Racing is officially back on the schedule! We’ve already seen NASCAR get underway again, and last week IMSA announced their updated 2020 schedule, which begins on the weekend of July the Fourth. It’s exciting to see some positive news about the sport we’re all so passionate about.
In preparation for the racing season, I was at the track this week coaching a team that’s getting back into the action in the coming weeks. It felt so good to be back in what I feel like is my natural environment. Hearing the race cars and seeing them lapping the track again felt like coming home.
With things starting to get going again, preparation is in full swing for drivers and teams to get race-ready! It’s always a challenge to pause, then get focused again, so this is a chance to get the gears—mentally and mechanically—going again. We have a lot to look forward to, and that’s what’s keeping us focused as we make the most of our prep time.
The team I was working with last week has a lot of great momentum already, recently expanding to more cars. The fun challenge for me is that I went from coaching two drivers to four drivers, and that requires a different approach on my part, especially when working with drivers of different experience levels. The goal is to equip the drivers to learn from each other, so everyone makes progress as a team. With the first race just around the corner, we were specifically working on reacclimating to the cars while fine-tuning setup adjustments for the upcoming circuits.
The season for sports car racing restarts for us next month, and I look forward to sharing my experiences as we all get back to what we love.