We spent our weekend at Circuit of the Americas for round four of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. Our Mazda Motorsports squad really had to work hard this past weekend, as we were faced with plenty of challenges throughout the event week. In the end, we didn’t really achieve the results we had set for the weekend, especially considering the good momentum we had built with the team’s first podium of the season at Long Beach.
As time drew near to the race, our Mazdas were handling and running better with every session. By the drop of the green flag, we had a really nice racing package. We didn’t have the qualifying effort one would hope for, so I knew the start would be important, just like it was at Long Beach. That mindset prevailed, and I was able to move from the 10th spot up into the top five within the first 20 minutes. Soon thereafter, our No. 70 Castrol Mazda started experiencing some turbo boost and electrical issues, which resulted in several stops in pit lane to fix it. We kept running and had some decent pace, but we were several laps down. We were able to cross the finish line, at least.
Temperatures for the race were in the low 90s, and I drove for an hour and 40 minutes of the race, so I was happy that my fitness regimen was at its peak!
As I mentioned, these weren’t the results we wanted, but our team’s drive to continue pushing is ever present and they are already focusing forward on what needs to be addressed for the next race.
