HOUSTON, TX – Racecar driver Bobby Eberle has never been afraid to take on new challenges, and that applies more now than ever. This off-season the 48-year old is competing in the MRF Challenge racing series, hosted in the middle east, with a goal of being as prepared as possible for the 2017 Mazda Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires season.
The season kicked off two weeks ago at the Bahrain International Circuit, most well-known for hosting Formula 1 Grands Prix for the last 12 years. Never having experienced the MRF F2000 car, the Bahrain circuit, nor racing in the middle east, the Texan did a remarkable job to secure an 11th place finish to round out his rookie weekend in the series.
This past weekend, the journey went to the Dubai Autodrome, and yet again Eberle proved his mettle by being closer to the front than ever before, securing a top-10 finish in just his second race weekend in the MRF Series.
“The event at the Dubai Autodrome was everything I hoped it would be,” noted Eberle, who was crowned Pro Mazda National Class Champion earlier this year. “As soon as I saw the track, I knew it would be a challenge. It is loaded with many high-speed corners, and those are exactly the types of corners where I needed to improve. In the third race, I put down the sixth fastest lap of the race. It shows that the pace is coming, but there’s a lot more work to do. We were very close to the competition, and getting my first top-10 finish was a great way to end the weekend.”
Eberle’s driver coach and mentor, Charles Crews, had similar thoughts on the second race weekend.
"What a tremendous weekend for Bobby,” said Crews. “We came out of the box strong and just got stronger each session. For what I thought might not be a track that would suit his strengths, Bobby really came through. His race pace was stronger than Bahrain and we have closed the gap to the front-runners. Managing to score points already is a dream come true, the level is so high here. These are kids who will be in Formula 1 in just a couple years, and here we are going toe to toe with them. The progress we have made in the first two rounds of MRF has been fantastic."
Next up on the MRF schedule is another four race weekend at Buddh International Circuit, India’s latest and most modern race track, on January 28-29, 2017. The 3.2 mile circuit hosted the 2011-2013 Formula One Grands Prix, all of which were won by German Sebastian Vettel.
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For more information, visit Bobby-Eberle.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram through @BobbyEberle13. You can also follow the hashtag #RookieStripes, which follows Bobby’s path en route to becoming the oldest rookie at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.