Robert La Rocca | June Blog
Watkins Glen was the first race on the calendar that we had never been to with this car. It was definitely going to be the biggest challenge for us so far. It was great to be there with Grand-Am, the atmosphere is just amazing.
Before we got out on track to practice, we installed the new updates that Ralph and Indy brought us. They definitely improved the overall balance and speed of the car, but there is still more work to do. We did very well in all the practice sessions, always being in the top 3. We were looking good for podiums and maybe even a win.
Qualifying for race one was for sure the most competitive we have been all season long. We were just about two tenths off the pole sitter, and we were the fastest RFR car. The team and I felt very confident that we were going to have a strong race.
Later that day, it is time for race 1. I was happy that I was starting in third position on the inside. I got an incredible start. I went on the inside of the pole sitter, and as soon as we all went through turn 1, I found myself in the lead, and I could only see specks of cars in my rear view mirrors; I had come out with a pretty good lead. The car felt great and very solid through the bus stop and the inner loop. But, all went wrong in the laces… When I went to take my foot off the throttle to brake, my foot got caught behind the brake pedal. By the time I was able to get my foot unstuck and get on the brakes, it was too late, and I found my car going sideways into the wall. Words cannot describe what emotions I was feeling. That is part of racing though, when you win, it is the best feeling in the world, and when you lose, it is probably one of the worst. I have to thank my team though for getting the car back together very quickly, they did an incredible job.
For race 2 we qualified 6th. For the second race, we were again very competitive. We were in third place fighting for the top two spots until my front left endplate came loose and fell off. It created an incredible amount of under steer and all I could do was nurse the car to the finish, taking 6th place.
Overall, it was a very up and down weekend. We have to be proud of ourselves for how competitive we were, definitely the most competitive all season long. We know that podiums and victories are at our grasps now. We have 4 race weekends left, and we will give it our all. We have some ground to make up, but we know that our car will keep improving race by race, and I am confident that we can put up a good fight.
See you all at Mid-Ohio!