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Le Mans / ALMS
IN THE COCKPIT: Colin Braun, Petit Le Mans
To get three wins, two pole positions and seven podium finishes out of the 10-race ALMS schedule isn’t too bad..
CORE autosport's Jon Bennett and Colin Braun finished second in the PC Drivers' Championship. (Photo: CORE autosport)
Wow, this is my last “In The Cockpit” driver column of 2012 and what a racing season it has been.
To get three wins, two pole positions and seven podium finishes out of the 10-race ALMS schedule isn’t too bad, and the hardware that Jon and I won for finishing second in the PC driver’s championship will be a great addition to my trophy room.
Of course the season didn’t end quite how I wanted. The #05 Composite Resources team wasn’t too thrilled either. The curse of the Petit Le Mans on the CORE autosport #05 car continues for its second year with freaky occurrences. In 2011 it was Ryan Dalziel getting hit minutes before the end, and this year it was a combination of Jon and I having some pretty interesting times on the race track.
But the crew did their job, so did us drivers, and we ended up in the fourth spot. And our sister #06 car won, which is great for them and I know that they’re proud, as we all are, that the trophy can be brought to Ralph Brown.
Petit Le Mans was not only a race for the team down in Road Atlanta, but we were “Racing for Ralph” as a tribute to the very first CORE autosport crew member, who suffered a brain aneurism in late September. Thankfully he’s in recovery and we even saw a few pictures of him watching the race live on his computer from the hospital.
Get better Ralph! We need you back at the track next year!
Speaking of next year, I’m excited about the 2013 ALMS schedule. There’s a nice blend of tracks and street circuits, places I really like. Of course I’m happiest about our visit to the Circuit of the Americas in my home state of Texas! I’ve always loved racing in Texas and from the looks of that track it’s going to be quite a ride. A bit of Texas pride there, y’all.
I’m also very encouraged about the future of sports car racing in the U.S.. In the paddock at Petit Le Mans I saw folks from GRAND-AM, IndyCar teams, just about everyone. Just seeing everyone’s interest and noting how unified the two series are already looking even before the 2014 season is very reassuring.
It looks to me that manufacturers, existing and new teams and all the management are working hard to make sure the best racing will be there for the fans. And from the crowds at events like the Daytona 24 Hour, Sebring 12 Hour and Petit Le Mans, the excitement and the opportunity is there. I’m hoping for 15 to 18 events in the future, at least in my perfect world.
So what now? Well first of all I want to thank everyone at CORE autosport and Composite Resources for a great year. When I became a part of this team, before I’d even driven at the winter test I felt like I’d already been there a few years. That’s how good the chemistry started out and it only got better as the season progressed.
You know, it’s easy to race hard and focus on winning when you have a group like we do at CORE. Morgan Brady, the team manager, has processes and procedures for just about everything, and that’s how I like to work as well. The guys always know what they have to do and they’re really impressive with car preparation, crewing and just their general attitude. They are just fantastic.
Gary Davies was the lead engineer on my car and for his first year in the ALMS – coming out of European single-seater series – and he was just awesome. A lot of guys coming out of Europe would try to constantly compare his experiences and adapt what he knew about that racing to our endurance-style. But not Gary. On the first day he rolled up his sleeves and focused on the task at hand, learning and implementing strategy, driver rotations and car setup. He is also a great guy and a lot of fun, and made my job so much easier.
And then there’s my co-driver, Jon Bennett. As the team owner, as well as the owner of Composite Resources, you may think he basically only thinks about driving when he actually gets in the car, and is in meetings the rest of the time.
Not the case at all. It’s Morgan in the meetings. Jon’s the driver.
When Jon’s at the racetrack, he is focused on getting the car, the team and his co-driver better each and every time we are on the track. And that’s been a big part of the team’s success.
Jon’s very much a big sponge when it comes to learning and improving and he’s always pushing all of us to push him even further. We’re always looking at data, video and when we can we even go around the track to work on lines and brake zones. He works harder, and that inspires us to do the same.
I’m looking forward to coming back next year and taking that top spot in the driver’s standings with Jon.
But now we head into the off-season. This week I’m off on my honeymoon – finally! Yes, we got married back in April, but luckily I’m with a very understanding woman. Better late than never.
When I get back, there will be lots of karting with Jon, potentially some testing with CORE and the PRI show. And of course the holidays. And my new year’s resolution, which I’m starting now – training! Can’t get too doughy for the 2013 season.
Thanks for spending this year with me at SPEED.com. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these columns as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
~Colin
The youngest-ever race winner in GRAND-AM history, Colin Braun returns to his sports car roots for 2012, competing in the American Le Mans Series with defending class champions, CORE autosport. The 23-year-old star, who spent the last few years in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, co-drives the No. 05 Oreca FLM09 with team owner Jon Bennett as they pursue the LMPC championship.
For more information, visit: www.colinbraun.com. You can also follow Colin on Twitter @ColinBraun
To get three wins, two pole positions and seven podium finishes out of the 10-race ALMS schedule isn’t too bad, and the hardware that Jon and I won for finishing second in the PC driver’s championship will be a great addition to my trophy room.
Of course the season didn’t end quite how I wanted. The #05 Composite Resources team wasn’t too thrilled either. The curse of the Petit Le Mans on the CORE autosport #05 car continues for its second year with freaky occurrences. In 2011 it was Ryan Dalziel getting hit minutes before the end, and this year it was a combination of Jon and I having some pretty interesting times on the race track.
But the crew did their job, so did us drivers, and we ended up in the fourth spot. And our sister #06 car won, which is great for them and I know that they’re proud, as we all are, that the trophy can be brought to Ralph Brown.
Petit Le Mans was not only a race for the team down in Road Atlanta, but we were “Racing for Ralph” as a tribute to the very first CORE autosport crew member, who suffered a brain aneurism in late September. Thankfully he’s in recovery and we even saw a few pictures of him watching the race live on his computer from the hospital.
Get better Ralph! We need you back at the track next year!
Speaking of next year, I’m excited about the 2013 ALMS schedule. There’s a nice blend of tracks and street circuits, places I really like. Of course I’m happiest about our visit to the Circuit of the Americas in my home state of Texas! I’ve always loved racing in Texas and from the looks of that track it’s going to be quite a ride. A bit of Texas pride there, y’all.
I’m also very encouraged about the future of sports car racing in the U.S.. In the paddock at Petit Le Mans I saw folks from GRAND-AM, IndyCar teams, just about everyone. Just seeing everyone’s interest and noting how unified the two series are already looking even before the 2014 season is very reassuring.
It looks to me that manufacturers, existing and new teams and all the management are working hard to make sure the best racing will be there for the fans. And from the crowds at events like the Daytona 24 Hour, Sebring 12 Hour and Petit Le Mans, the excitement and the opportunity is there. I’m hoping for 15 to 18 events in the future, at least in my perfect world.
So what now? Well first of all I want to thank everyone at CORE autosport and Composite Resources for a great year. When I became a part of this team, before I’d even driven at the winter test I felt like I’d already been there a few years. That’s how good the chemistry started out and it only got better as the season progressed.
You know, it’s easy to race hard and focus on winning when you have a group like we do at CORE. Morgan Brady, the team manager, has processes and procedures for just about everything, and that’s how I like to work as well. The guys always know what they have to do and they’re really impressive with car preparation, crewing and just their general attitude. They are just fantastic.
Gary Davies was the lead engineer on my car and for his first year in the ALMS – coming out of European single-seater series – and he was just awesome. A lot of guys coming out of Europe would try to constantly compare his experiences and adapt what he knew about that racing to our endurance-style. But not Gary. On the first day he rolled up his sleeves and focused on the task at hand, learning and implementing strategy, driver rotations and car setup. He is also a great guy and a lot of fun, and made my job so much easier.
And then there’s my co-driver, Jon Bennett. As the team owner, as well as the owner of Composite Resources, you may think he basically only thinks about driving when he actually gets in the car, and is in meetings the rest of the time.
Not the case at all. It’s Morgan in the meetings. Jon’s the driver.
When Jon’s at the racetrack, he is focused on getting the car, the team and his co-driver better each and every time we are on the track. And that’s been a big part of the team’s success.
Jon’s very much a big sponge when it comes to learning and improving and he’s always pushing all of us to push him even further. We’re always looking at data, video and when we can we even go around the track to work on lines and brake zones. He works harder, and that inspires us to do the same.
I’m looking forward to coming back next year and taking that top spot in the driver’s standings with Jon.
But now we head into the off-season. This week I’m off on my honeymoon – finally! Yes, we got married back in April, but luckily I’m with a very understanding woman. Better late than never.
When I get back, there will be lots of karting with Jon, potentially some testing with CORE and the PRI show. And of course the holidays. And my new year’s resolution, which I’m starting now – training! Can’t get too doughy for the 2013 season.
Thanks for spending this year with me at SPEED.com. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these columns as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
~Colin
The youngest-ever race winner in GRAND-AM history, Colin Braun returns to his sports car roots for 2012, competing in the American Le Mans Series with defending class champions, CORE autosport. The 23-year-old star, who spent the last few years in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, co-drives the No. 05 Oreca FLM09 with team owner Jon Bennett as they pursue the LMPC championship.
For more information, visit: www.colinbraun.com. You can also follow Colin on Twitter @ColinBraun
ALMS Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
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