The June Sprints at Road America hosted rounds 5 and 6 of the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup Series presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The Sprints is always a big event at the midway point in the SCCA season, attracting the top competition and making it really fun and memorable to be a part of for competitors and fans alike.
Dad and I got to celebrate Father’s Day at the track!
I got to see a lot of friends throughout the weekend. Among them, Britt Casey, Jr. and Danny Bender were racing in Spec Miata. Danny was also running in the T4 class with his NC MX-5. This was the first time Danny had gotten to implement the skills that he developed at the recent Long Road Racing workshop, and he found himself making setup changes after practice to better suit the MX-5 to the track. I’m really proud of him for taking the next step in his racing. He had a phenomenal weekend, finishing runner-up in both Spec Miata races while sweeping the T4 class with two wins. Britt overcame some hardship to have a solid result, as well. Both he and Danny are eager and ready for next week’s Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Watkins Glen to continue their season with Freedom Autosport.
My main role at Road America was to continue coaching Ashton Harrison in her debut season of the Global MX-5 Cup. Ashton used the test day to brush up on her knowledge of the track, which she first drove a few weeks ago. The series had a 40-car field once again, including some new faces, which is always exciting to see.
Liam Dwyer was on hand for the Chicago SCCA corner workers raffle.
The racing was nothing other than incredibly intense. Fifteen-car packs made for exceptionally close racing, and drafting played a huge role in the racing strategy. Ashton was able to improve from her qualifying position in both races to come home with another solid performance and a clean race car. She’s on to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park next, where she will once again be learning a new circuit. After that, the series heads to the final two venues, VIR and Road Atlanta, where she will feel right at home.
It will be exciting for the Global MX-5 Cup series to be racing during the IMSA weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, where I’ll be competing in the WeatherTech Series with the Mazda prototype. Prior to that, I’ll be at Watkins Glen for the Sahlen’s 6 Hours, and our team is very hopeful for a strong result—we’ve tested there since the track improvements were made, and the updated circuit has proven to be a competitive place for us. It’s going to be a very busy few weeks!