Today, at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Road America’s famed 4.048-mile road course welcomed the Cart Toyota Atlantic series for the seventh running of the Atlantic race since 1990. Atlantic drivers took to the long, daunting, high-speed track for three half-hour open-test sessions. The two morning sessions saw drivers negotiate a wet track. The rain, however, subsided for the afternoon session, giving drivers the added confidence to push harder, clocking speeds above 150 miles an hour in the long Road America straights.
His first time racing at Road America, Jonathan Macri drove his NTN Bearings Swift conservatively during today’s sessions, acquainting himself with the track.
“This is an incredible track,” Jonathan said. It’s long and very fast. I spent the sessions trying to get a handle on the track. The morning rain only added to my learning experience. Few changes were made to the car after the morning sessions, and I managed to get a lot of laps in for the afternoon session. My lap times are pretty good considering it’s my first time on the track. We are going to make some adjustments to the springs for tomorrow and hopefully I can build on today’s experience to help me improve my lap times tomorrow.”
Official times were not recorded. However, stopwatches showed Hoover Orsi post the fastest times of the sessions, about one second ahead of the field.
Tomorrow, Atlantic drivers will once again take to the track for one practice session and the first of two qualifying sessions.
Report by Fedele Fortino
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