Andrew Carbonell was one of the Mazda drivers on hand at Autobahn.
After running at the June Sprints, the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup cars made the trip from Road America to Chicago, where they ran a demonstration at Autobahn Country Club. It was a chance for interested Autobahn members and racers to get behind the wheel of the car. They’re a small group of people who can count themselves among the first to drive the new car!
The demonstrations ran during the members’ race weekend, so it was really great to show everyone there how the development program is going. Over 40 Autobahn members have Spec Miatas, and they have their own class during member race weekends. Mazda is already taking deposits for the car, so there’s really a lot of excitement building.
It was a very hot weekend in the Southeast, and I got to spend a few days in triple digit temps at VIR. I coached friend and client Rob Trollinger, who has gone from obtaining his SCCA license through Skip Barber to gaining racecraft skills in Spec Miata earlier this year to, now, racing his 997 Cup car with the Porsche Club of America. Rob has a background in lapping days, but his goal was to go club racing. In one year’s time, Rob has really made remarkable achievements while accomplishing his goals.
Rob’s first PCA weekend was a great success!
This weekend was Rob’s first PCA race with the car, and we were able to get track time during the VIR members’ day, which we used as a test day. We both drove the car so we could overlay reference data and video to get set up for the weekend. With a lot of studying and great execution, Rob was able to finish second in class and sixth overall out of more than 30 racers in his group. During the 1.5-hour enduro on Sunday, Rob put both his physical and driver training to the test because he ended up running the entire enduro on his own! He was smart and consistent, and ended first in his class and third overall. What a fantastic PCA debut for Rob!
The weekend was a lot of fun and we had a great time despite the intense heat. I’m looking forward to the next club race at Road America, which will be a new track for Rob.
Later this week, I’m very excited about returning to one of my favorite tracks on the schedule, Watkins Glen International. Not only do I have childhood memories of going to the track with my dad while growing up, but I’ve also had some professional success there. You can read more about my history at Watkins Glen in this week’s MazdaMotorsports.com Behind the Zoom blog.