This past week was a whirlwind! I started at rainy, foggy Watkins Glen, which was my first trip of the season to one of my favorite tracks in the country. It was a productive trip, too. The entry curbing to the famed bus stop chicane has undergone a change, so the Apex Driving Event test allowed teams to get their first experience with it. I was there working with the JDX team, and they got plenty of practice time on the updated track prior to the IMSA weekend there next month.
On day two, we had beautiful sunny weather, so we got to experience two very different weather conditions throughout the test. We made the most of it, refining our wet setup on day one while also optimizing our dry-weather performance on day two.
I’m excited to return to Watkins Glen next month, where I’ll be working in a couple different roles. I always look forward to this classic IMSA weekend!
From Watkins Glen, it was straight to Austin, Texas, for the next round of SRO World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas. It was nowhere near wet and foggy in Texas, but it was plenty hot! The weather was in the low 90s and we had lots of dry, sunny weather.
The highlight of the weekend was the 3-hour GT4 enduro on Saturday evening, which ran into the sunset. The Krugspeed team had a fantastic top-five finish in what was the inaugural endurance race for SRO. I thoroughly enjoyed the strategy challenge and pit stop component of the format, and I was so proud of the entire team for having a mistake-free race that allowed them to advance through the field during the 3-hour contest.
This coming week, I find myself back in Austin again, this time for an Apex test prior to the next Sprint Challenge weekend. I’m excited to be working with some drivers that have been longtime friends as we continue to hone their skills with the new race cars they have been campaigning this season. I’ll report back next week with race details and Texas BBQ thoughts!