This past weekend was another trip to Sebring International Raceway, but this time, it was for a new purpose: the first event for the 2026 IMSA VP Challenge Endurance Series season. I was teamed with Forbush Performance in their LMP3 car for the two-hour contest.
We’ve been fortunate to test a couple of times prior to the season starting, but even still, it’s always a tall task coming into a series as a new team, which already has established teams with lots of experience. The team did a tremendous job orchestrating pit stops, and despite some setbacks that cost us valuable track time during practice, there were still plenty of positive takeaways from the first event.
The team’s pit stop performance was among the quickest in the field, and we learned a lot as a group about what the car needs over the course of a two-hour race. One key aspect for my co-driver Matt Forbush was getting acclimated to endurance racing in an LMP3. Those long stints in such a physically demanding car are no easy task, and even though physical conditioning is part of his training regimen, actually being in the car for such a long stint is a real learning opportunity.
Although the first event didn’t go as we had hoped, this one race certainly doesn’t define the season for the team, and I’m excited to come back stronger with additional preparation and practice time for everyone prior to our next event. That next chance will be at Circuit of the Americas in May.