With 60% chance of thunderstorms everyday so far this week, we have been lucky enough to get in full days of practice every day. Thursday afternoon clouds started rolling in off of the ocean. Everyone at the track was hoping for mother nature to put some much needed moisture back into the track, but as quickly as the storm moved in, it was gone with only a few drops of water hitting the track.
Many drivers in the pits are starting to narrow in on the setups that they are going to run at the Worlds in just a few weeks. Thursday produced some the fastest laps that have been seen all week, with a dozen or so drivers running 43 second laps, and a hand full of fast drivers dipping into the 42 second. The biggest challenge so far is being able to pass on the technical layout with many off camber turns.
Friday was welcomed with a surprise when out of nowhere, more than ten sprinklers popped up on the track and covered the entire track with some much needed water. With the dust being knocked down for a couple of hours, many drivers were able to find the fast laps that seemed to elude them most of the day.
With only two days of practice left this week, many teams will be running simulated main runs to insure that all of their equipment will hold up in the brutal mains that await them at the World Championships in three weeks.
Till next time, Jon