Last week was the official Carrera Cup test at Sebring International Raceway, hosted by Apex Driving Events. I stayed after the Sprint Challenge weekend to work with the JDX team again at the test, coaching Elias De La Torre in preparation for his second season in the championship.
We had a very productive couple of days, which allowed us to not only learn the new Yokohama tire—which is the new spec for the 2024 season—but also to fine-tune the car in preparation for this week’s first race at the 12 Hours of Sebring event.
The Sebring race fans will be in for a treat Friday night, as race two will be the first time the series has raced under the lights!
Here’s Elias lighting up the night while getting his first taste at driving in the dark.
I’m very excited for Elias and the entire JDX team, because there are a handful of returning drivers as well as a couple of new faces, which will serve as a fantastic balance of experience and new perspectives as we take on the upcoming season.
I’ve always found that going into a second season really allows you to focus on all the things you learned during the first season. You can fine-tune and really hit the first race weekend running thanks to that prior knowledge and experience.
Not only is this week the kickoff for the Carrera Cup and several other IMSA-sanctioned series, but it is also the second event of the year for Mazda MX-5 Cup. We had tremendous racing in Daytona, and the last time the MX-5 Cup series ran at the 12 Hours of Sebring event, it did not disappoint: we had a three-wide photo finish across the line!
Sebring will be a busy event, and it’s one that I’m looking forward to sharing with all of you in my recap next week. In the meantime, you can tune into the live action on IMSA.com and watch the live broadcasts of the two MX-5 Cup races on Racer.com.