After Road Atlanta, where we walked away with a weekend sweep, we knew there would be challenges ahead. The added weight meant we would be down on overall speed, and the technical nature of Gingerman tends to favor cars that can maintain grip throughout an entire lap. Both of those concerns showed up in every session, along with a few unexpected surprises.
Qualifying
After two decent practice sessions, Eric felt the car was too loose in the rear, making him uncomfortable with how much it was rotating through the corners. We knew a new set of tires would help alleviate the issue, but as soon as those tires accumulated enough heat cycles, we would likely be back where we started. We ultimately qualified P4 overall, sending us back to the paddock to look for improvements.
Race 1
Starting on the inside row, the goal was to move forward as quickly as possible and gain positions early. Eric was able to secure 3rd place halfway through the opening lap while Smedegard and Magnussen slowly began to pull away.
Lap after lap, the pace was strong, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the power and grip advantages of the V8-powered M3. A late-race full-course yellow froze the field in place, and we crossed the finish line in P3.
Race 2
Starting once again from 3rd, Eric pushed hard to close the gap to the two cars ahead. Another full-course yellow provided an opportunity to regroup and reset.
Eric was never fully comfortable with the car's balance, and that lack of confidence affected him during some of the most critical sections of the circuit. On the restart, he made an aggressive move into Turn 1 to pass Smedegard for P2 and successfully held the position all the way to the checkered flag.
Top-10 Shootout
At select events, the series holds a Top-10 Qualifying Shootout to determine the starting order for Race 3.
Our tire options were limited because we only had one set of rear FALKEN RT660+ tires available for the weekend. As a result, our only option was to install a new pair of front tires. Unfortunately, that decision proved to be the wrong one. The fresh fronts upset the car's balance, leaving Eric struggling to keep it under control. We finished P9 in the shootout, which became our starting position for Race 3.
Race 3
After a lengthy morning storm, the track was mostly wet but beginning to dry. These are some of the most difficult conditions a driver can face because grip levels vary significantly across the racing surface.
Eric lost control in Turn 3, running wide and off track before slamming into a rut in the grass. The impact packed mud, dirt, and grass into the cooling ducts and coolers. While the engine temperatures remained under control, the car sustained damage.
Eric dropped several positions as a result of the incident but fought his way back through the field to finish P9. It was a setback that would certainly carry into Race 4.
Race 4
The final race of the weekend is determined by a random grid inversion based on the roll of a die. This time, the roll landed on a 3, which shuffled the front of the field but did little to improve our starting position.
Back in the paddock, the team went to work. We straightened the front end, replaced a cracked wheel, and Eric repaired a damaged front splitter. Refocused and ready to attack, Eric charged forward from P9 to P2.
Along the way, he worked his way past Magnussen, whose race ended prematurely with a throttle body failure.
Moved up to 3rd halfway through the opening lap, but couldn't overcome the power and grip of the V8 M3. A late full-course yellow froze the field and Eric brought it home P3.
Never fully comfortable with the car's balance, but made an aggressive move into Turn 1 on the restart to pass Smedegard for P2 and held it to the flag.
Limited to one set of rear FALKEN RT660+ tires, the team installed fresh fronts. The new fronts upset the balance and Eric ended up P9, setting the Race 3 grid.
Tricky wet-to-dry conditions. Eric lost it in Turn 3, ran wide and hit a rut, packing mud into the cooling ducts. He fought back through the field to recover P9.
A die-roll invert of 3 shuffled the front. After repairs to the front end, a cracked wheel, and the splitter, Eric charged from P9 to P2, passing Magnussen, whose race ended with a throttle body failure. (Provisional)
Overall
We faced challenge after challenge throughout the weekend, but the team's determination to keep pushing forward paid off. Despite the setbacks, Eric stood on the second step of the podium by the end of the weekend.
Just as importantly, he gained valuable championship points over Magnussen, making Gingerman an overall success for the Hybrid Racing team.
