Hi Race Fans!
Sorry about the delay in getting something out about Mid-Ohio. Coming back into the rest of my world - a lot was waiting for me. Getting a book written adds another entire layer to everything – and the economy is presenting some challenges!
Mid-O was a blast! It is a very technical track that requires precise driving and a fairly precise set-up on the car. As has become the norm through these past several weeks, I learned the track quickly on practice days and qualified well, just a half second from 7th spot. That put me in 12th for the race. I was really happy with my qualifying time.
Encouragement and tips from Karl Thomson at Compass360 were so helpful and welcome. The Compass360R teams did very well in the race. Zach brought the car in P1 and Ryan Eversley finished with a hard-fought 3rd. Mid-O was Zach and Ryan’s fifth Grand Am podium in a row. That doesn’t happen very often at this level of competition. Right On, Guys!
My own race was less than I had hoped. In practice the morning of the race, I spun out twice at speed. Neither time did I hit or hurt anything, except my confidence. I ran a very conservative race. My times showed it. I brought the car in without any damage but without much to show for the effort either. My usual aggressive style was on the back burner so I wasn’t very happy with the performance.
Let me red flag that. Our primary goal is to learn the tracks and get me ready to compete in the Continental Tire series next year. We continued to make good headway on the larger goal. I definitely learned the track and know how to be fast there. I learned something about racing as well. I need to have a fairly high level of confidence in the car in order to be aggressive.
I’m really pleased with all that I’ve learned so far this season and my relationship Zach, my Rock Star Coach, has grown leaps and bounds. The friendship I have with Karl is just terrific - his wisdom about the sport at this level continues to be invaluable and inspiration.
I won’t be racing at New Jersey though. Very happily, my son is taking me fishing in La Paz, Mexico for my 60th birthday that week. Nothing is better than your son wanting to spend time with you! We tried to make the logistics work to be in Mexico the first part of the week and race the last half but it wasn’t possible. So I’ll be thinking about the team – Karl, Zach and Ryan – and wishing them the best while Seth and I count our fish and drink some more cervezas!
Sorry about the delay in getting something out about Mid-Ohio. Coming back into the rest of my world - a lot was waiting for me. Getting a book written adds another entire layer to everything – and the economy is presenting some challenges!
Mid-O was a blast! It is a very technical track that requires precise driving and a fairly precise set-up on the car. As has become the norm through these past several weeks, I learned the track quickly on practice days and qualified well, just a half second from 7th spot. That put me in 12th for the race. I was really happy with my qualifying time.
Encouragement and tips from Karl Thomson at Compass360 were so helpful and welcome. The Compass360R teams did very well in the race. Zach brought the car in P1 and Ryan Eversley finished with a hard-fought 3rd. Mid-O was Zach and Ryan’s fifth Grand Am podium in a row. That doesn’t happen very often at this level of competition. Right On, Guys!
My own race was less than I had hoped. In practice the morning of the race, I spun out twice at speed. Neither time did I hit or hurt anything, except my confidence. I ran a very conservative race. My times showed it. I brought the car in without any damage but without much to show for the effort either. My usual aggressive style was on the back burner so I wasn’t very happy with the performance.
Let me red flag that. Our primary goal is to learn the tracks and get me ready to compete in the Continental Tire series next year. We continued to make good headway on the larger goal. I definitely learned the track and know how to be fast there. I learned something about racing as well. I need to have a fairly high level of confidence in the car in order to be aggressive.
I’m really pleased with all that I’ve learned so far this season and my relationship Zach, my Rock Star Coach, has grown leaps and bounds. The friendship I have with Karl is just terrific - his wisdom about the sport at this level continues to be invaluable and inspiration.
I won’t be racing at New Jersey though. Very happily, my son is taking me fishing in La Paz, Mexico for my 60th birthday that week. Nothing is better than your son wanting to spend time with you! We tried to make the logistics work to be in Mexico the first part of the week and race the last half but it wasn’t possible. So I’ll be thinking about the team – Karl, Zach and Ryan – and wishing them the best while Seth and I count our fish and drink some more cervezas!
