I just got back from Mid-Ohio, where we had a great IndyCar and Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup weekend. The weather was beautiful every day and fans were in for a treat with all of the exciting racing that was on the schedule.
The challenges presented at Mid-Ohio are very different from the ones at Road America, where MX-5 Cup raced most recently. Teams had to get their MX-5s dialed in for the nuances of Mid-Ohio’s very technical layout and undulating terrain.
Qualifying was spectacular, with the top 13 cars all setting times within one second of the pole sitter! It was an extremely close qualifying field, which made it apparent that we would have really tight races, too.
All photos by Ignite Media.
Both races were nail-biters because the lead changed several times, and the lead pack was nose-to-tail for virtually all 45 minutes of each race. There were dramatic last-lap challenges for the lead, too. In the second race, it resulted in a successful pass for the win.
In race one, it was great to see one of the youngest drivers in the series, 15-year-old Robert Noaker, collect another win for his rapidly-growing racing resume. In race two, Robert Stout got his first win of the season after making that last-lap pass, which just so happened to be around Noaker.
As the series swings to the West Coast for the last four races, it’s still anybody’s $200,000 championship scholarship because the top five drivers are separated by only a few points. The series is back in action in Portland during Labor Day Weekend.