Long Beach Grand Prix
Racing in front of the home crowd was a fantastic experience. We had a lot of friends and family that came from Santa Barbara and LA, many of whome have never watched a World-Challenge race before – I’m so happy I don’t have to describe anymore how exciting the format is with the standing starts… they’ve experienced it! One friend took a video of the start from the grandstands and the reaction from the fans as the field tears off down the front straight is priceless – fists pumping and big smiles.
As for my experience of Long Beach from the driver’s seat, it was a little mixed. Long Beach is a tough track that provides a driver with plenty of opportunities to crack up the race car. Since it was my first time racing at Long Beach I had to be cautious in our two practice sessions, yet push hard to provide valuable feedback for the crew. After poor practices and a mediocre qualifying we looked forward to the race for redemption. After passing 5 cars on the start and another within the first few laps I thought we were on the right track. However, a failing wheel bearing would cause our charge to the front to turn into a battle of survival as the car’s handling began to deteriorate. The failing part finally gave up with just 8 laps to go, taking out a wheel speed sensor and consequently causing the ABS system to lock up on the entrance to turn 7. We parked the car after limping along for two more laps, not the finish we had envisioned.
Despite several setbacks for our Horton Autosport/Truspeed team, we left Long Beach with even more confidence in our Porsche 911 and greater team synergy. To be where we are now in the time sheets with such a new platform for us is fantastic. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be on that podium sooner rather than later.
