The tricky thing was to avoid that first lap crash.
On Wednesday, Nov. 19, the rookie Pine Plains Racing Team faced a challenging course and tough competition, finishing fifth in the first leg of the 2025 Winner’s Circle Project (WCP) virtual race series.
In the fiercely competitive series, high school teams from across New York seated in racing simulators battle each other. On Wednesday, six high schools from the Hudson Valley and the defending champion, Owego Free Academy, competed on a hyper-accurate simulation of Watkins Glen, the legendary (and scary) Finger Lakes track.
The series’ seven races, which will each take place on a famous course throughout the Northeast, are a companion to an ambitious project in which the participating schools build an actual racecar that will compete next spring at Lime Rock in Connecticut. A group of 25 Stissing Mountain High School students is constructing the racecar under the supervision of technical education teacher Jim Benincasa, while humanities teacher Jen Blackburn is supervising them in marketing the project.
Stissing Mountain is one of seven state high schools participating in the WCP, a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) program that emphasizes project-based learning and prepares students for careers in everything from aeronautics to public relations.
In the driver’s seat on Wednesday for Stissing Mountain was 10th-grader Kyle Fredericks, a rookie. He narrowly avoided trouble on the first turn when two other cars aimed for the same piece of pavement and tangled. Hundreds of spectators livestreamed the race or watched it live.
“It was really stressful,” said an exhausted Fredericks afterward. “I ended up spinning out a few times, but it felt good when I ended up getting back on task and finished the race.”
Fredericks started fifth and drove a clean race, staying away from wrecks and not attempting to run with more experienced leadfoots who charged ahead. He finished a lap behind the winner, Hudson Thomas of FDR High School in Hyde Park.
The 30-minute race featured live commentary from a professional broadcaster, James Parfitt, and wheel-to-wheel racing throughout.
The program is a new venture at Stissing Mountain. “The Pine Plains teachers heard about the skills and career training that is involved,” said Matt Overton, a series organizer. “They wanted to be part of this. They realized it’s more than an education. It’s an experience.”
Surrounded by his team and fans, Fredricks was a picture of concentration in the driver’s seat of the racing simulator, passing cars and shifting gears. For all its VR wizardry, the series has an old-fashioned vibe — the cars are Factory Five racers, inspired by the fierce Shelby Cobra, which beat Ferrari to win the 1965 world championship. (See the 2019 Oscar-winning film “Ford v Ferrari.”) In the 1960s and ’70s, Watkins Glen hosted Formula 1 Grand Prix races and remains today the top road course in the Northeast.
The series offers invaluable experience in programming to students who prepare the virtual racecars. Several teams set their cars up to be too light and ran out of fuel. Others had problems with steering.
“For the successful team, preparation and discipline come together,” said Overton.
The next race for the Pine Plains Racing Team is on Dec.10 at another storied track.
Tune in and cheer them on at https://www.youtube.com/@winnerscircleproject7587/streams. Stay connected by following the Pine Plains Racing Team on Instagram @pineplainsracing.