This time of year I typically find myself in Florida (which is not a bad thing in the winter!) for various testing and events.
Long Road Racing recently had their final warm-weather test at Palm Beach International Raceway to finalize the cooling package for the 2019-spec Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Car. It was two days of testing with two cars to confirm various cooling options while doing what the cars are usually doing during a race: close-quarters drafting conditions! The other test driver was my old Freedom Autosport teammate Andrew Carbonell, who I’m used to racing closely with on the track, and we had a lot of fun together.
Because of the lack of air flowing across the nose of the rear car during drafting (not to mention the increased rpm and power output for 2019), it’s important to increase cooling capacity to accommodate this close racing. It’s pretty incredible to watch a Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup race with the lead pack drafting for 45 minutes, flag-to-flag, without any cooling issues. You can plan to see the new car in production and hitting a track near you in just a couple months.
With the new year comes Daytona testing. It all happens quickly this month, since the beginning of January is the Roar Before the 24, then at the end of the month teams are back for the Rolex 24. My ride isn’t secured yet for that event, but I’ll be attending meetings and am hoping to put something together for this coming season. 2019 is already shaping up to be an exciting year in motorsports for me.