Scarallo's VIR Blog
Hello Everybody! Well my first pro race weekend has come and gone. It had its ups and downs, but it was an incredible experience, and I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the year. We had some issues with the car that we found at the track that could not be solved at the track. But we soldiered on and the problems will be fixed in time for Lime Rock.
Going into Friday I was excited to get my first F2000 race behind me. It was a beautiful sunny spring day in Virginia until literally 15 minutes before the green flag dropped, when it rained really hard. It only rained for about 10 minutes and then stopped, so we took a gamble of going out on slicks, hoping that the track would be dry at the end of the race and I would be in good shape. But sadly on the first lap it rained again messing up the whole strategy for us.
Still with that I had made up about 10 positions from my qualifying position on the opening laps. But, on lap 8 I spun and couldn't get the car re-fired which ended my race. I had mixed feelings about the race. I felt I drove well in the rain especially considering that I was on slicks but I was still annoyed at myself for making the mistake of spinning.
Saturday’s qualifying was better than Fridays but still not exactly what I was looking for, I didn't let that get me down. I avoided the crash at the start which was directly in front of me and started making up spots from there. The race was very chaotic with a total of two crashes happening right in front of me and at the same time had the opportunity to dice it out with some great drivers. It was an incredible race.
The racing was awesome. Right at the end of the race Caitlin Johnston and I traded positions on the last lap and crossed the line side by side, her nosing ahead of me into the top 10 while I came home with an 11th place finish.
My Dad says “excuses are for losers” so I will keep mine to a minimum. With my car sorted out now I am really excited for Lime Rock. I feel I will be able to improve quite a bit.
The race weekend was cool, and everything I could have expected. The series has great competition, very friendly people and awesome cars. I am looking forward to Lime Rock and the rest of the year. Still nothing has changed since the winter when it comes to my personnel goals and plans. This first year in pro racing I am looking to learn as much as possible, become a better driver, and be consistently in the top 10. If I can do that in my first year in pro racing and my third year total in racing I will be pretty happy.
See Ya in Lime Rock!
Jonathan Scarallo