Every February, South Georgia Motorsports Park transforms into a haven for radial racing enthusiasts, and this year’s Lights Out 16 was no exception. The anticipation was palpable as we arrived midweek, eager to test after a long winter and soak in the atmosphere.
However, Mother Nature had other plans. A cold front brought rain on Wednesday, disrupting the our only day of testing and pushing our first qualifying session to Thursday. Despite the weather challenges, the SGMP crew worked tirelessly to prepare the track, and we managed to get in a single qualifying run in very cold weather, striking the tires.
Fridays qualifying session was intense. The cool temperatures and excellent air conditions led to some remarkable performances, but we were only able to get in one more qualifying pass, a safe/slow pass trying to get onto the boards, totaling just 2 passes all week and getting pushed straight into eliminations on Saturday morning. With very little data to go off of, we decided to throw in a safe tune up for eliminations. I was able to get the edge by a much better reaction time, however, my opponent edged me out by just .003 at the top end to knock me out.
For our team, the weekend was a mix of challenges and disappointments in weather and run/pass allowances. However, our efforts culminated in a strong performance during the event, providing us with valuable data and a slight sense of accomplishment.
