We’re getting down to the wire in the 2026 season, and Round 5 of 6 takes us back to Lime Rock Park—one of our favorite events of the year and historically one of our strongest tracks. Last season, we put together an impressive run of results with 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and a win in the final race. We know the pace is there, but with the championship tightening up, we can’t afford to underestimate the competition.
Lime Rock is a unique challenge. It’s short, fast, and extremely unforgiving, with very little room for error. Average lap times are well under one minute, which means we could see 15 or more laps in each race. That creates plenty of opportunities to make up positions, but it also means more traffic, more passing attempts, and more chances for something to go wrong. With its fast transitions and momentum-heavy layout, Lime Rock has traditionally favored lightweight, nimble cars, which should play well to the strengths of our Civic.
We’ll be making several setup adjustments heading into the weekend. Fortunately, we have a significant amount of historical data from Lime Rock, giving us a much better idea of where our baseline setup needs to be before the car ever hits the track. Combining that knowledge with new tires, adjusted ballast, and everything we’ve learned throughout the season, we’re confident we can arrive with a competitive package and spend the weekend fine-tuning rather than searching for pace.
The championship situation also makes this one of the most important weekends of the year. We currently sit 14 points behind Eric Magnussen, which means there isn’t much room for simply collecting points. We need to take a meaningful chunk out of that deficit—and ideally leave Lime Rock back in control of the championship heading into the season finale at Laguna Seca in September.
At this stage of the season, every position and every point matters. Consistency will still be important, especially at a high-risk track like Lime Rock, but the objective is clear: we’re going there to fight at the front. First- and second-place finishes are the goal, and a strong four-race weekend could completely change the championship picture before we head west for the final round.
Five rounds in, there’s no reason to play it safe now. It’s time to go racing.