The legal dispute between Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Team Enerson Racing, LLC that popped up in the summer of 2016 has been settled between the two parties.
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports released the following statement on Wednesday:
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Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and RC Enerson, as well as RC Enerson’s former Indy Lights sponsor, Team Enerson Racing, LLC, have settled their claims against each other on mutually acceptable terms.
Sam Schmidt stated, “We are pleased to have this situation behind us. For the record, the terms of our contract with the Enersons provided for early exit and that is what happened in this matter. As the terms of the settlement agreement are confidential, we will have no further comment on this matter. RC is a talented driver, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
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The “early exit” note in the contract provides a description of what happened last season in the 2016 Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires campaign.
Enerson, projected to be a championship contender for his sophomore season in the series after an impressive debut season at only age 18, was hamstrung by a litany of mechanical failures and other issues outside his control through the opening eight races last year with SPM’s Indy Lights team.
With the early exit option activated, Enerson pursued an opportunity in the Verizon IndyCar Series, and signed a three-race deal with Dale Coyne Racing to compete at the Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen and Sonoma road course races in the team’s No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda.
What followed was one of the most impressive three-race debut stretches in recent IndyCar memory. Enerson set the third fastest race lap at Mid-Ohio and was top Honda, and ended only behind Chevrolet-powered Team Penske drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud. At Watkins Glen, he made it into Q2 in 11th and ended ninth in the race, while having run as high as sixth early on in the race. Sonoma was a tougher event for both he and teammate Conor Daly.
Enerson was known to be on several IndyCar teams’ shopping lists for 2017, but was unable to secure a seat for this most recent season of competition. He made his Rolex 24 at Daytona debut in the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JS P217 Gibson, although that race was compromised by electrical gremlins that struck shortly after the green flag.
Enerson still remained active and on site at a number of IndyCar races throughout the season, including doing a mix of pace car and two-seater driving, and has been a key part of the Lucas Oil School of Racing’s growth and development as one of its primary driving instructors. At only 20, he’s still plenty young enough to have a long career in the sport, due to the aforementioned talent and feedback he has at his disposal.