This week I was down in sunny and warm (warmer, at least) Sebring, Florida. It was Apex’s second Pre Grid event of the winter season, and it’s absolutely a phenomenal opportunity for drivers of all skill levels to develop their racecraft. The Pre Grid has both testing and racing combined into one event, allowing drivers to work on skills in situations that are hard to replicate outside of actual race event itself.
I was with the JDX Racing Team, working with Joel Johnson, who I also had the opportunity to coach at Circuit of the Americas last month. We had a very specific set of goals to work on for developing Joel’s racecraft, but we also had the typical items on our list that one would expect during a test event: always refining skills to get quicker, as well as getting more proficient with the circuit itself.
The last time Joel was at Sebring was over a year ago, and this was a perfect warmup for his first race of the season, which will be the Sprint Challenge event at this same track.
We started the two-day event with some setup work to dial in the car. I always enjoy getting to do some driving myself for that part, providing feedback to the team and working with the driver to help hone the car’s performance characteristics.
We then used those setup laps and the data we got from them as a reference for Joel as he progressed throughout the day. Day one culminated with several practice starts, which are always useful to get experience with something that usually only comes in a racing environment. There was also a 40-minute race to reinforce all the things the drivers worked on throughout the day.
Day two got off to a fast start, after Joel had been able to sleep on all the experiences from the first day. He showed up at the track ready to implement it all, and he quickly set a new personal best lap time at Sebring. It was especially rewarding and fun to see that come together for him, and we focused on consistency from that point forward.
I really enjoyed my time at Sebring, especially at this time of year when it’s much colder at home! I’ll be back in Florida next week for the IMSA season kickoff, the Rolex 24 at Daytona. I always look forward to this iconic event, and I’m excited to see the turnout in all the categories.