Good morning from Indianapolis Motor Speedway!
There is magic in the air as we arrive well before dawn today. It is cool and dark. From the iconic Pagoda towering over all, a bright blue glow draws eyes upward, amplifying the aura in the pre-dawn paddock. It’s a clear morning, no mist today. The dim disk of the moon nestles in the tiniest bright sliver as it rises in the sky bringing the shining pinpoint of Venus along with it. The paddock is just beginning to wake up so it’s still quiet. Hustling has yet to get going but it won’t be long.
Today is going to be great! We had a practice here a couple weeks ago and everyone is psyched. This is Round 9 of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120. The CSM #67 with Morgan and Gordon driving carries Indiana University and the Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer on the livery this weekend. That alone grabs some extra fans while IU also hosts homecoming weekend.
The Paddock: We are all going to put a lot of miles on the sneakers this weekend. To get to the parking situated deep in the center of the infield, we wind through infield roads, passing the museum and the infield road course on the right hand side and a seemingly infinite number of trucks and trailers perfectly aligned on the left. Past the fan zone (still deserted this early) and car corrals awaiting their patrons. We can't even see the lakes, golf course, or dirt track that are also somewhere in here. One could almost forget there's a Speedway surrounding all of it - at least until the engines fire up anyway.
From parking, it's more than a quarter mile to where the CSM trailer is parked. We do our best to travel light and not to forget anything in the car. When we get there, trailer-land is laid out sort of like a tightly packed subdivision, each team in its own townhouses, with narrow streets all at right angles. Fortunately, we have a nice corner lot, close to a great viewing spot at Turn 13. The garages are almost another quarter mile from here back toward the Pagoda. Golf cart and tugger traffic is constant as people and equipment shuttle back and forth. Pay close attention as you walk around! A further quarter mile from the garages is the pit box at the foot of the Pagoda - more on that space later.
FLASHBACK TO THURSDAY NOTES:
Indy offers a special treat for us this weekend. Nearby the Speedway, a few blocks of Main Street are blocked off for a couple hours this evening for a Fan Fest. Twenty cars from across the weekend's four featured series line up on the street and fans can get up close to them - just like the fan walks before the races, but without needing tickets. A pit stop competition is a featured event and our Porsche #67 guys are up against a WeatherTech Porsche Penske GTP team. It's not a fair fight, not even a little bit. They get four guys to our three and they have a single center lug on the tires whereas we have five per tire. Their car is on the ground again before we have finished the first side. Johnny, the lead pit lane IMSA official and commentator for this challenge, makes the point clear: We have the much harder job. Still, it's fun to watch and cheer on our guys.
FRIDAY NOTES:
Our Practice 1 is is first to take the track at 8:20 am eastern. Morgan gets the first half and Gordon the second. This time we get a really good idea of what Qualifying conditions will be like when that begins at the same time tomorrow. They are both very comfortable in the car this morning. That level of comfort is most welcome as it allows the drivers to run more consecutive laps and there are fewer stops for adjustments. They can get a good rhythm going and get a feel for behavior over longer runs. Morgan quickly assesses the conditions of the morning and gets everything warmed up. His lap time pops up to second place on his fifth lap! After a stop for a small adjustment and some fuel, he’s back out. There’s another lap in the 1:29s. That first was not a fluke. The next one is his best of the session and the first two sectors are purple! (Purple denotes the fastest of all cars.) It isn’t until the very end of the session that a second McLaren pushes us to third.
The Pit Stall: I’m pretty sure we couldn’t have a better pit box if we’d had first pick of them all. Again, we get to share the pit facilities of the United Autosport WeatherTech team. Being at the very heart of Indy gives us the feeling that all the very best is more than possible. We are at the foot of the Pagoda, with the winners circle just above us. Right next to us is the yard of bricks and the Start/Finish stand - and no pit stall. That gives us lots of room to maneuver during a stop and nobody to block us leaving the pits. Providing us with great video of the action around the track, the Jumbotron in the stands is immediately across from us. When you add the secret bathroom, it couldn’t be more perfect really, nor more uplifting.
Practice 2: It’s so much hotter this afternoon for Practice 2, like almost 90 degrees. Not too humid so we aren’t melting desperately, but it’s still toasty. Race cars don’t like heat much and the times reflect that. Nearly everyone runs slower this afternoon as expected, with only a handful of drivers in the top half going quicker. Even so, the higher temperature didn’t sap the performance as much as it might have for us. Morgan still put the car in fourth. This session coincides with race time tomorrow, so again we get good information about race conditions. Still, at the end of Practice, we are the fastest Porsche and all three CSM cars are in the top ten today. That performance gets him an interview too. Awesome!!
With the day now done, all the team members are dispersing in various directions for dinner or to do more work or to go home to families. With the team being based here in Indy, many of the crew are able to go home to their own homes and beds at night. That also means that many of their families, friends and neighbors have come out to enjoy the weekend. We have the great joy and company of friends from Minnesota and Indiana to share the experience with us.
SATURDAY NOTES:
Where to begin? We love Indy. Our sessions on both days start at sun up, which means we head to the pit lane as the sun has barely had a chance to start casting shadows on the grand stands.
This morning there is extra energy. Michelin Pilot qualifies at 8:00, and WeatherTech follows with their second practice ahead of qualifying later this afternoon and their 6 hour race tomorrow. So all the WeatherTech garages are alive with activity. Of course, it being Saturday, the spectator count is ratcheted up two or three notches. Paddock traffic now has the new element of enthralled fans strolling through along with crews and traffic rushing about.
Qualifying: I have to laugh at myself today: We are five minutes to the green for IMPC Qual, and our car is still not on the grid. With three minutes to go and it rolls up to the pit box, last car onto pit lane. Zach, the mechanic, gets out in no apparent rush. 8:00 hits, start goes green, and the TCR cars launch from their boxes to begin their 15 minutes. And there our car sits. I’m wondering where's Gordon? Why isn't he in the car?? Shouldn't the driver be here by now??? What's the hold up!?? I’m starting to panic, we're going to miss qualifying!
It was that recurring nightmare, the one where you're missing an important exam. The "wake-up" moment finally came with about seven minutes left in the TCR qualifying, when it finally dawned. "TCR" and a point toward the front straight confirmed it. Our class, GS, goes at 8:20.
Face Palm.
So P12 isn't as high up the grid as we’d hoped. Gordon was a half second faster today than yesterday, so that's good news. Moving up in the race is doable with care. The IMPC race goes at 12:40pm. Watch live on Peacock+ and on YouTube.
Race: From elation to heartbreak. Sometimes that’s what racing gives you. Both practice sessions Friday went so well. Being the fastest Porsche and fastest overall in two of the three sectors on the day felt really good! Race day is always a different story though. The weather is similar so for once that’s less of a factor. The 12th place grid position is a workable starting point so there’s hope to move up spots.
But before that - Fan Walk! This is a huge one, rivaling Daytona for attendance. With a steady stream of fans wanting autographs, the big posters quickly run out and only a few of the smaller ones are left by the end of it. It seems like each weekend, we have more familiar faces stopping by to shake hands and wish the #67 good luck. That's pretty cool to see the fan base building.
It all flows in a blur of faces and the sounds of excited chatter mixed with engine noise from the hot laps whizzing by on the track. Then the green flag is upon us quickly. With the race cleanly under way, it quickly settles into an easy rhythm.
Lap times are as expected to start, in the 1:31-1:32 range. Gordon maintains position fairly easily and is on pace. When the first yellow comes out about 15 minutes in, we pit for left side tires and a quick fuel fill. He rejoins in 20th. A mere two laps later, contact with another car in Turn 1 results in a damaged radiator. Once that happens, it’s an immediate retirement. With only 17 of 71 laps and just under 30 minutes complete, we are done.
Worse still, we aren’t the first or last CSM car out of it. The #16 had a mechanical problem and was out before leaving the grid. After a series of issues with the #2, and going a couple of laps down, they retire as well with 51 laps done. This is the toughest weekend of the year for the team.
So. Mental reset. Leave this behind and focus forward. All of us will use this weekend as a stepping stone toward a better race next time.
WHAT'S NEXT:
Shortly, we head out for the SCCA RunOffs at Road America in SRF3 next week. After three days of testing, qualifying runs on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, October 4, the SRF3 race is scheduled for 11:15 AM Central time, with a YouTube broadcast. From there, it's straight to Road Atlanta for the IMSA final, where Michelin Pilot Challenge races on Friday, October 10 at 12:40 PM Eastern time, also on YouTube and Peacock.
