Although there has been a break in the race schedule, I’ve still been busy with testing. This week, I found myself at two different locations for just that.
I was at Virginia International Raceway for the first time this season, working with Mark Sandridge not just to get some time at that track, where he hasn’t been in a couple of years, but also to keep him active in the seat. As we all know, there’s no replacement for seat time, and keeping up a monthly driving frequency is a good goal. Mark’s next race event isn’t until May, so this was a good chance to meet that goal.
We had gorgeous spring weather at VIR, and we made great use of the two days of open track to get Mark reacquainted with the circuit and to do some fine-tuning as we continued to evolve his new car for the season.
I had a lot of fun putting his Porsche Cup car through its paces, setting benchmark laps, and making some tweaks on setup before Mark continued chipping away. Ultimately, he beat the goal he’d set for the test, which is fantastic. It left Mark in a great place, both physically and mentally, in preparation for next month’s race there.
After that, I had a quick turnaround to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where I joined the Mazda MX-5 Cup official test. The series has been off since March, and the next race isn’t until the first week of June. With that long break, it’s a perfect time to go testing, and since the MX-5 Cup series hasn’t been to Indy for many years, it was a great opportunity for drivers to get some official testing time in before IMSA heads there in September. It was also many drivers’ first time at Indy, and it was fun to work with them as they came to grips with the circuit and I helped them with specific nuances to go faster.
It felt great to be at the Racing Capital of the World again, and it always makes me appreciate all the history the sport has at this hallowed ground.
It’s been a busy week of travel, but I’m already looking forward to next week. The annual Mitty is at Road Atlanta, where Mazda will be bringing out their full fleet of heritage cars. They’ll also be hosting many Mazda owners and special guests at the event.