And we are back at Watkin’s Glen!
THURSDAY NOTES:
Most of our sessions on track are compressed into Friday with only the 2-hour race remaining for Saturday afternoon. The Esses 120 at the Glen gets the green flag Saturday at 12:55 and will be live on Peacock. Once again, Morgan will partner with Chase Jones in the red and white VGRT #80 in the TCR class.
Before that, we get to practice twice on Friday - first at 8:30 AM and again at 12:05 PM, each time for an hour. At 6:30 PM, it’s time to lay down the magic lap that will determine the starting position for the race.
The tricky factor is the weather. You’ve heard that before! It is the same for all of us, but those who manage it best will have the advantage. It helps to have drivers who relish the challenge brought by a wet track. But caution is key too - there’s not a lot of room for error between the blue barriers that ring the track. Keeping it tidy and having the situational awareness dialed up all the way will pay dividends.
Fortunately, the cars are in the garage this weekend, so shade, light, power, and room to maneuver are abundant. The team is optimistic and we are all hoping for a really good event!
FRIDAY NOTES:
Practice Session 1: Fortunately, a common placement for race tracks is on the tops of hills. Airports are often nearby. Keep all the noisy things together, right? It is helpful because it’s typically a bit cooler up high and the breeze is often better. It is good to get the first session in a very long day done early. It keeps the overheating of cars and people down some.
During a brief red flag in the session (which they do automatically if there's any contact with a barrier or a car to tow back), the pit lane fills up with cars and I’m certain the temperature rose several degrees with them all in here. With them packed together, it smells like hot metal and brakes. Pit lane floods with people scurrying about, checking tire pressures, fueling, doing driver changes. There is a lot to watch and coordinate, but everyone knows their jobs. There’s no time pressure under the red so it’s a good time to practice and refine the movements.
Pit lane affords a view only of the front straight. We can see them come into sight at Turn 11, roar past, grab the brakes and dive into Turn 1. Then we wait. They came back more or less on time every time. We are happy.
Practice 2 will be different. It’s a constant game of adjustment to meet the driver’s style and the conditions. Finding the balance among sustainable handling, speed, and conditions of the track and weather is a tricky business. With savvy and sensitive drivers, smart engineers, and a good crew to back them up, it gets better every session.
Practice Session 2: Today is a long day with prospects for stormy weather. Will it rain or won't it? Will the lightning get close enough to shut down operations or will it stay far enough away? What tires need to be ready? Do we need other set up changes - depends on if/when it rains and how much falls. Once they confirmed that they got the car set up in a happy place, Practice 2 was done.
While we wait for the hours to pass until the qualifying session scheduled for 6:30, the team gets everything ready with the cars and we all compulsively refresh the weather radar and lightningmaps.org. If it gets too close, qualifying may be in jeopardy. Yes - the sky is that flat, hazy grey. Time will tell.
Qualifying: This such a short session. It’s such a hot day. There has been so much waiting and twiddling, but it's too hot to go out and watch other groups. So we listen to them on the PA and watch them on our phones. Suddenly, it's time for qualifying and then in a flash it’s all done! Chase goes out, drops a few laps, and brings it in. Just that fast and it's over. All that remains is the debrief, review of the feel, and speculation about tomorrow.
We are qualified in 7th. This track is big and fast, a bit like Sebring that way. We are comfortable with this. Our guys are patient on the long runs. With a little luck, it could be good. Who knows how we will do tomorrow? I guess we will all just have to watch and find out. Join us, won’t you?
SATURDAY NOTES:
Other times, like Watkins Glen, you can see it on approach from more than a half a mile away. It sits like a castle and grounds on the hilltop. But then as you get closer, it disappears behind the trees only to do that pop up thing later. It’s hard to capture clearly, especially with the humid haze this week, but the view from up here is spectacular. It’s lush and green and Lake Seneca stretches into the distance below the town. Really beautiful.
Race Ready: But today is race day. While it doesn’t appear that rain will be a factor after all, the heat certainly will. We have plans to deal with that. We make sure everyone is well hydrated and we have cooling packs for the drivers too. With an updated and final grid sheet, Chase will start the #80 in 6th place. To be sure they are sharp, Morgan and Chase to a driver change practice - it is right on target. This time is a little different than last because the pit lane runs in the opposite direction. Everything is sort of the mirror image of last time.
The fan walk starts at 11:55 and the 2-hour race goes at 12:55. Catch it on Peacock today. The fan walk may be my favorite part of the weekend. There is wide-eyed excitement, throngs of people (which most of the time I don't enjoy, but here it's all fun), and the mood is bright, expectant and joyful. We get a lot of questions from intensely curious people. Morgan makes a special effort to talk to the kids. Even the shy ones often open up to him because he gets down on their level and asks them questions. I absolutely love watching him during this time!
All the wide variety of scenarios have been considered and are ready to implement whatever comes. The cars had a nice rest overnight and they are all fresh and shiny, ready to go play. We are optimistic and the team energy is bright!
Race Result: Optimism only gets you so far. Through a couple of yellows early in the race, Chase picked up a few spots and had made it up to 3rd! Unfortunately, on lap 19 and about 45 minutes into the race and just before the driver change, we are out. We had a shunt in the laces of the boot and the car is broken enough to be done. Chase is OK. This Phoenix WILL rise one day!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Next week Wednesday, we head north to Canada. The car will be fully ready to participate in IMSA’s Round 6 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (aka Mosport) in Bowmanville, Ontario (north of Toronto). Again, this will be a new track for Morgan, but we know he learns them quickly. For now, we reset ourselves and get mentally ready to go again.