Round 3 Racing First All-Female WRL Team Sweeps Weekend at Sebring
Sebring, Fla. (31 October 2022) - Round 3 Racing (R3R) fielded its first all-female team in the World Racing League powered by Hagerty for the Eastern Championship weekend at Sebring International Raceway, and the Hagerty-supported squad emerged with a double win weekend to clinch the Eastern Championship. Shift Up Now drivers Loni Unser, Sabré Cook, and Erin Vogel teamed for the first time together to bring the No. 701 Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman to the podium's top step in both eight-hour races.
Having qualified third in the GP1 class for Saturday's race, Cook started the race from behind the wheel of the No. 701 Porsche Cayman and moved to the lead before turning the No. 701 Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman to Vogel, who continued to extend her lead. Unser took the final stint in Saturday's race, crossing the finish line with a two-lap lead on the GP1 field.
It was a different script on Sunday, but the same remarkable result.
Vogel started the eight-hour enduro from fourth on the grid before moving up to second and turning the controls over to Unser just after the two-hour mark. Cook took over the final stint, moving into the lead with an hour to go on the way to the team's second win of the weekend.
"It feels awesome that we were able to get multiple wins this weekend," said Unser. "It really shows that an all-female team can dominate just as much as an all-male or co-ed team. We really proved a point this weekend. It was also great to win the Eastern Championship for the No. 701 Porsche Cayman this weekend. I couldn't have been happier to be part of it with Round 3 Racing, Erin (Vogel), and Sabré (Cook). Thank you to Shift Up Now for helping with this partnership."
After Saturday's win, the No. 701 Team Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman clinched the Eastern Championship title in the GP1 class. Unser is a regular in the Cayman but was joined by other female drivers throughout the season to help make the championship possible.
Shea Holbrook joined the team at Daytona International Speedway, where the Cayman finished fourth in the fourteen-hour race. Ayla Agren had joined the team for two eight-hour races at VIRginia International Raceway, where the Cooper Tires team won and earned a second-place finish. Wrapping up the Eastern season, Vogel and Cook joined to contribute to the championship with the win on Saturday. Mo Dadkhah and Zack Ping also played key roles on the driver roster for the Cooper Tire-supported team throughout the season.
"Our three-year partnership with Shift Up Now is very important to me," said Brad McCall, owner of Round 3 Racing and father of three daughters. "I'm passionate about promoting the involvement of women in motorsports. I dreamt of the scene of an all-female team hoisting the trophy on the top step of the podium. It was a big goal for Round 3 Racing and a huge step for women in this sport. I'm honored and proud to be a part of it, not once but twice! Amazing to be joined by a team of talented racers.”
R3R fields three other cars in WRL, two of the three cars include Shift Up Now drivers, Sarah Montgomery and Hannah Grisham. In addition to the No. 701 Cooper Tires Team victories at Sebring, R3R’s Porsche Boxster swept the weekend and a BMW M4 GT4 won Saturday’s race and was runner-up for Sunday’s enduro.
The team competes at Circuit of the Americas next for WRL powered by Hagerty’s National Championship December 2nd - 4th. Friday will see practice and qualifying, followed by two eight-hour races on Saturday and Sunday.