A Whole New Challenge

Stepping Into Something Different

This past weekend brought a lot of firsts. It was my first time racing at Mosport, my first endurance race in a car, my first Enduro Elite event, my first weekend with Wheels America Racing, and my first time sharing a car with teammates Justin Gravett, Beckett Friesen, and Patrick Hamner. Every one of those firsts added up to a challenge I was really looking forward to.

The Challenge

Enduro Elite’s format is unlike any race weekend I’ve done before. Saturday consisted of a one-hour practice followed by a seven-hour endurance race, with an eight-hour race on Sunday. Each driver could drive a maximum two-hour stint, but our fuel only lasted about an hour and a half, making strategy around driver changes, pit stops, and fuel management a constant balancing act.

Wild Weather

Heavy rain delayed the start of practice, but once the weather eased enough to get on track, the session lasted just one lap before another torrential downpour brought it to an end. As a result, all of us would be experiencing Mosport for the first time during the race itself. Talk about being thrown into the deep end while performing under pressure!

A Podium Finish!

In Race 1, the wet and constantly changing track conditions made it difficult to accurately classify the field based on lap times. We spent most of the race competing in GT3, but one of the unique aspects of Enduro Elite is that organizers continuously monitor each team’s lap times and can move cars between classes at any point during the race. During my stint, our pace was strong enough to earn a move into GT2.

It started in torrential rain, but by the time I climbed into the car for the final stint, the racing line had started to dry. With multiple classes sharing the track, each lap became a race against the clock rather than against the cars around me. The field was filled with many different types of cars, which made working through traffic and passing a fun challenge. After seven hours of racing, I brought the car home with a third-place finish.

Every Detail Matters

We carried our momentum into Sunday’s eight-hour race and started the day in GT2. As the race unfolded, our improving lap times earned us another move into GT1. We didn’t even realize it had happened until we checked the live timing app. The longer race meant strategy would play an even bigger role, and our smaller fuel tank meant we needed more pit stops than many of our competitors, making every decision in the pits even more important.

Unfortunately, one of our pit stops was below the minimum required time, resulting in a penalty that dropped us down a lap. We also missed the opportunity to refuel and change drivers under a safety car, costing us valuable track position. Even with those setbacks, we kept fighting and found ourselves back in podium contention.

Keep Fighting

Despite the setbacks, we fought our way back into third place during my stint. That’s when another challenge appeared. My belts slowly began to loosen on their own, leaving me sliding around in the seat through Mosport’s fast, high-speed corners. It was physically exhausting and made every lap more difficult, but all I could do was keep pushing until it was time to hand the car over to my teammate.

A Wild Finish

I handed the car over to my teammate Justin for the final stint knowing we had a big challenge ahead. We might not have enough fuel to make it to the finish without an extra stop. As we gathered under the team tent on pit lane, we watched the GPX Live Stream onboard, which gave us live data from the car and allowed us to coach Justin through the final laps. Everyone was shouting advice: “Save fuel!” “Short shift!” “Push!” Through it all, our crew chief stayed calm, helping guide the strategy while the rest of us anxiously cheered, yelled, and watched to see if we could make it to the checkered flag.

Unfortunately, with less than a lap remaining, the car ran out of fuel. We were all gutted. You couldn’t have written a more dramatic ending if it had come straight out of a movie script. In the end, we came home with a fourth-place finish.

A Great Experience

My first endurance race in a car exceeded every expectation. I genuinely haven’t had that much fun on a race weekend in a long time. The teamwork, strategy, constantly changing conditions, and unique challenges made it unlike any race weekend I’ve experienced before, and I can’t wait to do it again.

Now it’s time for another first as I head to Barber Motorsports Park for another exciting opportunity. Stay tuned!