cc motorsports: round 1 weekend recap
This time last week we wrapped up our first race weekend of the 2022 season, which in typical motorsport fashion was filled with many highs and lows. We logged some valuable hours of seat time on Friday, had some fun and competitive racing in race one, put both cars in the top ten for the first time in race two, and sadly retired both cars early on in race three. Despite competing in a few rounds of the 2021 season, this year is still very much a year of firsts for us so there will continue to be many lessons along the way.
Round one recap of the 2022 Toyotires F1600 series.
Friday: Practice and Testing
Overall a very good day logging valuable seat time for both Conner and Cole on a track we haven’t driven before, let alone raced at. This first day was especially important for Conner as it was the first day of running the 44 car, a new addition for this season. By the end of the day each driver logged a little of two hours of time behind the wheel, which set them up nicely for the weekend.
Saturday: Qualifying and Race One
Q: While managing some car issues, Conner was able to put himself P10 for race one. Thanks to the help of multiple teams coming together we were able to get the issue temporarily fixed, allowing Conner to continue with the weekend, albeit with a compromised setup. Cole unfortunately had a big spin exiting turn 11 early on in qualifying which led to his throttle cable snapping. We were unable to get repairs done in time to send him back out, putting him on the back row of the grid for the first race.
R1: Both Conner and Cole got off to a good start in race one, but contact with another driver in the opening laps put Conner back to P16. He then worked his way back up to a P12 finish, meanwhile Cole made steady progress throughout the race and finished P9 after starting P16.
Sunday: Race Two and Three
R2: Sunday morning was the highlight of the weekend with both Conner and Cole running a solid race which would result in the team securing our first double top 10 finish and personal best finishes for both drivers. Conner continued to manage a difficult setup making up one position to finish P9, while Cole clocked consistent laps to come from P11 and finish P8.
R3: Race three is where things took a negative turn. Cole unfortunately was collected by another driver who spun in front of him while they battled for 8th, resulting in severe damage to the rear suspension of the 45 car and forcing him to retire. Meanwhile Conner had his own struggles when his car started to suffer from a loss of power. Unsure of what was causing this, he decided to retire the 44 car to avoid causing potential further damage.
As we reflect on round one and get prepared for round two, we can’t help but feel extremely lucky to back racing as a family again. Although the weekend didn’t end how we would have liked, we are grateful for everyone that continues to support our efforts. We’ve been working hard all week repairing and tweaking both cars to set us up for this coming weekend at CTMP. We hope you enjoy following along for this ‘22 season , it’s shaping up to be a good one.
Photography by John Cardillo and Cole Janeteas
