It is always a hectic time getting ready for  the winter test, and this year was no different.  Garry came to MSR houston a couple days before we left for sebring, in order to familarize himself with the car.  He got one day of testing at MSR which helped him be more prepared when we got to Sebring. 

The testing in Sebring went really well.  Garry proved his natural talent throughout the two day test.  Lots of progress was made and he was continuing to improve as the weekend wrapped up.  Garry Findlay has a very good natural awareness when he is driving.  He showed great prowess in monitoring himself and giving impartial feedback about the car.  Many times he was aware of things that he was doing that was influencing the handling of the car.  I was very impressed by the fact that he was very aware of the effects of all his actions while in the car. It was promising and very fun to work with Garry.

I look forward to working with Garry again.  Throughout the week he was very easy to get along with and fun to be around.  I hope Garry is able to make it back to Texas soon for further testing.  Although I don’t know all the details there is some problems with Motorsport Insurance Service.  I believe that the refusal to pay his insurance claim is causing Garry valuable time testing and preparing for the season.  I hope that he is able to further his preparations for the season soon.

The weather seemed to be working against.  Weather has been beautiful at the track until we decide to test, then it gets cold and rainy.  Only one session made up the first day and it was wet, which was a huge disappointment.  Luckily we were able to get on a dry track  eventually and it was a really good experience.  Daniel was able to impress all of us that got to work with him.  It was obvious early, even though it was his first time in the car, he had excellent car control.  After he become accustomed to the car we really got to dive in and start working with him on what was needed to get faster.  The lap times came down quickly as Daniel displayed his natural talent and his excellent ability to apply outside input to his driving.  It was really encouraging to see how quickly he was able to adapt and implement new things that we where throwing at him.  Encouraging enough that at the end of the second day we all felt that even though it was his first time in the car we could easily get him to the fast time of the track.  So, the next morning before Daniel had to leave for the airport we squeezed two sessions in.  The results of those two sessions where very encouraging.  It was again displayed that he obviously has the talent to be competetive, as he was able to get lap times that compare to the fastest of the track.  The more promising part is the manner in which he accomplished that.  Some of his minimum corners speeds where faster than any we had seen here, 6.9 mph faster.  That and the fact that in the toughest and fastest breaking zone of the track he was breaking 96 ft later than we’ve seen done before is amazing.  For it being his introduction to the Star Mazda racecar it was a very, very promising test.

It was great to get back out of the shop and on track.  It was even better to be able to work with Daniel and get the results that we did.  Leaves me waiting for our next chance to get on track.  I heard a rumor that very soon the legend, David Mundy may make an appearance and drive a car again!  Well, sounds a little far fetched to me, we’ll see.

The fact that Laguna is the final round of the series only adds more excitement to this event.  It really makes this event a dogfight, because it makes drivers and teams realize precisely what is required of them to reach their goals.  That always makes for exciting battles and some great racing.  Everything about the Laguna event is the reason that racing is so addicting; great racing battles and visiting amazing places.

All in all everyone is excited and can’t wait to reach Laguna and get on track.  Looking forward to a great result and a reason to celebrate in a big fashion!