SCCA Pro Solo
Toledo Express Airport
Toledo, Ohio
Formula Junior B
July 5th and 6th
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What a way to spend a 4th of July...Racing! We couldn't have asked for better weather as it was going to be high 70's to low 80's all weekend and completely blue skies. Although the Toledo, Ohio airport surface of bright white concrete was unusual for us, we decided that practice starts weren't as important for the Juniors since it was a level surface. Mom and Dad took some starts in the shifter karts to see the difference in the level of grip, which was definitely high.
Day 1
Having walked the Left and Right courses several times, it was clear that there wasn't going to be a dramatic difference in the way they drove. Running in the 2nd heat was unusual for the Juniors but didn't affect much and gave the drivers more time to wake up. As usual, first runs were definitely slower because the course is never it's cleanest on the first day. After his first run in the 34's, his times dropped into the 33's for the rest of the morning, immediately showing better speed than the rest of the competitors. Once again, Julian began the weekend clean and with some solid runs to head into the afternoon.
Starting on the Left for the afternoon, Julian ran his fastest time yet on that side and got heat in the tires to switch to the Right for his first high grip run of the weekend. Turning a 32.2 would be impressive as it would be his fastest run for the weekend and prove there's plenty of time to drop on the Left as well. His next left and right sides would slow down leaving Sunday to try to make any last improvements. But at this point, Julian has a healthy lead for the weekend and it's unlikely the competitors will catch him.
Day 2
Having seen that the courses were slightly tighter than normal, we opted to do a gear change for Sunday morning. Judging by the numbers, the gear change would've helped...but Julian got paranoid and left most of the improvement time at the line by pulling bad reaction times. Even with those times, he was still able to drop his Left side into the mid 32's to get both sides within a half second.
With both Pro Solos out of the way, Julian has shown his skills and has time before the Finale in September to practice and think about better reaction times. The Road To Topeka for the SCCA Pro Finale continues!
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