Round 1 didn't go the way we wanted. Two mechanicals, a pole-winning pace that never got to play out, and a final standing that felt a whole lot worse than the car actually ran. But that's racing, and with the best fourteen results out of twenty four counting toward the championship, we've got plenty of runway to drop the rough ones and focus on the races that matter.
Round 2 is Road Atlanta. And this one, we've been looking forward to for a while.
The Rule Change Everyone is Talking About
The biggest story heading into 2026 isn't a specific driver or a specific car. It's the rulebook. The high horsepower formula that shaped last season has been killed off. Where top cars were pushing around 260 horsepower last year, the cap this season sits closer to 230.
For a front-wheel-drive Civic running K24 power, that's a real change. Last year our car was quick in the corners and competitive in the technical sections, but we were getting smoked on the straights by V8 Corvettes and BMWs. Past turn seven at CMP, we were a sitting duck. Gridlife's new formula tightens that gap.
At Road Atlanta, the straightaway matters. A lot. And while we still won't have the fastest car down the long back straight, the delta should be a lot more manageable. That changes everything about how the weekend plays out.
The Drivers We're Watching
Eric Magnuson is always going to be a threat. He's keeping the V8 E46 in the series, and he's going to run that car right up against the new power cap. Expect roughly a 25 horsepower delta between our cars down the straights. It's real, but it's not the chasm it used to be.
The other name to watch is Andy at ASM if he makes the event. Anyone who has raced against Andy knows exactly why. He's one of the fastest drivers in the paddock, his BRZ is quick, and he's ruthless wheel to wheel.
Road Atlanta tends to favor cars with torque. E36s, E46s, anything that can launch out of turn seven and carry that run down the straight. That's where most of the racing gets decided, because overtaking opportunities on the rest of the track are slim.
Where We Think We Can Make It Count
Road Atlanta is a high grip circuit, and the curbs do a lot of the work if your suspension is set up right. Turn three is a big one. Attacking that apex curb hard without upsetting the car is where we expect to find time, and we've got the setup to do it. The Fortunato coilovers, Eibach main and tender springs, and the rest of our suspension package are built for exactly this kind of loading.
The S's are our happy place. That's where this car shines and where we made our biggest moves last year. Getting a clean run through four and five sets up the whole lap. If we can roll momentum through the S's, get a look at turn six, and hold the position around seven, we've got a real shot. (check out the track)
And then there's the last corner. Flat, no lift, commit. In the wet last year that corner was terrifying. In the dry, it's just business.
Reliability is the Name of the Game
One thing we learned at CMP is that a fast car that doesn't finish doesn't score points. The team is doing a complete check over of the #82 before the trailer rolls to Atlanta. The fuel system is getting diagnosed, we're prepping a full spare engine with every accessory already mounted so a swap is just a swap, and every bolt on the car is getting eyes on it.
Road Atlanta compounds the reliability problem. Last year our schedule was qualifying, race one, and race two all within a three hour window because we ran ahead of Formula Drift. If that repeats, a DNF in race one means your weekend is basically over. There's no time to fix anything serious between sessions. Clean driving and a bulletproof car matter more at this event than at most.
What We're Chasing
Realistically, if it stays dry and the car holds together, this is a podium weekend. The rule change helps. The setup is dialed. The track rewards the strengths this car already has.
We loved racing in the rain last year, and we fought hard for wins in the wet. But if we're being honest, we'd love a dry Road Atlanta. Let the car do what it's built to do and see where we stack up with the field on even footing.
Round 2 kicks off soon. Watch the preview above, follow along on Instagram @hybridracing, and keep an eye on Latest from the Paddock for race weekend updates.
Let's go racing.