June 9-10: Sebring Green Park Course
Qualifying: 1st Race 1: DNF Race 2: 1st
After getting a new engine installed after our weekend in Virginia, we were excited to get back on the track at the Sebring short course. The weekend was set to be simple, as this was our third time in the past year that we visited the Sebring circuit. We got off to a good start on Saturday as Quentin went 2nd quickest in practice and managed to snatch pole position in qualifying. However, a trouble-free race weekend was not in the cards. While leading the sprint race, Quentin received warnings on his dashboard that the engine was not healthy. He decided to pull the car over with five laps left.
The team turned to some experts to help solve the engine issues. The new engine liked to run at a slightly higher oil temperature, and with this conclusion the team decided to change nothing. The second and final sprint race came on Sunday, which would give the team a chance to run the car on track for thirty minutes. It was a bit risky, as we just assumed everything with the motor was running properly. Our risk paid off as Quentin brought the car home after an absolutely dominating victory. The victory was certainly a confidence booster, since the team had dealt with many issues that weekend as well as the previous race weekend in Virginia.
June 23-24: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Qualifying: 2nd Race 1: 1st Race 2: 1st Race 3: 1st
Homestead was the teams’ cleanest weekend of the season. Quentin quickly adapted to the track which he hadn’t visited in three years. The team were hoping to compete for victory with Walter Fernandez, another very competitive and respectful SRF driver. Unfortunately, Walter went through many issues with his car throughout the weekend. Our team also had some tough luck as the cars’ transmission kept falling out of 2nd gear, leaving Quentin in neutral unless he held the shifter in gear through the entirety of any slow-speed corner. Luckily, Quentin was unphased by the challenge as it didn’t seem to affect his lap times much. After battling and having to pass Walter in the first couple of sprint races, Quentin was able to claim three victories in the three sprint races.
After reflecting on the two race weekends, our editor & photographer, Tyla Reynolds, had this to say: “The team came across some unfortunate events. However, Quentin was still able to pull out some great victories and prove that all the hard work was worth it. I was lucky to get some great photos while watching the action on track. Watching Quentin battle with veteran driver Ken Marino in Sebring was an absolute thrill. Quentin still managed to scare me a bit when he pulled out of the Saturday sprint race, but I was thankful to see him uninjured after the race.”
Quentin also shared his thoughts: “Honestly, I’m very lucky to be able to race at all. Every race weekend is an opportunity not only to improve my driving but be thankful for the fact that I’m at a race track doing what I love most. We had some struggles during these two race weekends, yet I was always happy. At the end of the day, drivers race for two reasons. We want to compete in order to prove we are better than the drivers around us, but above that, we do it for the enjoyment. The sensation of thrashing a vehicle around any circuit at the absolute limit is one of the best feelings in the world. If you can do that a bit better than the others around you, it just gives you some extra satisfaction. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to understand how lucky I am, but I hope that one day I can give back to the racing community in a major way. There are so many drivers that deserve the same opportunities as me, and I hope to help them achieve their dreams just as many have helped me to achieve mine.”
That sums up the month of June for our team. We hope you enjoyed the article and don’t forget to stay updated on all our progress by following our QDB Racing page on Facebook as well as Instagram. Again, a huge thanks to all of our sponsors, Venturi Motorsport Management, Hooked On Driving, Duane Neyer Motorsports, and all of our supporters!