Road America Recap: Learning, Fighting, and Fuel Math
We rolled into Road America on Thursday with high hopes and a little unease. The car felt solid, the team was ready, and I knew we had what it took to do well, but I couldn’t shake the worry about those K-swapped cars. On a big power track like this, 10 wheel horsepower down is a real disadvantage, and it shows up hard on the long straights. They were clocking 8 mph faster than us in the speed traps, and that’s not nothing.
Friday: Fast Start, Tight Fight
Friday kicked off strong. I found myself in P3 and held it all day. The car was feeling great, maybe could use a touch more oversteer, just a little more looseness, but overall I’m really dialing into how this setup handles. It’s a different kind of confidence when the car feels like an extension of you.
The plan for Friday night was to install a new Verus Engineering oil pan design, something I’d been itching to test — but that didn’t happen. While prepping for the install, I found a cracked and completely separated runner on the header. Not ideal. So instead of bolting on new tech, I was welding up a pretty nasty exhaust leak.
Silver lining: I think that weld job gained me 2 mph down the straights. Doesn’t sound like much, but it shaved a full second off Friday’s time. I’ll confirm it in the data, but either way, that’s a win.
Saturday: Dialed In and Holding the Line
Saturday at Road America brought more pace and a bit more confidence. The car felt really good , whatever tweaks we made Friday (plus that welded header runner) definitely translated to speed. I found myself getting more and more comfortable behind the wheel, pushing harder, braking later, and trusting the grip through the fast sections.
Session by session, we chipped away at it, and by the end of the day we were still sitting P3. That’s not easy when the K-swapped cars are still pulling 8mph faster on the straights, but we’re hanging in, fighting smart, and getting faster every lap.
Sunday Struggles and Silver Linings
By Sunday, I was feeling confident I could hold onto third for the Podium Sprint. But one of the guys found time in the morning session and bumped me to P4. Not terrible — top 5 make it into the sprint, and I was still very much in the fight.
Then came the Podium Sprint session, and I blew it. Got in my own head. The in-car lap timer wasn’t working, which shouldn’t be a big deal, but it messed with my rhythm. I was distracted, made mistakes, and couldn’t put together a clean lap. Ended up P4 overall for the weekend — a solid result, but frustrating knowing I had more in me. Still sitting P2 for the season, so I’m holding strong, but I’ve got work to do when it comes to mindset and staying locked in when it counts.
New Toys and Big Wins
Before the weekend, I installed a new AIM dash that the team at Link ECU sent over. I’d called to ask about a CAN gauge and instead got offered the full dash, and I couldn’t be happier. Big thanks to George and the whole crew at Link, and to Dewey for making the connection.
It took a bit of fiddling to get the fuel gauge dialed in, had to figure out where to splice and calibrate, but once it was up and running, it was game-changing. I mainly wanted oil pressure readouts, which are crucial for this engine, but the accurate, live fuel level data was a huge bonus. In a weight-sensitive class like this, knowing exactly how much fuel I’m carrying (and adding) makes a huge difference. Every pound counts.
Next Stop: Lime Rock Park
Lime Rock’s up next, and it’s a whole different kind of challenge. Top speed won’t decide the winner here. It’s all about mechanical grip, clean lines, and total commitment. The short laps mean there’s no time to reset if you make a mistake. You’ve got to be on it from the first turn.
I’ve been digging through data and dialing in the AIM setup to prep, but let’s be real, you can’t learn the guts it takes to go flat-out at Lime Rock from telemetry or sim time. This place demands full-send energy, especially through Uphill and Downhill (T5 and T7).
I’ve got history too. I put the car into a wall at Road Atlanta a few years back, and some of that fear still lingers. The commitment zones at Lime Rock bring that memory back. But if I can shut that down and trust the car, I’ve got a real shot at putting something special together.
There’s no Podium Sprint here. Fastest lap of the weekend wins. We’re P2 in the championship, and Pete’s right there. I can’t let him walk away with this one.
If I do my job right, if I put together clean, committed laps, I’ll be the one to beat.
Let’s get to work!
