Today, the first day of the Marconi Grand Prix long weekend took flight at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport. Cart Toyota Atlantic drivers took to the track for two sessions, a morning practice session, and an afternoon qualifying session. High levels of heat and humidity were the order of the day. However, luckily, except for a few intermittent showers, the always-present threat of rain did not materialize.
Gormley Onatario’s Jonathan Macri, piloting the NTN Bearings Swift, had his hands full today as he wrestled his car to a lowly 13th place on the qualifying grid.
“The car was extremely lose in qualifying”, Jonathan said. “We ran pretty well in the morning session, lapping 8th quickest. A few minor changes were made following the first session, but when it came to qualifying, it was a struggle for me just to keep the car on track. The back end just wasn’t sticking”.
Thirteenth position is not exactly where Jonathan is accustomed to being. Fortunately, today’s results were provisional. A second and official qualifying session takes place early afternoon tomorrow.
A real concern for the team is the tires, and upon initial observation, the team believes the tires were the root of the problem. In addition, the team is considering making other adjustments to the car’s set up. Well, the team has the whole of tonight to throw the car back into shape, and tomorrow morning to test it. Hopefully, the team’s efforts will not be in vain and will provide Jonathan with a competitive car for official qualifying tomorrow afternoon.
Report by Fedele Fortino
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