Mid-ohio Sports Car Course - MX-5 Cup Rounds 7 & 8
Mid-Ohio is my favorite track on the Mazda MX-5 Cup schedule, so I came into the weekend with high expectations. After a solid test day a couple of weeks prior, I was feeling confident and excited heading into the race weekend.
On Friday, we showed strong pace in both practice sessions—at one point leading Practice 2. I felt good about our speed; now it was just about nailing qualifying. Since Mid-Ohio is notoriously difficult to pass on, qualifying is usually a huge factor in determining how the weekend plays out.
Unfortunately, our qualifying strategy didn’t come together the way we hoped. Despite having the pace, I ended up P20—just tenths off a top 10 spot. It was frustrating, especially with how tight the field was this weekend—the top 10 were separated by only two-tenths of a second. Still, I’ve started further back before and driven into the top 10, so I knew there was still plenty of opportunity.
Race 1 was a scorcher. My car kept overheating, so I had to adapt by popping out of the draft on the straights to get clean air. After an okay start, we ran in a tight 20-car train for most of the race. With the field so evenly matched, making passes was tough. By the final lap, I was running P16. I drag-raced the #44 car to the line, missing P15 by just 0.011 seconds.
Race 2 on Sunday brought the rain. We started P21 with a full wet setup and rain tires, expecting a soaked race. I got a great start, but on Lap 2, I had a run on the #23 car coming out of the Carousel. Going into Turn 1 side-by-side, I lost grip—not being on the ideal rain line—and spun. Thankfully, I wasn’t hit and was able to rejoin at the back just as a full-course yellow came out.
Frustrated but determined, I gave it everything I had. I worked my way back through the field and was up to P15 by the final lap. In the last corner, I made one final pass—finishing P14 and earning the Top Finishing Female award. From dead last to 14th!
While I’m not proud of the mistake, I am proud of my recovery and mental resilience. Mid-Ohio was still good to us, and it reminded me just how critical qualifying is in this series.
Next up: CTMP in July. I’m fired up and already locked in on training to show up stronger than ever.
Let’s get it!
June 8, 2025
