We’re racing again! After a five-month pause, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship re-started at Daytona International Speedway on July 4, right where it left off at the end of January.
The re-start provided us with a welcome change, but also a new challenge. I’m happy to admit I felt apprehensive about going on a ’plane again, and the prospect of wearing a face mask throughout a transatlantic flight.
Heathrow was eerily quiet, and the Department of Homeland Security check freaked me out when they said they had been waiting eagerly to meet me! The ’plane carried 60 passengers to Miami and there were only two of us in my cabin, so I felt safe, and going through security in Miami for my connecting flight to Charlotte was nice and quiet, too. But then boom! The connecting flight was packed, and there was no social distancing at all. So, feeling a bit traumatised upon arrival in Charlotte, I went straight to bed.
New protocols
IMSA has tried to bring back racing as soon as possible, and that meant new protocols. Both Daytona and Sebring were restricted to 15 people per car, including drivers and team management. What that means for everyone is a total shake-up of team structure, functions and roles. At the best of times, established teams have developed a hierarchy and work schedule around the team they believe can win races and championships. Maybe it should be easier than it seemed to adapt but, knowing from larger teams how much more you can do with resource, it’s daunting to reinvent the wheel.
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Racecar Engineering.
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This story is from the September 2020 edition of Racecar Engineering.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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