First Time at The Glen

Coming off MWF with a P2 and only a handful of events left on the schedule, there wasn't much time to dwell on what could have been. The championship picture was getting tighter, and the goal was becoming pretty clear: win.

Watkins Glen would be a completely new challenge.

The track had been on the list for years, familiar from racing games and plenty of time spent in the simulator, but this would be the first time actually driving it. There was plenty of motivation coming out of MWF, but the approach wasn't changing. The goal every weekend is the same: be as fast as possible and beat the previous times. If that also means beating everyone else, even better.

The first look at Watkins Glen from the driver's perspective was intimidating. Walking the track on Thursday made that pretty obvious. High-speed corners. Close walls. Very little room for mistakes. Then the car went on track. And everything changed.

The walls weren't nearly as intimidating from behind the wheel as they had been on foot. The track itself was different than expected. There was grip everywhere, the asphalt was in excellent condition, the corners were banked, the curbs weren't punishing and the paved runoff was exactly where it needed to be.

The Glen had clearly been built with a purpose. It didn't take long to feel comfortable. In fact, the biggest surprise was how quickly that happened.

‍ ‍ Photo by Rob Wilkinson

Learning The Glen

That didn't mean Watkins Glen was easy. Turn 1 proved to be the problem child. The corner has a way of convincing you that you can carry more speed than you actually can, and getting it wrong has consequences all the way down the long straight that follows. By the end of the weekend, it was better. But it still wasn't completely figured out.

And that was part of the challenge.

At a track this large, sessions of only five laps don't leave much time to find a rhythm. Just when the rhythm starts to develop, the session is over. Instead of trying to improve everything at once, the focus became breaking the track into sections and working on a couple of areas at a time. Every session was another opportunity to find time. And there was plenty of it left to find.

The car itself didn't need much convincing. The FRS was doing what it does best.

Turn.

The straight-line speed will always be a challenge for these cars, but Watkins Glen provides plenty of opportunity to make up for it in the corners. There was grip.

There was confidence. And there was a willingness to push.

Chasing Speed

Knowing the long uphill straight would be a major factor, some of the preparation for Watkins Glen focused on reducing drag wherever possible. Anything that could create unnecessary drag got attention. The car was taped up where it made sense. Domed window covers were made for the doors. The side mirrors were moved inside the car. Even the redline was raised with help from Graham at Boosted Performance so there wouldn't be a need to make the extra shift into sixth. Every little advantage mattered. Because the competition wasn't slowing down.

That's Club TR.

Every session, someone was going faster. Every session, the previous record was being challenged. The pace keeps moving, and everyone is trying to find another way to keep up. After a few sessions, it was clear the FRS had the pace to fight for the top spot. The challenge was putting everything together. Five laps at a time.

The Glen

There is a reason Watkins Glen has the reputation it does. After finally driving it, the track lived up to the hype and then some. It might be the most purpose-built circuit experienced so far. A lot of tracks can feel like someone drew a line through a field and decided that's where the pavement was going to go.

Watkins Glen doesn't feel that way.

Every feature seems intentional. Every corner is shaped for a reason. The banking, the pavement, the runoff, the curbs and the walls all feel like they were put exactly where they belong. And then there are the walls. They're both the most fun part of the track and the thing that demands the most respect. The speed carried through the corners while running incredibly close to them is something that's difficult to appreciate until you're actually behind the wheel.

But strangely, the walls weren't a concern. That might have been one of the biggest takeaways from the weekend. The car felt comfortable enough that the walls simply became part of the track rather than something to constantly worry about. That level of confidence says something.

More Work to Do

The weekend didn't produce any major setup changes. There was one issue that will get attention before the next event. The brakes were pulling the car to the right when they were applied. A bleed before Watkins Glen had improved the issue, but hadn't completely eliminated it. The plan is to run more fluid through the system and bleed the ABS unit before the next event.

Nothing dramatic.

Just another item on the list. Because at this point in the season, it's about continuing to optimize everything possible. The same thing is happening behind the wheel. The biggest challenge isn't necessarily learning the car anymore. It's learning how to extract everything from it.

And Watkins Glen made one thing very clear: There is still a lot of time sitting on the table.

The Championship Fight

If anything, Watkins Glen made the championship situation even more straightforward. With only a couple of events remaining, there isn't much room for anything less than a win. The goal is still first. And now the margin for error is even smaller.

The experience at MWF didn't disappear heading into Watkins Glen. If anything, it made the preparation more purposeful.

More time went into optimizing the car. More attention went into the details. Every small improvement mattered. Watkins Glen confirmed that the car is capable of fighting at the front. Now the driver has to do the same.

A First Visit Worth Remembering

There was plenty to be proud of from a first weekend at a completely new track. But one thing remains consistent after every event: Get the car back onto the trailer.

A crazy amount of work goes into making sure the FRS is ready for every race weekend. Getting through an event without mechanical issues is proof that the preparation is doing its job. And Watkins Glen was no different. The car came home intact. The driver came home with more confidence. And the data came home with plenty to study.

There will be video to watch. Data to analyze. Lines to rethink. And another trip to Watkins Glen somewhere down the road. Because the first visit only scratched the surface.

The next time around, everyone will be faster. And that's exactly why the return is already something to look forward to. The most memorable part of the weekend, though, might not have happened on track at all.

It was the scenery.

Sitting on top of a mountain, looking out across the landscape with one of the Finger Lakes in the distance, with cool weather making the weekend even better, was a reminder that racing sometimes puts you in places that are just as memorable outside the car as they are inside it.

The first trip to Watkins Glen checked a new track off the list. It also left one thing very clear:

There is unfinished business at The Glen, too.