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GRAND-AM
IN THE COCKPIT: Jeff Segal, Watkins Glen & Indy
The past two races at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved to be a bit difficult for AIM Autosport Team FXDD and our Ferrari 458...
Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato continued their championship chase in the final two rounds of the NAEC at Watkins Glen and Indy. (Photo: John Dagys)
The fall of the checkered flag in GRAND-AM’s recent Brickyard Grand Prix also brought down the curtain on the inaugural three-race North American Endurance Championship (NAEC), and pushed closer toward the home stretch of the regular 13-race Rolex Series season.
The past two races at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved to be a bit difficult for AIM Autosport Team FXDD and our Ferrari 458—we faced plenty of adversity in two very challenging endurance races—but in the end we soldiered on to collect a podium and a top-five finish, respectively, and actually extended our GT-class points lead to boot.
Thinking back to January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the opening round of the NAEC, it was a big letdown for our team as we faced numerous hurdles en route to a points-salvaging 8th place finish. Leaving Daytona with anything less than a win and a shiny new Rolex wristwatch was always going to be a disappointment, and our poor start to the NAEC didn't make us feel any better.
Down but not out, our team put together an incredible effort over the following races, building loads of momentum and amassing three wins and five podium appearances in the course of six races. This vaulted us to the points lead in GT, and left me feeling particularly confident about a rebound in the NAEC’s Round Two at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Throughout the practice sessions at The Glen, we found our Ferrari to be very well balanced and well suited to the track layout. Things went relatively smoothly, further bolstering our confidence as we headed into race day.
The race started off well with my co-driver Emil Assentato keeping the car firmly in the top-three throughout his stint, but the good vibes were short-lived. Not long after I got behind the wheel for my first stint, I suffered unfortunate contact with a slower GT car, contact that cost us lots of track position while the crew hustled to make a temporary repair to the damaged front bumper of our Ferrari 458.
We fought hard to regain our position at the front, slowly but surely picking off cars as the hours passed by, eventually returning to the top-five as the end of the race neared.
Owing to some quick thinking and more great pit work by the AIM Autosport crew, we vaulted up into the top-three for the final run to the checkered flag and left Watkins Glen with another podium finish and a solid haul of points. While third place was a great comeback performance, our main competitors in the Rolex Series championship actually took the GT-class win, so all in all it was still disappointing to have lost a chunk of our points lead, and even more disappointing to have more or less lost any chance at winning the NAEC title.
Onward to Indy, then, and another chance to try and extend our points lead while the other teams were focused on securing the NAEC title. A two-day test at the Brickyard had prepared us for the fact that the three-hour race would be grueling, with the teams generally expecting that the main challenge would come from the local weather. With track temperatures exceeding 150 degrees Fahrenheit during our test days, finding any grip on the IMS infield was tricky and the heat in the cockpit was really punishing.
When we returned to the track three weeks later for the one-day race event, the weather was again a major storyline, only this time it wasn't oppressive heat that had us worried, it was rain! The race started in wet conditions, and the track dried quickly over the next 30 minutes as my co-driver Emil Assentato once again got our race started in fine form. Emil did well to keep our Ferrari in the mix during these changing conditions, often turning times that were on par with the leaders all while keeping the car out of harm’s way.
As we pitted for our mandatory driver change at an early full-course caution, I left the pit lane on slick Continental tires only to watch the skies turn dark and the rain begin to pour down just about half way through my out lap. In this instance I couldn’t help but feel that we were incredibly unlucky. If the rain had arrived just one minute earlier we would have been able to make the call for rain tires and we would have vaulted to the front of the field.
Unfortunately, the way it panned out we ended up cycling to the rear of the pack as we returned to pit lane in order to once again fit rain tires, which made the rest of the race an uphill battle to carve our way to the front.
As frustrating as it was to start my stint from the back, we were fortunate that we made it through the rain and these very difficult mixed conditions in one piece. Plenty of other cars fell victim to the slippery surface, and our closest competition in the Rolex Series standings actually suffered a crash that cost them dearly in the race and in the championship points.
At the end of the three hour race we crossed the famed row of bricks in a respectable fifth place, on the one hand disappointed that we couldn’t challenge for the victory, but on the other hand incredibly pleased that our points lead has grown to a season-high 26 points.
Just four races remain now, and four great venues to close out the 2012 season. I’m really looking forward to finishing the season strong and hoping that we can keep our Ferrari on top of the standings. Watch this space to see how it all plays out!
~Jeff
Follow Jeff Segal at www.jeffreysegal.com and the Jeff Segal Fan Page on Facebook.
The past two races at Watkins Glen and Indianapolis Motor Speedway proved to be a bit difficult for AIM Autosport Team FXDD and our Ferrari 458—we faced plenty of adversity in two very challenging endurance races—but in the end we soldiered on to collect a podium and a top-five finish, respectively, and actually extended our GT-class points lead to boot.
Thinking back to January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the opening round of the NAEC, it was a big letdown for our team as we faced numerous hurdles en route to a points-salvaging 8th place finish. Leaving Daytona with anything less than a win and a shiny new Rolex wristwatch was always going to be a disappointment, and our poor start to the NAEC didn't make us feel any better.
Down but not out, our team put together an incredible effort over the following races, building loads of momentum and amassing three wins and five podium appearances in the course of six races. This vaulted us to the points lead in GT, and left me feeling particularly confident about a rebound in the NAEC’s Round Two at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.
Throughout the practice sessions at The Glen, we found our Ferrari to be very well balanced and well suited to the track layout. Things went relatively smoothly, further bolstering our confidence as we headed into race day.
The race started off well with my co-driver Emil Assentato keeping the car firmly in the top-three throughout his stint, but the good vibes were short-lived. Not long after I got behind the wheel for my first stint, I suffered unfortunate contact with a slower GT car, contact that cost us lots of track position while the crew hustled to make a temporary repair to the damaged front bumper of our Ferrari 458.
We fought hard to regain our position at the front, slowly but surely picking off cars as the hours passed by, eventually returning to the top-five as the end of the race neared.
Owing to some quick thinking and more great pit work by the AIM Autosport crew, we vaulted up into the top-three for the final run to the checkered flag and left Watkins Glen with another podium finish and a solid haul of points. While third place was a great comeback performance, our main competitors in the Rolex Series championship actually took the GT-class win, so all in all it was still disappointing to have lost a chunk of our points lead, and even more disappointing to have more or less lost any chance at winning the NAEC title.
Onward to Indy, then, and another chance to try and extend our points lead while the other teams were focused on securing the NAEC title. A two-day test at the Brickyard had prepared us for the fact that the three-hour race would be grueling, with the teams generally expecting that the main challenge would come from the local weather. With track temperatures exceeding 150 degrees Fahrenheit during our test days, finding any grip on the IMS infield was tricky and the heat in the cockpit was really punishing.
When we returned to the track three weeks later for the one-day race event, the weather was again a major storyline, only this time it wasn't oppressive heat that had us worried, it was rain! The race started in wet conditions, and the track dried quickly over the next 30 minutes as my co-driver Emil Assentato once again got our race started in fine form. Emil did well to keep our Ferrari in the mix during these changing conditions, often turning times that were on par with the leaders all while keeping the car out of harm’s way.
As we pitted for our mandatory driver change at an early full-course caution, I left the pit lane on slick Continental tires only to watch the skies turn dark and the rain begin to pour down just about half way through my out lap. In this instance I couldn’t help but feel that we were incredibly unlucky. If the rain had arrived just one minute earlier we would have been able to make the call for rain tires and we would have vaulted to the front of the field.
Unfortunately, the way it panned out we ended up cycling to the rear of the pack as we returned to pit lane in order to once again fit rain tires, which made the rest of the race an uphill battle to carve our way to the front.
As frustrating as it was to start my stint from the back, we were fortunate that we made it through the rain and these very difficult mixed conditions in one piece. Plenty of other cars fell victim to the slippery surface, and our closest competition in the Rolex Series standings actually suffered a crash that cost them dearly in the race and in the championship points.
At the end of the three hour race we crossed the famed row of bricks in a respectable fifth place, on the one hand disappointed that we couldn’t challenge for the victory, but on the other hand incredibly pleased that our points lead has grown to a season-high 26 points.
Just four races remain now, and four great venues to close out the 2012 season. I’m really looking forward to finishing the season strong and hoping that we can keep our Ferrari on top of the standings. Watch this space to see how it all plays out!
~Jeff
Follow Jeff Segal at www.jeffreysegal.com and the Jeff Segal Fan Page on Facebook.
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