We've Got Pace!

Perfect From The Start

Heading into the weekend, I was excited to finally be in a competitive, race-winning car. But until I rolled onto the track, I didn’t know how the car was going to feel and boy was it amazing. W2 Motorsports gave me an incredible car all weekend, and from the very first session, it felt perfect. No setup changes needed. It was simply ready to race.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I was not chasing setup issues or trying to work around limitations. I could focus purely on driving, race craft, and getting the most out of the car.

My Best Qualifying Yet

Qualifying 1 was all about getting a good tow, bringing the tires up to temp fast, and stringing a good lap together. I executed all three well and found myself in P1 for most of the session. That was something I had not heard in a long time. Hearing that again was honestly a relief.

While I ultimately finished qualifying in P4, it was a huge confidence boost to know that in a 26-car field, I had the pace to run at the sharp end of the grid.

Slicks or Wets?

Before Race 1, a major rainstorm rolled through Mid-Ohio and created one big question: slicks or rain tires? 

The rain had mostly passed and the track was beginning to dry, but Sector 3 was still very wet with rivers running across parts of the circuit. Due to lightning delays, race control shortened the race from 25 minutes to 15 minutes. Earlier races had already gone mostly under safety car, so we decided to make an aggressive call and start on rain tires.

The Wrong Call

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the wrong tire choice.

The opening laps actually felt strong, but the cars on slicks quickly became much faster through Sectors 1 and 2 as the track continued to dry. I fought to hang on as long as I could, but the pace difference became too much.

We finished P5 overall and P2 among cars on rain tires, but it ultimately was not the right strategy for the conditions.

A Great Start Until It Wasn’t

Race 2, I started P4 once again and found myself in a bit of chaos early on. 

Through Thunder Valley, the four lead cars, including myself, all got caught out by a wet patch still lingering on track. I managed to correct the slide and found myself moving up to P2 for a brief second. But heading into the penultimate corner, I was hit in the rear and sent flying off track, falling to dead last. 

A Comeback Drive with Pace

From there, I locked in and gave everything I had, knowing I had 35 minutes to catch up. One by one, I kept picking off cars and had the fastest lap of the race for a long time. By the chequered flag, I made it all the way to P10. Not the result we wanted, but a drive I can still be proud of.

A Weekend of Positives

Despite not getting the results I was hoping for, this was a weekend of positives. After such a difficult weekend at Hallett, I needed to prove to everyone, including myself, that I have what it takes. And this weekend we did just that. 

The pace was there. The confidence was back. And for the first time in a while, I am leaving a race weekend feeling excited about what comes next.