The QDB Racing team went on the road for one last race in the 2017 season. After arriving on Friday evening, the action started bright and early on Saturday. A quick fifteen minute practice session left Quentin with a small amount of time to get reacquainted with the full course. The session went well as Quentin took in as much as he could in the short amount of time. A few hours later it was time to head out for qualifying. However, the session didn't go according to plan (for everyone). After completing one or two flying laps, everyone was led to the pitlane under black flags. Since the session was only scheduled for fifteen minutes, it was not resumed and many drivers were left without a single clean flying lap. Quentin was one of these drivers, although he still managed to qualify third in class.
The first race took place in the late afternoon. After a decent start, Quentin was battling in the top-three for the opening laps. Unfortunately, one of the top three competitors dropped out with technical issues early on. This left Quentin to battle with the leader for the remainder of the race. Try as he might, Quentin eventually had to settle for a second place finishing position. The Saturday race was very helpful overall as Quentin was still getting to grips with the track. The end result was still cause for celebration, but the entire team took the time between Saturday and Sunday's race to analyze how to improve further.
Sunday was set to be another beautiful day in Sebring, as the QDB crew made some final changes to the car in the hopes of an improvement in overall pace. The start of the race was hectic as everyone jostled for position. After the opening laps, Quentin had shuffled down to fourth place. Luckily, he had time on his side as the race was half an hour long. Quentin quickly jumped back up to third and then fought his way up to second place after a few more laps. Unfortunately, by this time the leader had pulled out a significant gap in excess of ten seconds. Although Quentin's average pace over the remainder of the race was much quicker, the laps ran out and Quentin had to settle for yet another second place finish. When Quentin came in, he was nothing but smiles. He enjoyed all the hard fought battles and was thankful as always to bring the car home in one piece. On that note, we have reached the conclusion of the 2017 racing season. Thank you to all of our supporters, In-Gear Design, and Venturi Motorsport Management for an amazing season! See everyone in 2018!
Also, don't forget to check out the full Saturday sprint race from my perspective below!