Dateline: Wednesday, September 25, 2024

I know, I know…we are now nearly done with the 2024 GT4 America season and the newsletters have been virtually nonexistent. Turns out that podium finishes have been nonexistent as well, and I just haven’t had the heart to share all of that with you. I apologize for my selfishness, but this has been one of the most challenging seasons I have ever experienced. The motivational speakers in the crowd will tell you this is only going to make us stronger, but here in the moment it pretty much just sucks.

This picture encapsulates the sum and substance of the second half of our season.

Instead of accumulating incredibly fragile, yet unbelievably heavy, solid glass trophies for the past six races we have instead been pummeled with no less than six wholly separate (yet eerily similar) means by which our Championship-caliber efforts have been crushed. Yes, a few were clearly self-inflicted wounds, but in retrospect this just wasn’t meant to be our year in spite of what has inarguably been our very best GT4 team effort to date. We truly have all of the pieces of the puzzle but can’t seem to put them all together.

In spite of this, we are somehow, unbelievably, inexplicably, still sitting in third place in the SRO GT4 America Pro-Am Championship. And that’s not anything to be ashamed of given the incredible circumstances we have so recently endured. But when the expectation was to run the table in 2024, it feels like we have fallen miserably short.

Tyler’s anger management classes are apparently working. Details below.

I’m going to forego the regular Q&A format here as we simply tell it like it is. It’s an old-school, narrative-type newsletter. And like we do at Sebring, I’m going to take out all of the compression damping – prepare yourself for a bumpy ride.

Virginia International Raceway, July 20-21, 2024

Our weekend at VIR started off with incredibly high expectations. We were leading the GT4 America Pro-Am Championship and found the time to get in some decent testing sessions in the days before the race. We found a few things here and there that by all rights should have given us a decided competitive advantage in this extremely tight field. During all of the official practice sessions Tyler and I were at or near the very top of the results sheets, but when it came time to put it all together, it basically started falling apart.

An impromptu game of rock, paper, scissors somehow broke out during qualifying.

It started with the rain that fell exactly as we rolled out on track with sticker tires. It (the rain) stopped about 30 seconds thereafter, but not before about five cars went off in the first turn. Fortunately, I was not involved in that particular mess, but it was only a matter of time until the slippery conditions would claim a few more victims.

Over the next three laps I very cautiously (read here: slowly) experimented with finding grip where grip was to be found as the track surface progressively dried out. With only enough time remaining for one flying lap, I put my head down and strung together a pretty decent first sector and second sector. My in-car predictive lap timer thing indicated that I was on pace to qualify somewhere around P6 overall (this, by the way, would have been fantastic), but then somebody stuffed their car into a tire wall and the red flag flew about three corners before I could post a time. As a result, I qualified a dismal P11 in class, P25 overall. I can’t remember ever having a showing like that in GT4. It was simply embarrassing.

This is me reacting to my P25 overall qualifying performance.

Tyler had a better time with qualifying on the drying track, but still could not get the car to fully cooperate. His P4 in class, P8 overall was not where we needed to be, but we knew we had a car that would race well enough that we were not dismayed. In hindsight, we probably ought to have been dismayed.

At the start of Saturday’s race, my P25 overall grid position allowed me to get a great view of the race ahead of me that I was sadly not involved in. Our hope was that we would pass some cars, catch a yellow flag, pass some cars, catch a yellow flag, and so on all the way to the front of the field. That’s exactly not what happened.

In a cruel twist of fate, there was not a single yellow flag thrown over the entire one-hour duration of the race, and while Tyler and I managed to advance up to P6 in class, P12 overall, there simply wasn’t an opportunity to do better. We desperately needed a few yellow flags to bunch up the field, but that was not meant to be. We did get the “Hard Charger” award for making the most passes for position, but, well, it paled in comparison to the first-place trophies that our trailermates James and Charlie collected in their convincing Am-class win that afternoon.

No offense to Super Fuel, but you can have this damn award back.

Race 2 on Sunday started with Tyler getting a fantastic start and driving off to the lead in Pro-Am. I forget the actual sequence of events now, but he was driving with his hair on fire, although to be fair, he really doesn’t have a lot of hair these days. I probably should use a different, yet equally overused, racing cliche next time. Anyhow, he had a significant gap built up over our Pro-Am competition, so the absolute last thing we needed was a yellow flag to bunch up the field.

Naturally, during the driver change window we got a yellow flag to bunch up the field. This not only erased our sizeable lead, but scrambled the on-track running order such that in the two green flag laps I saw that afternoon (there was a flurry of yellow flag activity on Sunday that clearly made up for the lack of the same on Saturday), I could only muster a P4 in class, P7 overall finish.

It was such a disappointment finishing just off of the podium when we knew we had a car that should have won that day. Nevertheless, we left VIR with our heads held high, knowing that we had the package to win, if not the racing luck to bring it to fruition.

Until next time, VIR. We have unfinished business.

Road America, August 17-18, 2024

Our weekend at Road America started off with incredibly high expectations. After our completely forgettable weekend at VIR, we were sitting in second place in the GT4 America Pro-Am Championship. We again found the time to get in some decent testing sessions in the days before the race and again found a few things here and there that by all rights should have given us a decided competitive advantage in this extremely tight field. During all of the official practice sessions Tyler and I were at or near the very top of the results sheets, but when it came time to put it all together, it basically started falling apart.

Q: I know I’m not supposed to say anything, but isn’t this essentially a cut and paste intro from above?

A: Yeah, funny how that played out.

Here’s me racing at Road America just three minutes before I wasn’t racing at Road America.

Deviating for (just) a moment from the VIR script, Tyler and I both had a pretty strong showing in qualifying. I was P5 in class, P11 overall while Tyler rocked a P1 in class, P3 overall. We were thrilled that our mojo was finally back!

This is me later realizing that our mojo wasn’t actually back.

Just getting right to the heart of the matter, I screwed up at the start of Race 1. Not a lot, to be fair, but the ramifications were huge. Without a doubt, it was my darkest hour of racing. It still stings now to think about it, so I’ll just copy and paste my next morning’s Facebook post here to tell the story for me.

“So, here I am, helmet in hand. We entered Race 1 at Road America this weekend in a great position to improve our championship standing. In spite of the constant setbacks we encountered on Thursday and Friday, I managed to qualify P5 in class while @tylermcquarrie killed it by capturing the Pro-Am pole. And then it turned into the worst experience in my 28 years of chasing these little trophies. A glance in the rear view mirror at exactly the wrong time kept me from slowing in reaction to the cars ahead going into Turn 1 at the start. It ultimately resulted in a four-car incident that took us all out of the race. Ironically, by looking behind to prevent an unexpected surprise, I became the unexpected surprise. While the incredible @bimmerworld crew will have us back on track for Sunday, I’m not sure our competitors will, and for that I am truly sorry, guys. The lesson learned is to always focus forward, even when looking behind, and for that I am a better racer today than I was yesterday. It just sucks that it came at such a cost to my fellow @gt4america competitors.”

SRO justifiably had to slap me around for causing the incident, as there was nobody else to blame. And by the rules, they were obligated to impose a starting grid penalty against Tyler for Race 2 on Sunday. Consequently, instead of starting from the Pro-Am pole the next morning, he was relegated to start from a complete stop on pit lane after the entire field had taken the green flag. I’m not at all saying SRO was wrong in how they adjudicated the situation, but I find it so remarkable how such a small error in timing and judgment, without either malice or intent, ultimately had such a dramatic impact (pun intended) on our entire racing season.

One of these days, Daniel is going to get sick of fixing the racecar we keep breaking.

So, on to Race 2. Tyler’s staring position on pit lane allowed him to get a great view of the race ahead of him that he was sadly not involved in. Our hope was that he would pass some cars, catch a yellow flag, pass some cars, catch a yellow flag, and so on all the way to the front of the field. That’s exactly not what happened.

Q: So much copy and paste.

A: So much copy and paste.

In a cruel twist of fate, there was not a single yellow flag thrown during Tyler’s stint, and when a yellow flag did come out during the driver change period, we got it all on the wrong on the timing side of that deal. We lost a ton of track position during our stop that we could never make up, finishing an uninspiring P8 in class, P12 overall.

It was such a disappointment finishing so far off of the podium when we knew we had a car that should have won that day. Nevertheless, we left Road America with our heads held high, knowing that we had the package to win, if not the racing luck to bring it to fruition. Again.

Until next time, Road America. We have unfinished business.

Q: It’s creepy the similarities between these two weekends.

A: Just wait until you hear about our exploits at Barber.

Barber Motorsports Park, September 7-8, 2024

Our weekend at Barber started off with incredibly high expectations. After our completely forgettable weekend at Road America, we were sitting in third place in the GT4 America Pro-Am Championship. We again found the time to get in some decent testing sessions in the days before the race and again found a few things here and there that by all rights should have given us a decided competitive advantage in this extremely tight field. During all of the official practice sessions Tyler and I were at or near the very top of the results sheets, but when it came time to put it all together, it basically started falling apart.

Another weekend, another new front fascia. At least the BMW parts truck is winning this season.

Barber qualifying was a mixed bag. While I had consistently been the fastest Am in nearly all of the practice sessions, the car was simply not happy in qualifying. I mean, it was just plain bad, and Charlie had the same read on the situation in his car. In retrospect we all blame the incompatible rubber laid down on the track during the prior race, but for whatever the reason I was more than a full second off of my prior pace and could only muster P6 in class, P14 overall. It was just deflating. Tyler on the other hand rocked P2 in class, P3 overall, and I’m going to shamelessly suggest he was able to do that because Charlie and I personally cleaned all of that old rubber off of the track for him. In any case, we were just thrilled that our mojo was finally back!

Race 1 started pretty darn well. I managed to work my way up to P4 in class without the assistance of any yellow flags. After a textbook driver change, Tyler got in the car and proceeded to drive to the front of the field, putting us in line for a race win in Pro-Am with only three laps remaining in the race! And then, well, we discovered the mojo wasn’t actually back.

A picture taken sometime before it all came unglued. Again.

As Tyler was trying to work his way around a slower, out-of-class competitor in an Aston, he was rudely shoved from behind by an over-exuberant Mercedes. This pushed Tyler sideways, first contacting the Aston and then spinning him around to a complete stop while facing the wrong direction. He was then forced to wait for the entire field to drive by him before he could safely rejoin the race now taking place in his absence.

With what little hair Tyler still had on his head on fire, he stormed his way to the checkered flag, crossing the finish line P9 in class, P17 overall. But he didn’t stop storming. He passed something like 13 cars after the checkered flag in pursuit of the Mercedes that had stripped the team from its victory that afternoon. And in a move that everyone can appreciate but nobody can condone, he drove right into the back of the Mercedes. Much as this delighted the folks in the BMW parts truck (another new front fascia, please), the officials were rather put off by the whole affair. And nobody could blame them. SRO justifiably had to slap him around for causing the incident, as there was nobody else to blame, but thankfully we were not given a starting grid penalty for Race 2 on Sunday.

Q: The parallels just don’t stop coming, do they?

A: So, off to Race 2 and more parallels. A huge wreck on the opening lap claimed about one quarter of the field (!) and resulted in not a single green lap for Tyler during his opening stint. Thankfully he avoided the carnage taking place behind him, but far too many others came home in bits and pieces. But then, in another cruel twist of fate, the yellow flag was cleared during the end of the driver change period. Through absolutely no fault of our own, we got screwed on the timing side of that deal. Just wrong place, wrong time. We lost a ton of track position during our stop that we could never make up, finishing an uninspiring P4 in class, P8 overall.

It was such a disappointment finishing just off of the podium when we knew we had a car that should have won that day. Nevertheless, we left Barber with our heads held high, knowing that we had the package to win, if not the racing luck to bring it to fruition. Again.

Until next time, Barber. We have unfinished business.

Q: You guys just can’t seem to catch a break, can you?

A: Not a single one. Yet in spite of this, we are somehow, unbelievably, inexplicably, still sitting in third place in the SRO GT4 America Pro-Am Championship.

Q: I know. You already said that.

A: Copy and paste, right? At least the repetitive storylines make writing this newsletter slightly easier.

Q: So what’s up next for you and Tyler?

A: Well, mathematically we are no longer in the Championship picture. But we’re still the best damn team in Pro-Am and we intend to win out at Indianapolis next month just to leave the paddock with something to think about over the winter break. We don’t have anything to lose at this point, so we’re just going to race hard and have fun doing it. And then, once the dust has settled, we are going to celebrate our incredible season together. Because it has been an incredible season in spite of what the results sheet may tell us.

Am I laughing or crying in this picture? The answer is probably “yes.”

Regardless of how this all wraps up next month, I can say with conviction this has been my single best season of competition. I continue to laugh, I continue to cry, I continue to want to throw up every time I put on the helmet (and that’s not hyperbole). None of this has changed for me since 1997 when all this madness began. This is raw emotion at the highest level, and the intensity of it all, the good and bad, is what drives me to come back for more, even when mired in the middle of a copy-and-paste cycle of mishap and misfortune.

And as for the results? They way I see it, I am supported by the best team, the best co-driver and coach, and the best equipment. I have children that support what I am doing with their inheritance (more or less) and a wife who continues to do my race-day laundry whether we win or lose. I mean, if that’s not the definition of success, I don’t know what is.

Indy, you’re next. And don’t forget, we have unfinished business.

If you are available to come out and join us October 5 and 6 in Indianapolis, I guarantee that we will be putting on a show one way or another. As the small print says, past performance is not always a reliable indicator of future results.

See you at the track!

JWJr
#82 GT4 America
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