On track at Mazda Raceway in the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car!
Pre-test setup work in the pits.
Mazda Raceway proved to be a really busy and exciting event for me, as I had anticipated. The test day started with the public debut of the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car. The MX-5 Cup competitors got to see the car up close for the first time during an introductory meeting, where we talked about updates in the development.
The weekend also included a presentation for NASA racers who are up for a Mazda Ladder spot in the MX-5 Cup Series.
Having the opportunity to run in the MX-5 Cup practice sessions was a bunch of fun. I have always enjoyed spec racing, since it’s where I came from. The sessions allowed us to validate quite a few things, and we learned a lot thanks to being at a track as unique as Mazda Raceway: that place puts loads on the car due to elevation and camber changes that we can’t replicate anywhere else. (I’ll be discussing the MX-5 Cup car in more detail next week after some further testing!)
I was also driving the No. 25 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 in the IMSA Continental Tire series, along with my co-driver, Britt Casey, Jr. It was a new car, and the team deserves kudos for doing a fantastic job on that build. With any new car, of course there is a teething period. We got all of that sorted out on the promoter test day, and moving into official practice, we had a very dialed-in car. We were quickest in practice, and then Britt qualified 3rd in his first visit to the track!
The race proved to be nothing less than thrilling. Britt ran in the top three for his entire stint, handing over a perfect car to me for the last hour and a half. The team did a phenomenal pit stop that allowed us to build up a 13-second lead. Leading for almost all of my stint was really exciting, and the final restart kept the racing extremely intense.
I was so excited to see our teammates Liam Dwyer and Andrew Carbonell win it at the end. U.S. Marine Sergeant Aaron Denning, who saved Liam’s life in Afghanistan, was in attendance and even got to wave the green flag, so that made the victory even sweeter. I was also excited to finish second and to be a part of Britt’s first professional podium. I know he’s got a lot more of those in his future!
Double podium for Freedom Autosport!
After all of the exhilaration of the Continental race, it was time to refocus and qualify the Mazda SKYACTIV prototype for the IMSA Tudor race. It was an exciting challenge to switch between three cars during the weekend, keeping track of the way each car drives and where we were in the setup of each. I really had to think about changes we had made since the previous session, so there was a lot more than just the driving to think about.
Race day for the TUDOR Series.
Qualifying the prototype went very well, and we met the goals we had set. Sunday’s race started great – I moved up in the field and mixed it up with other prototypes. Shortly into the race, though, we had an engine problem that sidelined our No. 07 car. Fortunately, though, the No. 70 Mazda prototype went on to match its previous best finish of sixth.
Now that the weekend is wrapped up, I’ve had a chance to write a follow-up report for each program (luckily I took extensive notes at the track!). I’m fortunate that all three programs I’m involved with came away from Mazda Raceway with a feeling of success.