With the rescheduled date for the classic 12 Hours of Sebring, which moved from March to November, the IMSA finale for 2020 came at an iconic racetrack. At the same time, there was a tropical storm crossing into Florida, so weather forecasts weren’t looking very good. But the weather wound up working out and we really dodged a bullet as the bad weather went north of Sebring. We had a beautiful couple of days for racing!
Congratulations, Ashton!
I was excited to be at Sebring working with Ashton Harrison for her Lamborghini Trofeo season finale. The team was still chasing their first win and they wanted to end the season on a high note.
Sebring is such a unique circuit with its high-speed corners, big braking zones, and notoriously bumpy surface. Getting the setup dialed in during practice is always an important task. By the time qualifying rolled around, we not only had the car dialed in, but Ashton was dialed in, too. She set a personal best lap time in qualifying, which was a great way to head into the race!
After qualifying, we knew we could still fine-tune things, so we set goals to accomplish in the race that would maximize performance. Ashton was able to do just that, putting in a pace that allowed her to fight with the lead pack. She focused on everything she needed to and handed off the car to her co-driver with everything in a perfect position for success. He ended up making a couple of phenomenal passes, which took the car from third to first in the closing laps, and he and Ashton got their first win!
Ashton has been running in the series for two years now, and to finally get that elusive win through hard work and a dedicated focus is just so rewarding. Everything paid off and things went their way to bring home this win at Sebring.
On a personal note, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Ashton since early in her career at the Spec Miata level, watching her progress to the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup and now Lamborghini Trofeo series. I’m so proud of her and so happy to see her development as she takes her driving skills to the next level. Congratulations, Ashton!