Andre Lafond: My thoughts post Silverstone
Racing at Silverstone for the first time was a great experience, rain or shine! Even though one of the practice sessions ended up being red flagged due to the sheer amount of water on track. The conditions continued to change throughout the weekend with qualifying taking place in intermediate conditions after practice had either been completely wet or completely dry. Throughout the changing conditions the whole team maintained a consistently strong pace, with my teammates Max and Colin qualifying 3rd and 9th respectively, and I myself qualifying in 13th position.
In race 1, it completely dried out. After reviewing video and data with the driver coach James, we were ready to go. I made up a couple positions and finished P11, with a dive into Brooklands securing that place! Max and Colin both had very good pace all throughout the race, with Max making his way to the lead and crossing the line in P1! Colin had top 5 pace and was making up spots quickly when some unfortunate contact forced him back into P9. The following 2 races would take place on Sunday, which would be under very different conditions.
Instead of being overcast as it was on Saturday, once we arrived at the track on Sunday we immediately felt the rain. The forecast called for medium to light rain all day with no end in sight until after the races were over. Some reviewing of data and footage had the team ready to hit the track. I would be starting in P11 as per my race 1 finish. Due to a grid penalty from race 1, Max would be starting race 2 in P6, and Colin would be starting in P9. I got off to a good start and was up in P9 early on in the race. Pace was really strong for the first half of the race but after the midway point the track started drying off slightly. Despite my best efforts I wasn’t able to quite hold off all of the following drivers and finished P11. But the big improvement in overall pace and the closing gap to the leaders is promising. Max was fighting for the lead but due to some unfortunate contact finished P6 with the second fastest lap of the race! Colin made up some more spots to finish P7!
The rain came down a bit heavier for race 3. And with the top 7 finishers order being reversed, Colin and Max started race 3 in P1-2 respectively. I started in P11. I got another good start at the lights and was right behind the drivers ahead. After making up a spot early on I moved up to P10, and a pass going into Luffield late in the race secured P9 in my second race weekend! Colin unfortunately ended up taking damage to the nose of his Ray GR18, which compromised his straight line speed. But he managed to hold the car together until the end of the race and crossed the line P11. Max opened up a gap to the other drivers and crossed the line P1! But due to a stuck throttle, a large crash in Luffields red flagged the race with 3 minutes to go. Fortunately the driver was largely uninjured. But all things considered, it was a good race weekend, with lots learned and lots of progress made! I can’t wait for the next one!
- Andre Lafond