Action Express has won this fabled motor race, three times before, in 2010, 2014, and 2018. Going in, it was surely thought, wow, an even numbered year, we will have a chance to maybe to go for another triumph. Sadly, that was not to be. Motor racing is fickle. We came into this event, with a good qualifying effort and were really hoping for a good race to come our way. But, it just so happened that luck wasn't on our side. We had a catalog of problems with the car and it just wasn't our year to be honest. It was very unlike our team to have these issues especially given their record over the last eight to ten years with three victories. I actually found out from my friend and team owner/team principal, Bob Johnson, a few weeks after the race, at the beginning of February, that this trouble with the gearbox goes much deeper and is related to computer software which is no different for race cars than it is for road going production cars in this day and age as the automobile is so reliant upon computers to be able to run the various mechanical systems of the engine, the gearbox and more.
So, this analysis is right after the race but it also does some foreshadowing into the future and kind of links finding out the news from what Mr. Johnson had to say and also knowing in my heart of hearts that we were just going to have to soldier on and pick up whatever pieces we'd be given. I was back in the hotel room watching the overnight coverage on NBC Sports Network, staring at the results ticker and thinking to myself, especially in the early morning hours before coming back to the track for the end of the race, "you know what? We're just going to have to accept what we get." Racing is not like baseball or football where you can argue a bad call with a referee unless of course you might have some infraction in the pit lane you feel is unjustified or a pass under yellow that you feel is unjustified.
When you have a problem, as in life, you can't stew about it after a race is over. The agony of defeat has to immediately be turned into, "OK, how do we solve this issue with the next race looming on the horizon?" You can't rest on your laurels in any sport, but in racing especially, resting on your laurels will do you no good at all. We will delve into the troubles with the car, and study them, working closely with our partners at ECR who build the engines for the Cadillac, the 5.5 liter V8 motors we use, and also at Xtrac Transmission Technology Specialists who build gearboxes for sports car racing and for numerous other disciplines of motorsport, and supply the transmission for the #31 Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Then, we will go testing at Sebring before the next race and find out how we can improve the car, to defend our victory that we scored at the 12 hours in 2019. That is the plan, and we are ready to execute it. Stay tuned for general news about Sebring, and who knows, there may be some information about Action Express. As for when yours truly hopes to get to see another race in person, well, I live closest to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, where IMSA will be racing a sprint event at the beginning of August. Aiming to travel there to support Action Express in their quest for victory. But, to be able to attend the Rolex 24, was a dream come true, and I definitely intend to come back and see another edition in the not too distant future.
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