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GRAND-AM
IN THE COCKPIT: Ricky Taylor, New Jersey
Just when we thought we would not be able to recover from a vast points deficit, two great races go by and we find ourselves second in points and only four points out of the lead...
Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli walked away from New Jersey victorious for the second Rolex Series race in a row. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
The ups and downs of racing in four races: Just when we thought we would not be able to recover from a vast points deficit, two great races go by and we find ourselves second in points and only four points out of the lead.
After our rain-shortened win at Homestead, we headed into New Jersey Motorsports Park knowing we needed to have a flawless weekend but were also unsure about our chances at a win because of the severe tire wear at that track. After not unloading particularly well, our team showed its true strength by turning our car into a pole and race-winning SunTrust Corvette DP.
On the Thursday promoter test day, we really struggled with the car and tried multiple major changes to put the car back into our normal window. Our engineers Brian and Adam made a major change to the car overnight for Friday's practice. This was a big risk because Friday is the beginning of the official race weekend where we only have five sets of tires for the entire race weekend, leaving only one set to practice on.
The change was a great improvement, and then we had something we could build upon but not much time because the tires fall off so quickly that the valuable time to test is very limited.
Qualifying came around and everyone was thinking it was going to be a battle for second while the 99 would grab the pole. When I went out, I could immediately feel we had a car that could fight for the pole. I pushed my hardest and after just two laps the tires began to fall off, but luckily we had already put in a time that was good enough for the pole.
I knew we would have one of our toughest races ever as the 99 and 01 were very good on old tires, but we had the track position and it is very difficult to pass at NJMP, so it would be a long battle for Max and me to hold them off.
I started the race and immediately the 99 and 01 began applying pressure, but I was quite comfortable in holding them off. Toward the end of the stint, the tires fell off dramatically and I was really struggling to hold them off. Eventually, in Turn 10 where I had a considerable amount of understeer, Rojas got to the inside and took the lead. It was a nice and forceful move. I would have done the same. He had a great stint, actually, after being spun by the 99 and recovering very well.
After just one lap, it was time to pit. The stop would be full fuel, tires, and driver change, which meant plugging in the fuel quickly would be crucial. Our refueler/CFO Dan was super quick and, along with the rest of the guys, got us back out in the lead.
Max really had a lot of pressure on him to hold off the 99 and 01, but he did an incredible job. In the final five laps in the stint, the pressure was at an all-time high and the 99 and 01 got together as a result of a rare bit of over-aggressiveness from Pruett, which took them both out of the race. Those two cars were definitely the biggest threat in the race and also the championship.
The 8 and the 60 were able to make it to pit road just before the yellow, so Max came out behind them when he pitted during the yellow, and would have to get around them for the win.
The Ford engine is very, very strong, and now that the Rileys have been given back their diveplanes and louvers, they have a lot on their side. Even completely maxed out on downforce, when we were trimmed out, they remained consistently 3 to 4 mph quicker than us. Those facts made us very nervous that we would not be able to get by.
After wearing them down lap after lap, Max was able to put moves on both cars in traffic and slip through into the lead of the race. If you want someone who can put a move on anybody, even when the odds are against him, it's Max. To finish off the perfect points day, Max just had to drive cleanly for the final 10 minutes. He did just that, giving the team our second win in a row and promoting us up to second in the points, just four points behind the 8 car.
Next up will be the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the historic Belle Isle street course. I can’t wait!
~Ricky
Ricky Taylor, 22-year-old son of three-time sports car champion and team owner Wayne Taylor, embarks on his third full season co-driving with veteran Max Angelelli in the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette Dallara of Wayne Taylor Racing. Follow him on Twitter: @RickyTaylor10 or at http://www.suntrustracing.com
After our rain-shortened win at Homestead, we headed into New Jersey Motorsports Park knowing we needed to have a flawless weekend but were also unsure about our chances at a win because of the severe tire wear at that track. After not unloading particularly well, our team showed its true strength by turning our car into a pole and race-winning SunTrust Corvette DP.
On the Thursday promoter test day, we really struggled with the car and tried multiple major changes to put the car back into our normal window. Our engineers Brian and Adam made a major change to the car overnight for Friday's practice. This was a big risk because Friday is the beginning of the official race weekend where we only have five sets of tires for the entire race weekend, leaving only one set to practice on.
The change was a great improvement, and then we had something we could build upon but not much time because the tires fall off so quickly that the valuable time to test is very limited.
Qualifying came around and everyone was thinking it was going to be a battle for second while the 99 would grab the pole. When I went out, I could immediately feel we had a car that could fight for the pole. I pushed my hardest and after just two laps the tires began to fall off, but luckily we had already put in a time that was good enough for the pole.
I knew we would have one of our toughest races ever as the 99 and 01 were very good on old tires, but we had the track position and it is very difficult to pass at NJMP, so it would be a long battle for Max and me to hold them off.
I started the race and immediately the 99 and 01 began applying pressure, but I was quite comfortable in holding them off. Toward the end of the stint, the tires fell off dramatically and I was really struggling to hold them off. Eventually, in Turn 10 where I had a considerable amount of understeer, Rojas got to the inside and took the lead. It was a nice and forceful move. I would have done the same. He had a great stint, actually, after being spun by the 99 and recovering very well.
After just one lap, it was time to pit. The stop would be full fuel, tires, and driver change, which meant plugging in the fuel quickly would be crucial. Our refueler/CFO Dan was super quick and, along with the rest of the guys, got us back out in the lead.
Max really had a lot of pressure on him to hold off the 99 and 01, but he did an incredible job. In the final five laps in the stint, the pressure was at an all-time high and the 99 and 01 got together as a result of a rare bit of over-aggressiveness from Pruett, which took them both out of the race. Those two cars were definitely the biggest threat in the race and also the championship.
The 8 and the 60 were able to make it to pit road just before the yellow, so Max came out behind them when he pitted during the yellow, and would have to get around them for the win.
The Ford engine is very, very strong, and now that the Rileys have been given back their diveplanes and louvers, they have a lot on their side. Even completely maxed out on downforce, when we were trimmed out, they remained consistently 3 to 4 mph quicker than us. Those facts made us very nervous that we would not be able to get by.
After wearing them down lap after lap, Max was able to put moves on both cars in traffic and slip through into the lead of the race. If you want someone who can put a move on anybody, even when the odds are against him, it's Max. To finish off the perfect points day, Max just had to drive cleanly for the final 10 minutes. He did just that, giving the team our second win in a row and promoting us up to second in the points, just four points behind the 8 car.
Next up will be the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the historic Belle Isle street course. I can’t wait!
~Ricky
Ricky Taylor, 22-year-old son of three-time sports car champion and team owner Wayne Taylor, embarks on his third full season co-driving with veteran Max Angelelli in the No. 10 SunTrust Corvette Dallara of Wayne Taylor Racing. Follow him on Twitter: @RickyTaylor10 or at http://www.suntrustracing.com
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