story by Val Garbarino – www.ValGarbarino.com
It has always been my dream to race at Laguna Seca. When I was a kid, it was the track I drove on racing games, had traveled to to watch racing events, and the one I loved the most. I made sure that when I arrived at the track on Thursday night before practice on Friday, I would take it all in. It was truly surreal.
However, the real excitement came from driving. Jumping into the car and driving out on track for the first time, I made sure that I had plenty of space to experience the crown jewel of the track, the Corkscrew, by myself. It was a moment I will never forget. Very quickly though, my focus switched to learning the track and focusing on all of the goals I had set for myself for the first few sessions in order to learn the track as quickly as possible. By the end of the day, I felt confident that I could get the job done on race day.
Saturday started off very good, qualifying in my class on pole position in cold, cloudy conditions. In the race, I led the opening stages, fighting through traffic of other classes also on the track. Early on there was a full course yellow, meaning all the cars had to line up behind the safety car for a single-file restart once the hazard was cleared. The restart was tricky, as all of the classes who had split starts were now in one group, and it was a challenge to get through traffic while allowing cars behind in different classes to pass. I set the fastest lap of the race on lap 6 and continued to lead until lap 7, when unfortunately, I had an electrical problem with the car that shut off the engine coming out of turn 2, resulting in a DNF. I was upset that I had missed the opportunity to win my first race at Laguna Seca, but I knew that I had the pace to win on Sunday.
Sunday started on a high, qualifying on pole once again, and having full confidence in my ability to win. When the race began, I led the way, once again having to navigate traffic in front while staying in the lead of my class. On lap 10, there was another full course yellow, which bunched up the field yet again. However, this didn’t prevent me from setting consistent times, which allowed me to take the win and fastest lap. It was a very satisfying way to end the weekend and I am very happy with how it turned out.
Off track throughout the weekend, SSI Race Team was putting on a sim-racing hot lap challenge, where the driver with the fastest time in an F4 car at Laguna Seca on their simulator would win. I was able to set the fastest time of the weekend.
Overall, this was one of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve had in racing. The history of the track and the environment were so incredible, and it was a weekend I will never forget. I can’t wait to get back there in July for The Formula Pro USA Western Championships Rounds 7 and 8!
I’d like to thank my mom and dad for always supporting me, Jan, Telo, Mark, and everyone at World Speed Motorsports for all of their hard work, Steve Brisentine, VMB Driver Development, Andy Brown, Chegg, Molecule, Goodyear Tires, Madpak Products, Exclusive Racing, and Harris Group Inc. for all of their support, and God for always watching over me and allowing me to have opportunities like these. I’m going to be pushing hard to prepare for the next race in July!