Colin Queen: Never give up, be resilient and stay positive
By far one of the toughest race weekends for us. From Friday to Sunday we were plagued with odd equipment issues. On lap 5 in the 1st practice session, the rear hub sheered off taking the wheel with it on the entry to Coram putting me into the barriers hard. That one hurt a lot. I was retired for the day by medical which was fine because the team had a lot of work to get done for Saturday. On Saturday, the guys did a great job getting the car together and I was cleared by medical for Qualy. With only 4 laps in Friday practice under my belt, I was still able to put the car on the front row. That felt really good! Race one started out fine in P2 for the first 3 laps then the car got progressively worse and was almost uncontrollable by the end. My lap times went from a 2:01 to a 2:30 by the last lap as I limped the car home in 13th. The culprit? Both rear tires lost airpressure. When I got to park ferme they were flat. Not good. Sunday found me starting in 13th. I was eager to progress forward and get into the top 5. On lap 2, the car was difficult in the high to mid speed corners. The gremlin this time? The front roll bar failed. Despite the issue, I managed to progress four positions to finish in 9th. 3rd race I was out in turn two of lap 1 thanks to a collision behind me throwing a car into my rear breaking the suspension. Day over.
Silver lining, I walked away from a hard head on hit into the barriers. For that, I’m thankful. Plus, I showed that I was able to jump back in the car with practically zero practice and put it on the front row for Qualy. Regardless of the unfortunate circumstances, I was able to do the best I could with what I had without retiring the car in 1 and 2. This is motorsport and things happen that are out of your control accept it and move on. Never give up, be resilient and stay positive.
We rise and fall as a team. We will regroup and comeback stronger and faster. I'm thankful to have this opportunity and to have a great team looking out for me. Thank you to Team Ammonite for working hard and getting that car together for the weekend. Thanks to Ray Racecars for building a strong chassis and keeping me safe. The season isn't over and I will do my absolute best to put us back on the top step. Bring on Brands Hatch in August!
- Colin Queen