Driver selfie!

This week we’re doing more testing of the 2016 Global Mazda MX-5 Cup car, and this time Andrew Carbonell will be joining me to drive the second development car. Andrew also drove it at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca two weeks ago, and it’s great to be working with him again.

Andrew’s first race with Freedom Autosport – our first time as teammates – was in 2008 at Iowa Speedway, when he was just 18 years old. We needed to fill a seat for a driver who couldn’t make the race, and we had to pick Andrew up at the airport because he was too young to rent a car! He and I had similar feel for the cars right from the start, and he was really easy to work with.

Andrew wound up qualifying on the front row in that first race with Freedom Autosport, then he got the pole at his next race with the team. We clicked the instant we met, and we’ve had a great relationship ever since that first race weekend together.

For the development of the new MX-5 Cup car, having a second opinion always makes it easier for the crew chief to understand what’s going on and what needs to be done in either the setup of the car or, in this case, the actual development of the car.

For example, at Mazda Raceway, we were talking about spring rates. It was reassuring hearing Andrew’s opinion, which was similar to mine but described in a different way. It allowed us to clearly convey what was happening so we could refine our strategy going forward.

This week, Andrew and I will be on track at the same time, and it will be interesting because we’ll do some double-blind testing with various equipment. We won’t know what brands of components are on the car. After running, we’ll run each other’s cars to see what differences there are between them. Our debriefs will be separate so there won’t be any bias.

Another reason for having multiple drivers is because every driving style is different, and you need various styles to make sure you’re not developing a car for just one driver’s style. The MX-5 has to be right for every racer, so the setup window needs to accommodate a variety of styles and preferences.