with a fully FIA homologated chassis to allow for every opportunity.

Securing four further world-firsts in their debut season, Pedders Racing’s #86 entry became a record holder with the first ever national circuit racing pole position, race win, round/event win, and topped off an outstanding 2013 season with the first ever national circuit racing Class Championship for the famed 86 chassis.

In a unique education-first partnership, and with Australia’s most promising motor sport professionals, the students of Motorsports Training Australia, at the helm of preparations, strategy and crew operation, Abbate’s signing to the seasoned production racing Pedders outfit could just prove to be the ticket to tame the mountain.

With high hopes shared across the Pacific, the #86 champion Toyota has undergone a complete mechanical and electrical review during the Australian Production Cars Series off season to give the greatest of opportunities when Easter rolls around.

Having first raced Bathurst alongside Australian movie and TV star Shane Jacobson (Kenny, 2006 film release), Pedders Racing driver and Team Principal, Grant Phillips, echoed the excitement of his latest star co-driver.

“We’ve had lots of exciting things happen to the team since we joined the national scene seven years ago, but to be able to secure the opportunity for an international driver to be with us at Bathurst is pretty up there,” says Jacobson.  “Michele (Abbate) has developed a strong pedigree of racing across every opportunity that she creates, and we’re very keen to get her to Australia and get her settled into the seat of our 86.  There’s no doubt that Michele’s knowledge of track racing, her understanding of the 86 chassis, and her entertaining approach will gel really well with our team, and it won’t just be a ‘bucket list’ experience for her as a driver, but also an outstanding experience for our MTA (Motorsports Training Australia) crew who take every moment as a unique opportunity to learn.”

The Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour will venture to the famed tarmac of Mount Panorama April 14 – 16, with free live coverage of the endurance race feature to be available online to a global audience via the event’s website at bathurst6hour.com.au.

Rounds 3 & 4 of the SCCA US National Tour made Willow Springs challenging for Michele Abbate.    After a successful opening weekend a few weeks ago, Michele and her GRR Racing team were ready to take on Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, CA.  This would mark the first time the team would be racing their Scion FRS at the venue, with no practices on the schedule to prepare for qualifying and racing.

Saturday’s Qualifying and Race

Saturday morning would begin well for Michele, as she was able to qualify with a 1:32.9 lap time, earning her the P3 position out of 9 cars.     Confident after a strong qualifying effort, the team felt prepared for the race, with crew chief Anthony Philleo stating, “We just need to stay consistent and hit our marks and we will be running up front”.   

As the green flag dropped for the race, Abbate pushed forward in an excellent start, passing two cars in other classes on the lead lap.  As she approached to battle for 2^nd place, the handling of GRR Racing FRS started to fall off exponentially.

The car became progressively worse, but I continued to push with hopes of making to the checkered flag”, Abbate confessed.

She eased up and dropped back to 4^th place to stay conservative.   But with just two laps to go, the front left tire expired as she entered turn 8, and forced Abbate to retire early.

Afterwards, the GRR Racing team assessed the damage, replacing the flat tire and looking over the car to find the source of the flat and ill-handling during the race.   The culprit?  A broken rear endlink – causing the car to lose its desired setup and making it very difficult for Michele to control around the track.   The team worked through the night to repair the damage, and reset the car for Sunday’s activities.

Sunday’s Qualifying and Race

On Sunday, Michele returned to the track with her freshly setup GRR Racing FRS for qualifying.  Her lap times earned her the P3 spot again for the Sunday afternoon race.   Much like her Saturday start, when field took off to the wave of the green, Abbate rocketed forward passing 3 other classed cars on the inside before entering turn one.    Another promising start, and the team was optimistic that this would be the turnaround for the weekend.  Unfortunately, about a third of the way into the race, the handling start to fall off once again on the GRR Racing FRS.  Understeering terribly through the right handers, Abbate struggled to maintain consistent, fast lap times.  Taking precautions she nursed the car to a 4^th place finish once the checkered was thrown.

Willow Springs challenging for Michele Abbate

Though the weekend was challenging for Michele Abbate and the GRR Racing team, they are taking the lessons learned and are applying them to  prepare the car for Rounds 5 and 6 at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA on April 8^th-10th.    The team has 6 weeks to analyze and make changes before, and will be ready for the next round in the SCCA Nationals Tour.

 

 

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A memorable weekend for SCCA racer Michele Abbate, who claimed two podium finishes in STU, recognized as the Runner-Up for the 2015 STU Points Championship, and awarded the prestigious 2015 Lindley Bothwell Cal Club Driver of the Year Award during the annual awards banquet with her peers.

SCCA US Majors Western Conference Season Opener

Michele Abbate would begin her 2016 SCCA US Majors Tour season at Auto Club Speedway for the the Cal Club hosted western conference event.    The opener would mark the debut of her new Edelbrock E-Force Supercharged GRR Racing FRS.    After qualifying second on Saturday morning in the STU field with the lap time of a 1:52.394, Abbate would be running a full grid with the SCCA GT cars and American Sedans when the green flag dropped for the race.  The 25-minute race provided great excitement as Michele maintained her consistency in lap times and crossed the finish line with her first victory of 2016 in the STU class.

Watch the SCCA winner’s interview with Abbate: http://www.scca.com/videos/2025748

SoPac/Cal Club Annual Awards Banquet

After taking her first win of 2016, Michele and her GRR Racing team attended the annual awards banquet for the SoPac/Cal Club.   The evening banquet featured drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and great company.  During the awards ceremony, Abbate was recognized for her 2^nd Place Overall STU Championship Trophy for the 2015 season.

The So Pac/Cal Club racing division offers a great place for us to race in additional to our other events of the year,” said Michele.  “I would recommend the series to all club racer’s out there, it is always a great time!”.

The final, and most prestigious award of the night came at the end of the banquet ceremony, where the 2015 Lindley Bothwell Cal Club Driver of the Year Award is announced.  The honor is presented to the driver who shows outstanding sportsmanship, exemplary improvement, supports the Club, and shows potential as a Professional Driver with the highest of standings.  Selected by a committee of Cal Club members from criteria of present achievement plus future promise, the selection decision is always a tough one to narrow down to one honoree.   After a fantastic introduction of Michele’s history with racing, Michele Abbate was announced as the 2015 recipient of the Lindley Bothwell Cal Club Driver of the Year Award!    This honor marks the first time a female has earned the distinction in the 66-year Cal Club history.

It was such an absolutely pleasant surprise”, said Abbate, “What a prestigious award to be presented with!  I am so grateful for the opportunities I have earned and this is truly an honor to accept”. 

Rain-soaked podium on Sunday

After an evening filled with celebration, Sunday’s weather rained on the parade for Michele Abbate and her GRR Racing team.     Rain downpoured on the Auto Club Speedway all morning, and did not let up when the field took the green.   Visibility issues plagued Abbate from the start of the race, something they tried to prepare for in anticipation before the start.    Crew members Anthony and Jason mounted a spare Mishimoto fan to the dash in attempt to prevent Michele’s windshield from fogging up.   They even placed a stick in the car with a rag fastened to the end of it to allow Abbate to manually clear the condensation as a last resort.

 I’ve never seen so much rain pouring down at Auto Club Speedway.  We knew it might come, so we were fully equipped with our Hoosier H2O tires, mounted and ready to go”, Crew Chief Anthony Philleo stated.

Unfortunately, their attempts were unsuccessful at managing the visibility issues, and Michele contended with fog as best she could during the race.   Despite the challenges, she held a strong lead ahead of the third place position, and when she heard something amiss on the exhaust system of her GRR Racing FRS, she dialed back her pace to ensure a clean finish.   Michele maintained her position to the finish, earning another spot on the podium with a second place finish in the STU field.

The team will focus on their next race February 20-21 at Willow Springs Raceway for the 3^rd and 4^th Rounds of the SCCA US Majors Tour Western Conference Division.