Matt Caruana doubles up with Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series sweep at Sebring

The 2025 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series returned on Thursday night with great intensity on display from some of the best open wheel racers on the service making laps around Sebring International Raceway. In the series’ inaugural trip to the Central Florida venue, it was Matt Caruana from the United Kingdom who swept the show, winning both 15-minute events around the 3.74-mile circuit.

“Yeah, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to do that,” Caruana explained after claiming his second win of the evening. “That race was more intense than the first one. I got pushed off a couple of times… got a slowdown, and had to serve that, and I thought I was going to be out of it after that. They were all just fighting really hard at the front, and I just kind of hung back until the last corner, really. They had a bit of contact, and I just slid through.”

Caruana was also the last winner of the 2024 season, taking the checkers at VIRginia International Raceway over Bryce Weyer, thus noting this win as three-in-a-row when dating back. Leaving Sebring, Caruana scored the maximum amount of points, 35 apiece, which puts him at 70, six ahead of Spain’s Aaron Vazquezz, who finished second in both races. Next up for the series is Lime Rock Park. The Time Attack opens from July 4th to July 6th, with the event scheduled on July 20th.

RACE #1

Aaron Vazquezz took the pole position over Denmark’s Victor Wolfsohn, and the pair led a pack of 19 Formula 4 machines into the opening corner. Behind the leaders, a bit of crashing coming to the line. Five drivers didn’t make it to the end as a result of the early action, including Chile’s Felipe Cabrera Loyola, Canada’s Matt Adams, or Australia’s Calieb Hydes.

Down in the ninth starting spot, Matt Caruana made a lunge into the opening corner, gaining multiple spots almost immediately. From there, it became a methodical slice and dice through the field. By the end of Lap 2, Caruana was in the top-five. Just past halfway, he made it up to fourth.

Up in front, Vazquezz traded the lead with Ayden Young from the United States, with Wolfsohn watching in third. Suddenly, Caruana was there, and the battle up front got even more crowded.

Suddenly, Young was out of the picture. The United Kingdom’s Leo Brown was fighting up front. Leo Ovtcharov also stayed in the mix. Another U.S. driver, Guglielmo Callegari, was also in the picture. Then, Young was back inside the top-four. There were about seven cars under a blanket. It all commenced behind a slugfest for the top spot among Caruana and Vazquezz.

Entering the final lap, Vazquezz and Caruana were side-by-side. Wolfsohn made a move to the outside, three-wide now entering Turn 1. Caruana was able to sneak through and extend the lead, claiming the first victory of the season.

2025 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series | Race #1 at Sebring | RESULTS

RACE #2

The results of the first race would determine the starting lineup for the second. With Caruana on the pole, his chances of sweeping were increased, but at the end of the first corner, the intensity was already building up higher, with Young slipping through into the top spot this time around. This time, a much cleaner start, the only driver not making it a lap being Canada’s Clay Morris.

The action never stopped. Young and Caruana might have been the only two to lead laps in the second event of the day, but Wolfsohn and Vazquezz were right in the conversation nearly the entire way. Ovtcharov and Brown also managed to get back into the fight around halfway, but it would come down to the top-four as the field took the white flag for the final time.

Four-wide into the first corner on the final lap, and unfortunately for Wolfsohn, his chances went up in smoke as he slid through the corner and into the grass following contact with Young. Wolfsohn would recover to finish sixth. Then, they were still three-wide for the top spot multiple corners later, with Vazquezz getting the advantage over Caruana and Young.

Young dove it in about halfway through the final lap, placing Caruana back in third. The fight for the win entering Sunset was among the three, but Vazquezz and Young made just enough contact for Caruana to slip back by and take another victory on the night.

2025 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series | Race #2 at Sebring | RESULTS

Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series Points Standings after Race #2 at Sebring:

1. Matt J Caruana | United Kingdom | 70 points
2. Aaron Vazquezz | Spain | -6
3. Ayden Young | United States | -12
4. Victor Wolfsohn | Denmark | -15
5. Leo Brown | United Kingdom | -16
6. Cade Middleton | United States | -23
7. Deklan Webb | Australia | -27
8. Felipe Cabrera Loyola | Chile | -28
9. Leo Ovtcharov | United States | -29
10. Ross Banfield | Unites States | -30
    Guglielmo Callegari | United States | -30

Leaving Sebring, Caruana holds a six-point advantage over Vazquezz and a 12-point advantage over Young. Winning the championship, like Victor Miranda did last season, is a fine accolade, but placing inside the top-three is the main goal for all competing drivers, as that is the same prize across the board.

The top three point scorers at season’s end will receive a 3 Day Racing School and compete in a shootout later this year for a 2026 Skip Barber Race Series seat. 1 Day Racing School certificates will be awarded to fourth and fifth in points, as well as the Hard Charger Award winner from each race, and all of the qualifiers for each race will earn a one-time $200 credit towards an SBRS course.

Next up for the series is a trip to Lime Rock Park. Last season, Victor Miranda scored one of the two victories that day, while Matt Bussa, of eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series fame, was victorious in the other.

The Hot Lap Qualifier is active from Friday, July 4th, at 12 a.m. ET to Sunday, July 6th at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The entry fee for each Hot Lap Qualifier is $20, and the top 20 drivers on the Time Attack leaderboard will be invited to run each race. They’ll also get to take part in an open test with Skip Barber Racing School instructors on hand to provide feedback.

The race itself is scheduled for Thursday, July 10th, once again at 7 p.m. ET. It will be live on iRacing.com/live and across all of iRacing’s social media channels.

To learn more about the Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series, visit https://www.skipbarber.com/iracing-series/.
Drivers can register to compete in 2025 Skip Barber Formula iRacing Series events here.
For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

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