This week started off with some excitement as I traveled to Sebring, Florida, for an Apex Driving Event test. I was looking forward to joining Forbush Performance once again, as it has been a couple of years since I last drove with the team. Matt Forbush has recently acquired a Ligier LMP3 prototype, and he was not only looking to shake it down but also to get some insight into setup and getting up to speed in it.
Meanwhile, I also had the opportunity to work with Emilia Hartford, who was driving at Sebring for the very first time. It was also her first time behind the wheel of a GT4 car. I had a busy two days, shifting gears between both programs, but I enjoyed each of them, and they were both rewarding for me.
It felt great to be back in a prototype at Sebring! The LMP3 platform is such a great package, as it makes all the right sounds with its V8 engine and has plenty of power while delivering that high-downforce prototype feel like its bigger brother, the LMP2.
The LMP3 concept has been one that is extremely popular across the world. It has been phased out of the IMSA ranks, so the platform is finding a new home in HSR—with help from IMSA—where LMP3 racing will be a two-driver, endurance-style series, just as it once was in the IMSA Prototype Challenge series.
Matt intends to campaign the car in this new series, and getting it dialed in with him at Sebring was the perfect start to his new endeavor, since that track will be the first event on the calendar.
From running the shakedown baseline laps in the car to helping develop the setup with all the adjustments a prototype offers—including aerodynamic adjustability—it felt good to be “back at home” in a prototype. It also brought back fond memories of racing with Mazda in their prototype campaign a handful of years ago.
By the end of the two-day test, we had the car in a fantastic window, turning very competitive lap times while also managing to get Matt valuable seat time in his new car.
I also enjoyed my time working with Emilia, helping her not only learn Sebring but also helping her gain familiarity and consistency with the Cayman GT4. We started off by learning the track with some lead-follow sessions, which offers a visual aid for nailing the line consistently.
That evolved into allowing Emilia to lead, and she could get immediate feedback over two-way radio so she could make adjustments corner-to-corner. It was also helpful to have video and data to compare, allowing us to see the gains and progress she made throughout the test. By the end of the two days, she had picked up a tremendous amount of pace, and it was exciting for me to learn all about her career with her YouTube channel and acting.
It was a very rewarding and successful couple of days at Sebring, and I’m looking forward to returning there in just a few weeks with the Mazda Heritage Program for the upcoming HSR event. I’m also looking forward to working with both Matt and Emilia more throughout the coming season.