Ashton and Rob’s Racing Analytics Spec Miatas at Sebring.
I was back at Sebring this past weekend, coaching some Spec Miata drivers. I’ve worked with both before – Ashton Harrison was returning to Sebring, and she was participating in her first event of the year with her newly built Spec Miata. After working with her at the Chin Motorsports event in December, we were excited to be able to put everything we worked on to good use in a competitive setting.
The other driver I worked with, Rob Trollinger, is a track day enthusiast who I’ve been working with for the past year. This was his first race weekend, so it was really exciting for him. Rob decided he should do an arrive and drive Spec Miata program with Racing Analytics so he could focus on race craft and driving rather than worrying about prepping his own car. This worked out to be the best choice for him because we could really focus on video and data coaching rather than car prep.
Roebling Road: it’s good to be back! It’s been a while!
Ashton found her new car very competitive, and she was excited to be running further up the field than in the past. The new car combined with her growing skills allowed her to get into some intense racing! Ashton came away with her best result to date, finishing 12th out of a 55-car field. I’m really proud of her progress: she had a great weekend with clean racing, and she brought home a result that proves how far she’s come.
Rob’s expectations started with simply wanting to learn the racing scene and refine his race craft, and what better way to do it than in one of the most competitive classes in sports car racing? Despite having never been in a Miata before, Rob learned quickly and realized his goals were changing to become more competitive. He was a natural and a good fit for the car.
I worked with Rob to continue lowering his lap times and improving his passing skill. His first races were nothing short of thrilling, and he loved the additional challenge of racing after just doing track days in the past. Rob’s feature race of the weekend was great: he came home inside the top 25 of the field. A great result for his first race weekend ever!
Getting ready for a run with Rob in his new hot rod!
We said our goodbyes to Sebring (for now!) on Sunday evening, and Rob and I set off for our next adventure at Roebling Road Raceway outside Savannah, Georgia. Rob was taking delivery of his new race car. He was testing it at Roebling, and he’ll compete in it going forward. We had a fantastic two days at Roebling and were able to work with drivers in similar cars so we could really get Rob’s dialed in. At the end of the two days, Rob was loving his new ride, and he is excited for the season ahead.
Overall, it was a fantastic visit to both tracks with great weather, great friends, and great results! I’ll be working with both Ashton and Rob this season, so keep an eye out here for more about them.