I just wrapped up a tremendous week at Watkins Glen with the Sandridges and their Team Salad entries in International GT. We were fortunate to get to the track early for an additional day of testing, since Mark and Jordan hadn’t been to Watkins Glen in two years. (Not only did we get extra seat time, but we also got plenty of haze from the Canadian wildfires that were just over the border.)
The additional day of testing really paid off, as both Mark and Jordan had commendable results. Mark had a personal-best lap time that wasn’t just good for him but was a standout in the field, too. Meanwhile, Jordan swept the sprint races, going three for three.
As you would expect, the success didn’t happen through luck, but from true effort. These drivers remained focused throughout the week to continue progressing, which was something I was extremely proud of them for.
But how, exactly, did we continue to extract further time throughout the week? Not only did we focus on the “lowest-hanging fruit” from corner to corner, but we were also very specific with the driving input, which ultimately extracted continued lap time during every outing.
Whether it was qualifying or the next sprint race, we focused on one thing every time out that would enable each driver to go quicker. For example, during one session, the focus was on being patient to throttle tip-in, which enables you to achieve full throttle sooner by allowing the car to point better at apex for the exit.
In the end, this methodology garnered a full complement of trophies and all smiles by Sunday afternoon.
I always enjoy my time with Team Salad, and I was proud of both the results they achieved and the effort they put in to get there.
