Top 10 Finish In My First SCCA Runoffs

A Week Of Racing... And Waiting

The SCCA Runoffs has a week-long session format like no other race. 3 Practice Days: 4 Sessions Day 1, 3 Sessions Day 2, 2 Sessions Day 3. 2 Qualifying Days with 1 session per day, a day off, and then race day on Sunday. The result, 7 days at Road America.

A Return Home

This was my first race weekend with the Mazda Motorsports Factory Team since the June Sprints and first proper race weekend since Mid-Ohio in May. I was super excited to not only be back, but also be back at the track I know best outside of California: Road America.

Feeling Confident

All 3 practice days were relatively uneventful. I was driving at my best and felt great with both the car and the track. As a result, I was excited going into qualifying.

A Decent Qualifying 1

During the first qualifying session, I worked on putting in a good safety lap, knowing that with one qualifying session per day over two days, conditions between the two sessions could change a lot, affecting the lap times significantly. I got a decent lap in with a one car tow, which put us P10 in the session. While I wasn't thrilled with the lap, it would turn out to be crucial.

A Disaster In Qualifying 2

In Q2 I was setting up for a lap in the pack of cars with a great tow and great potential to significantly improve my lap time. And then it all fell apart before I even started the lap when my fuel line disconnected, and I lost power. All that setup and hope was gone. We were going to start the race P11.

A Race of Battles

Starting the race, P11, I knew it would be all about patience. After all, we had 45 minutes to improve our position, and survival would be key. Immediately at the start the safety car came out and the pack slowly started drifting away. From there, I began to battle an issue with the front brakes as they were overheating and not working at their best. I stayed calm and just focused on putting in the best laps I could, fending off many cars behind me.

A Top 10 Finish

Finally, with one lap to go, I was all by myself and could relax for a bit during the race. I made sure to really enjoy that last lap and take everything in, from the beautiful scenery at Road America to the steep uphill learning curve I faced this race. I was racing in a new series, on new tracks, with new drivers, new teams, and learning a new car. The chequered flag came out and I crossed the line in 9th.

Finishing a Crazy Year

While I had hoped to finish higher than 9th, at the end of the day, a top 10 result at the Runoffs is something we can be proud of considering just how difficult this year has been. I truly felt that I was driving at my best and the amount I have grown as a driver and as a person this year has been immense. I cannot thank everyone at Mazda for this opportunity to drive for them this season, it has been an absolute pleasure.

Thank You

And of course this season wouldn't have been possible without you. Thank you to every single supporter of mine who has made this year possible. Racing at all of these amazing tracks is something my younger self could only dream of and to think that is now a reality is absolutely incredible. While we all hoped for better results this season, we know that the road is only up from here. The future looks bright!

📸 Donna Wittlin Studio, Chris Green, Jay Bonvouloi, Rick Corwine, Jeff Loewe