The 2015 season of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires continued in Toronto with street racing right in the heart of the city. This marks the fourth street course I have experienced, and this one is the best. There are so many different corners and different challenges. In addition, the weather was playing tricks with us the entire weekend.
During Friday practice the track was wet from the rain, and it was shortened to just fifteen minutes. I did not have good pace during this session, but it gave me an opportunity to learn a brand new track. The next session was overcast, but the track had dried considerably.
On Saturday, we had the only nice day of the weekend. Temperatures were perfect, and the sun was out. The track did still not have much grip in it, but qualifying went well, and the race was even better. I quickly distanced myself from my Expert Class competition, and I finished 11th out of 18.
For Race 2 on Sunday, we were expecting fast laps and good weather, but we had a downpour instead. We quickly changed tires and moved the car back to a rain set-up. We were ready to go, and the opening laps were very competitive. I was focused on the guys ahead of me, but I made an error in a very slippery corner, and I spun into the wall. The left rear suspension was damaged, but I was able to bring the car back to pit lane. The guys worked so fast to get me back out there, and I appreciate their efforts so much. We were multiple laps down, but the experience of running a street course in the rain was fantastic.
A special thanks goes out to Mazda and Cooper Tires for their continued support of the Mazda Road to Indy. These folks do so much to keep us racing, and their efforts are both welcomed and appreciated.
~ Bobby Eberle (reprinted from GOUSA.com)