Stronger Than Ever: Two Races, Two Podiums

Hard Work Off Track

Following January’s race, we uncovered several setup issues that needed tuning up. Together with WRTeknica, we took a major swing at the car, reworking ride heights, corner weights, and alignment to address the weaknesses we had identified. We knew our experimental setup was risky, but in the end, it was a huge improvement.

A Great Day On Track

Friday was all about dialing it in. Across five practice sessions, working with my engineer, Parker, and the Hicks Motorsports crew, we kept experimenting with the setup and made solid progress while simulating qualifying and race runs.

A Bonus Lap

At the end of Friday, Will Wattanawongkiri, owner of WRTeknica, did a shakedown lap in my car on the Classic track to give feedback on the setup. Will has been a mentor of mine for the last five years, and having him drive my car was an honor.

A Good Starting Position

We finished the final practice session on Saturday morning P3 and qualified P4. Given how tight the field was, I knew we had the pace to fight at the front.

A Tough Race Start

I got a good jump at the start and made a move around the outside of Turn 1 for P3. However, I didn’t position myself optimally for Turn 2, which then opened a gap down the inside for Turn 3. Two cars got ahead of me and I fell down to P5.

Consistency Gets A Podium

While the front four cars pulled away, I put my head down and focused on keeping the tires happy and waiting to pounce on any mistakes. One car retired and another went off, promoting me to P3. Had the yellow flag not come out, I was in a great position to move up to P2. The safety car came out soon after and the race finished a lap later. My first SCCA Super Tour podium.

A Tough Second Qualifying Session

I knew the probability of going faster than Q1 was low, but I figured it was still worth running the session. Unfortunately, I gave a competitor a tow, which dropped me down to P5 for the start of  race 2.

Great Reactions and Another Podium

Race 2’s start was insane as the front two cars took each other out, and I managed to take advantage of the chaos, moving from P5 all the way to P2. Later in the race, I fell back one spot but quickly regained it. From there, I had to defend for many laps, as P3 stayed close and kept me under constant pressure. He could not get by, and I secured my best result in the Super Tour to date with a P2.

ONTO VIR Next

Leaving Buttonwillow with two podiums is a great start to the championship. We now have a month to keep working before heading to Virginia International Raceway for the next round.