Spec MX-5 2022 Mid Season Update
2022 starts a new adventure for me as I join the Spec MX-5 Challenge series with Flatout Motorsport as both a driver and a driver coach. This series would take me across 6 of the best tracks in America with the finale at Circuit of the America’s. The first 3 races of the season took place at Virginia International Raceway, Pittsburgh Race Complex, and Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. The 3 races consisted of plenty of progress as both me and the team look to learn the ins and outs of the NC generation MX-5 in Spec MX-5 trim.
Virginia International Raceway - March 18th-20th
Our first event of the season and first test of us in these new cars took place at Virginia International Raceway during an event with NASA Mid-Atlantic. This was a Spec MX-5 National Series event so the competition was going to be fierce. Other teams had years of time in these cars so both as drivers and as a team we were going in to learn and figure out what we need to be fast.
Qualifying didn’t go as I wanted and I ended up qualifying 8th without a draft partner for my fastest lap. The top 10 was separated by just 1.5 seconds, so the race was going to be tight. I definitely was getting more comfortable in the car and felt that I could go forward int he race.
During Race 1 on Saturday afternoon I chose to start off conservative and slowly work up the pack as the race went on. I made up a little ground getting as high as a top 5 before needing to cool the car due to overheating. That dropped me back a bit but still was in position to try and make a pass for 5th on the last lap. The pass didn’t quite work and I ended up falling to 7th where I would finish. Improving from my starting position and having a contact free race was a good way to start, even if I think we could have gotten more.
Race 2 was more of a crazy one. Started 8th again and got pushed off track in turn 1, making me fall all the way back to last and behind some other classes by turn 2. Started to claw back some time to the pack and ran the 2nd fastest time of the race before a full course yellow came out bunching me back up to the pack.
When we got back racing, I made more after move and was fighting for a top 5 by the end of the race. This time I again got pushed off track at Oak Tree Corner on the final lap, dropping me a few spots and pushing me back to a 7th place finish once again.
Pittsburgh International Race Complex - April 29th - May 1st
The 2nd event of the season would be a Spec MX-5 Challenge North Regional event which made for a smaller car count then the previous rounds. This allowed us to take a step back and focus on getting the car and our driving to the next level. Qualifying went well as I took pole with over a 4 tenth of a second gap back to my teammates in 2nd and 3rd.
Race 1 was pretty uneventful. Started on pole and slowly built a gap throughout the race, staying mistake free and taking the Flatout Motorsports, Grenon’s of Newport Mazda to its maiden win! The winning margin was over 9 seconds and I set a new track record in the process.
Race 2 was a bit more interesting as rain fell all morning making the track wet for our Sunday race. Started on pole again and was under pressure from behind. Made a small mistake in turn 1 and gave up the lead, but then took it back 2 corners later going side by side multiple corners in a row. From there I built around a 2 second gap and just needed to maintain the gap by avoiding mistakes. A little bit of action occurred on the final lap as we caught Spec Miata traffic but I was able to negotiate that well and went on to win race 2, sweeping the weekend and banking some valuable points.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - May 27th-29th
Round 3 would take us to another historic track I have never raced at, Mid-Ohio. It would also mark the return to the national series events and anther big and competitive field. It would also host some of the most exciting races I have been a part of.
Qualifying was successful yet again. Came out in the lead pack and used my experience to get a gap and set the 2nd fastest time of the session. This would put me in a much better spot to start than back at VIR.
Race 1 started out well with jumping to the lead and leading the first 8 laps. Unfortunately I started getting a lot of oversteer and caused me to drop a few spots while I tried to regain the balance. Fell back to as high as 4th but on the last 2 corners of the last lap made a great move around the outside of a couple of cars bringing me up to a 2nd place finish! We were 3 wide across the line battling for 2nd.
Race 2 would be equally as exciting as I had to start 6th. Made an epic start and half way around the first lap I was already sitting 2nd. In an attempt to make a pass for the lead into the keyhole I fell to 3rd and then had 2 teammates work together to get by me a few laps later. The racing was tight at the end and I was right in the lead pack the whole race but couldn’t do better than 5th at the end.
Mid-Ohio was a huge step forward and it really set us up for the rest of the season knowing that we can compete for wins in even the strongest of fields.
I have to give a huge thank you to those that helped make this season happen including Flatout Motorsports, Grenon’s of Newport, Ikoniqa Motorsport Studio, Mazda Motorsports, Toyo Tires, Cambox, Pagid, and more.
Next up on the schedule will be Road America July 9th-10th, Daytona August 6th-7th, and the finale at Circuit of the Americas September 10th-11th. Stay tuned across my social media platforms for the most current updates.