Turning Lemons Into Lemonade

Spec MX-5 Is Back

After a two-month summer break, the Spec MX-5 season resumed at Barber Motorsports Park. Barber is another bucket-list track for me, and with no practice sessions, this was going to be a weekend all about adapting and learning fast. It was also my first SCCA Super Tour weekend with Wheels America Racing.

A New Mindset

During the summer break, I spent a lot of time disconnecting from racing and trying to process everything that has happened this season. 2026 has been an unexpected challenge and a season that has pushed me mentally to keep digging even as things kept getting harder.

By the time we arrived at Barber, I had finally found some inner peace with the season. I was ready to reset, get back in the car, and bounce back.

Another Setback... Or Not

Despite having no practice sessions, I felt good going into qualifying because we had tested at Barber in July. The session was going to be tricky, though, with 57 cars on track at once as Spec MX-5 shared the track with Spec Miata.

Despite the traffic, I put together a 1:40.665 lap that would have been good enough for P8.

Then the drama started.

I had an ABS failure, my car was overheating, and my transponder did not register any laps. Despite my best efforts to appeal the results, we had to start Race 1 in last, P22.

Post-Qualifying Repairs

For Race 1, we fixed the transponder issue, installed a new radiator to help with our cooling issues, and installed a new wheel-speed sensor to fix our ABS issue. Now it was time to race.

My Greatest Race Start to Date

Starting from the back, I knew that I had nothing to lose. But I approached the start calmly, also aware that it was a 35-minute race and I had time to pass cars. I had a great reaction to the green flag, and by starting in second gear I passed a ton of cars right at the start.

By the end of Lap 1, I was up to P7. I had completely undone my bad luck in qualifying.

From Last to a Top-Five Finish

From there, I kept pushing, passed more cars, and made it all the way up to P4. I ultimately crossing the finish line in P5.

I was so happy with that result. After a season where it felt like I just couldn’t catch a break, we took everything that went wrong in qualifying and turned lemons into lemonade.

A Neutral Sunday

Qualifying 2 on Sunday was my only chance to improve my P22 starting position for Race 2 due to the transponder issue in the first qualifying session, but that was going to be a hard task. The tires were worn from Qualifying and Race 1, and the starting position for Race 2 was determined by taking your best lap time from Q1, Q2, and Race 1. Despite being P11 in Q2, my lap was only good enough for P18 on the starting grid.

Two Laps to Make Something Happen

Starting P18, I had another great start and climbed to P13 in the first two laps. But a crash cut the race short, leading to a long safety car period, followed by another competitor’s car catching fire and bringing out the red flag. When a red flag is deployed, the SCCA deletes the previous lap; unfortunately, that demoted me to 14th. Considering all of that, it was still a great drive.

Feeling Stronger Than Ever

This weekend brought back a self-confidence I desperately needed. I worked hard over the summer break to reset mentally, rebuild myself, and come back stronger. Seeing that hard work pay off was absolutely incredible.

It’s hard to believe Barber was already two weeks ago. Now we focus on the SCCA Runoffs at 

Road America, with one more chance to finish 2026 strong!