8/30/2015
Cabot Bigham
Sweeping Indy Car Weekend
On August 28, 2015 the Verizon Indy Car series kicked off it's season finale at Sonoma Raceway, my home track. I could not have been more excited to participate in this event. Not only was the competition heating up in my class (Pro Formula Mazda), we were also racing in front of several thousand Indy Car fans.
The key to this weekend's success was taking everything one step at a time. It is easy to get overwhelmed on weekends like this one. Lots of people asking questions, wanting Hero cards, or even taking pictures. I kept my mind on task by staying hydrated and never loosing sight of my end goal.
Friday was the first day of racing for the Formula Car Challenge. Qualifying was done in the earlier part of the day, when there was still cloud cover and a cool breeze. This helped keep our tires in better shape for more laps. Despite the optimal conditions, I lost the rear end of the car coming into turn 9. It is a hard braking zone and I did not get off the brake pedal fast enough. This forced me to back out of the throttle and ruin my best timed lap. We still started third, off of pole by three tenths of a second.
Race #1: The only thing going through my head was, 'get a good start and move up'. Thats just what I did, when I saw the flagger twitch his arm I went full throttle. It was a drag race up the hill with the #6 of Hunter Pickett taking the hole shot. I got around the second place #40 car. From then on it was 35 straight minutes of battling for the top spot. Hunter and I swapped places more than 6 times that race, while also trying to stay ahead of the charging third place contenders. The fans were on there toes, so I have been told. On lap 25 I was in second place and feeling nauseous from the heat of my three layer suit and 90 degree ambient temperature. I saw my chance to seize the win and dove to the inside of turn 7. I took the lead and walked my competition to the finish line. It was the biggest, hard earned win I have had.
Race #2: My weekend did not end with Friday's win. My goal was to sweep the weekend and I was half way there. I qualified fifty thousandths of a second off of pole, putting my P2 for the start of the last race. I got the jump at the start, but had a gearbox problem and could shift without lifting off the throttle. Hunter Pickett jumped to the lead, but I followed him before passing him again in turn 7, a tight hairpin corner. From there it was a 3 second lead that would grow and contract with each perfect corner and mistake. I crossed the finish line in first place, and a huge smile on my face all the way to Victory lane.
I couldn't be more proud of my race team for their hard work, dedication to perfection, and unification. We all work as one to get these wins, and they show just how well hard work pays off. Now time to start the training for September's round six.
Submitted By: Cabot Bigham
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