BRASELTON, Ga.
(September 30, 2015) Nathanial Sparks, of Spanish Fort, Alabama, improved two positions at Road Atlanta. He was able to take the top spot in the second practice in preparation for Rounds 11 and 12. This was in the competition of the SCCA Pro Racing, Battery Tender, Mazda MX-5 Cup. This is presented by BFGoodrich Tires, at Road Atlanta. This is part of the Petit LeMans Powered by Mazda series.
John Dean, of Sebring, Florida, Drake Kemper, of Toluca Lake, California, made up the remaining two positions of the top three, in that order. Sparks, in the No. 8 OOTSK Performance/Sick Sideways MX-5, said he was fortunate to get a tow at the right time to set the fastest lap of the session.
The lap came after a slow lap to bed some new brakes. His top time was 1:40.692 (90.812 mph) at the 12-turn, 2.54-mile circuit. “As usual, we’re pushing really hard in practice to see what our cars can really do,” Sparks said. “We went out pretty early on because we had to bed in some brakes. So, I had a really slow lap where I was really trying to cool the brakes off. It put me in the perfect spot where I was able to get a nice draft off of a group of cars. I cruised around and got sucked up for a good lap time.
Later In the Session
“Later in the session, when it started getting hot, it was no man’s land out there,” Sparks said. We were flailing like crazy. We’re getting closer with our setup. We’re all making steps, but they are just in different directions. We’ve taken correct but, different steps. We all have a different setup, but it’s making all of our cars look pretty equal.
In the No. 8 Bulb Jacket/PPG/Sick Sideways MX-5, Dean completed a fast lap of 1:40.838 (90.680 mph). Dean said that he was happy with the times turned by the team, as a whole, even though each driver seemed to like a different setup on the car. “Honestly, we weren’t even thinking about trying to set the top three quickest times,” Dean said. “We went out with three different setups, and we’re just trying to find a middle ground. Some were better in some places, others were worse. We’re just trying to find the balance of fast and consistent, and sometimes that’s just not the same.
“Obviously, you’re trying to figure out a qualifying setup versus a race setup. It seems like most of the time, each of us goes out with a different setup for each event. We’re always close, but there is a little bit of variation in suspension clicks. I think we’ve really narrowed in on it. Drake [Kemper] seemed a little disappointed with his time since he put on new tires, but I think he’s fine. I don’t think they were worth much for that session. Considering the weather and the times we ran, if you take that out of the equation, I think we went faster. So, we’re headed in the right direction and we’ll be strong for the race.”
Sick Sideways
Kemper, in the No. 99 Royal Rugby/Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5, mustered a lap of 1:40.862 (90.659 mph) at Road Atlanta. That lap came after he was unable to complete a circuit of the track in the opening practice due to mechanical issues. “I missed the first practice after breaking a shock on the first lap,” Kemper said. “I didn’t have much practice here in the dry and messed up Turn Five each time I went through there this last time. I’ve never thought of that as a problem corner, but with Russell [Walker] going off there it has me thinking twice about it. I have to get that out of my head before qualifying.
“It was a Sick Sideways one-two-three, so I’m happy about that. I’m praying for rain, for sure. Yesterday, during testing, everything just felt right in the rain. Looking at data it worked well. I’m hoping it downpours and we have 10 inches of rain before showing up tomorrow. Rain is the great equalizer and this is the best track to race in the rain. Having 45 minutes of this in the rain, with a group of 30 other drivers in a big championship like this would be a blast.”
Ara Malkhassian, in the No. 11 ALARA Racing MX-5, finished the 30-minute session in the fourth position with a lap of 1:40.876 (90.646 mph), while Andrew Carbonell, in the No. 5 Mazda Motorsports 2016 MX-5, completed the session in fifth with a time of 1:40.942 (90.587 mph). While Carbonell will not compete with the car during the final two rounds of the 2015 season, the pace shows the potential of the new platform.
In Conclusion
In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Ben Albano, of Greenwich Connecticut, drove his No. 61 Project Yellow Light/Manfredi Jewels SBMX-5 to a fast lap of 1:43.466 (88.377 mph). That time was good enough to put him at the head of the class field. “It’s hard to predict the weather,” Albano said. “It was raining yesterday, and that was fun. Today has been completely different. I couldn’t be more opposite. We just had to adjust for the conditions. That’s what tomorrow is going to be about, as well.
“The car felt great. Compared to this morning, track conditions were a lot slicker because of the rubber that had been laid down on track. However, it was grippy enough for me to still be happy with the track. I usually approach things like rain as they come. If it rains, that’s great. I love the rain. Regardless, you’re going to have to adapt to any type of condition. I’m hoping for the rain, but I’m not betting on it because I don’t want to be disappointed or prepare for something that doesn’t happen.”
Finishing the session in second was Nikko Reger, of Houston, after clicking off a lap of 1:44.539 (87.470 mph). Robby Foley, of Randolph, New Jersey, completed the top-three positions with a lap of 1:44.620 (87.402 mph).