The past week has been a bit of a whirlwind, going from the IMSA event at Virginia International Raceway straight to Barber Motorsports Park for a test. The short turnaround time between the two got me thinking about the differences between each track.
It was an incredible weekend at VIR, and the two Mazda MX-5 Cup races had plenty of action. A new series rookie, racing with the series for the first time, won the pole award for race one. It was especially impressive since qualifying had a narrow margin for pole, with four cars qualifying within the same tenth of a second.
MX-5 Cup racing always produces a tremendous finish with a slim margin of victory, and race two saw the winner reach the line just .070-second ahead of second place!
From VIR, I headed to Barber, where I had a couple successful days of testing. It was a lot of fun, not only because I was driving and coaching, but also because of the mindset shift going from VIR to Barber.
These tracks both have plenty of elevation changes, but otherwise, the layouts are vastly different. Although both tracks have continuous corners, with one leading into the next, Barber is more challenging because you don’t get a break: the track is constantly bending and turning, with only short straightaways, while VIR has long straights.
The two tracks do share some similarities, though. Where one corner leads to the next, it’s imperative to set up the first corner so you’re in the proper position for the next one. That strategy doesn’t change from track to track!
Both tracks are also absolutely picturesque in their own ways, and I always enjoy my time at each one.
Check back next week for a deeper dive into the nuances of Barber Motorsports Park!