GridLife CMP: A Razor-Thin Start to the Season
Jerami going through the kink in the FA24 swapped FRS at GridLife South Carolina.
The 2026 GridLife season opener at Carolina Motorsports Park delivered exactly what Club TR is known for, tight racing, constant evolution, and margins so small they hurt. For Jerami, the weekend ended just short of the podium, finishing P4 and missing third place by an almost unbelievable 0.003 seconds.
It was a result that stung, especially after a winter of preparation and development aimed at starting the season on the front foot.
“Losing by 0.003 is gutting. We’ve been working on this car for months now and was really hopeful to be on the top step here,” he said after the event.
The biggest storyline of the weekend wasn’t just the result, but the car itself. Over the off-season, the entire suspension and shock package was replaced, fundamentally changing how the car behaves on track. While the pace was clearly there, the setup still isn’t fully dialed in, requiring constant small adjustments and adaptation behind the wheel.
“All the things we’ve done to the car over the off-season, especially a complete replacement of all the suspension and shocks, have changed the whole setup. It’s pretty close but not totally dialed in. I was driving around some issues I was originally blaming on poor track conditions. It’s really needing to make small adjustments to get the car behaving in a manner that works with how I drive. Miles at RCE has been indispensable with this. We are almost there.”
Throughout the weekend, the focus shifted from outright performance to understanding. Each session became an opportunity to gather data, test changes, and refine the feel of the car under real competition conditions. “Overall the weekend was a good learning experience. Making adjustments and understanding how it affects the car.”
That learning curve was amplified by the nature of Club TR itself, one of the most competitive classes in the GridLife paddock. Every position is earned, and every mistake is punished.
“The biggest challenge is always going to be trying to be better than the rest of Club TR. This group is full of crazy fast drivers in well prepared for the class cars. Keeping the car running and ready is tough too.”
Despite the narrow miss, the weekend ultimately set the tone for what this season will demand: precision, consistency, and continued development. With the first round in the books, attention now shifts toward refining the package before the next stop at Road Atlanta.
That process starts immediately — reviewing data, studying in-car footage, going over notes from the weekend, and continuing to build comfort in the updated setup. Simulator work and additional testing are also on the table, all aimed at closing the final gap to the front.
“Going to focus on some basic maintenance. I wrote a bunch of notes and I’ll go over all that. Study the data and replay the in-car video. Try to understand what I fell short in and what I can try and do better. Hit the sim and try to get better. May even try and find a close event to dial in the car more.”
It’s a frustrating way to open the season on paper, but the underlying pace and direction are clear. In a class defined by razor-thin margins, CMP was less about a missed podium and more about how small those gaps really are — and how much work it takes to close them.
The season is just getting started, and the fight at the front is already as tight as ever.
