The team prepping on practice day for what will become a very wet race weekend!
This weekend was the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, always one of my favorites on the schedule. Our No. 07 Castrol SKYACTIV Mazda team started off with beautiful sunny weather for Friday’s practice, and we had a very successful two sessions. The car’s setup and pace had us excited for Sunday’s performance.
Saturday turned wet and cold, so we ran the minimum in morning practice, and then afternoon qualifying was washed out.
Sunday’s weather didn’t give us much relief, and our SpeedSource team was prepared for the wet conditions. I started the race in what were very tricky wet/dry conditions, changing from wet to dry throughout the opening stint. With a small mechanical issue 1.5 hours into the race, the team quickly fixed our faulty alternator belt and we were back out in dry conditions chasing lost time.
Joel ready to get in for the final 2 hours of the race.
The car was performing beautifully when I jumped out and handed over to Ben Devlin after nearly a three-hour stint. I was glad to have been focusing my workout regimen around my neck strength, as it was definitely feeling worn out!
The rain came back in the final two hours of the race while Joel Miller jumped in for his stint. Meanwhile the rain continued to the point where IMSA deemed conditions too wet and visibility too poor for racing, temporarily stopping the race under a red flag. After a brief stop while equipment attempted to sweep the standing water from the track, racing continued, which allowed our No. 07 team to move to 5th place in the Prototype class for our best result to date with the program.
It was a very exciting outcome, and knowing the road ahead is looking promising really keeps this team hungry and working as hard as ever. From car prep to pit stops, the team and drivers did a fantastic job this weekend.
A dirty, wet racecar after 6 grueling hours, resulting in the SKYACTIV Diesel program’s best finish to date!