"When is your next race?"

I get the question "when is your next race" quite a bit, but to be honest I couldn't answer it very well for the last few weeks because I tend to get a bit of tunnel vision with my planning when there's a really big event looming like our upcoming beach trip. But I decided I should get that schedule worked out more over the last week and have hammered some things out. I figured I'd post here so those of you who read this blog won't have to ask me in person when my next race is!

Things get started in late July with a likely trip to to the Finger Lakes area of New York state for a big ProSolo autocross. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be driving at that event yet and may not go. But it's getting somewhat likely.

Then I have a trip to Miller Motorsports Park just outside of Salt Lake City planned for two days of driving school. If the planets can get themselves aligned I may work that trip in with another ProSolo autocross in Wendover, Utah as the two are only a couple days apart.

Things start to get a little crazy in August. It all starts with the Koni Challenge race in Three Rivers, Quebec. I'll be driving a Mazda RX-8 in ST prep in an hour-forty-five minute endurance race. I'll be partnered with Jason Saini, a friend of mine and the reigning Mazda MX-5 Cup champion. I raced at Three Rivers last year in an MX-5, so I'm familiar with the track and the RX-8 should drive a reasonable amount like the MX-5 does. The next weekend I should take delivery of my new Spec Miata from OPM Autosports (which will look very similar to the silver and blue car they have pictured on their site) at Carolina Motorsports Park for an SCCA National race. The week after that I have two days of testing scheduled at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in my Acura RSX-S that's basically World Challenge Touring Car spec'ed and built for ITE regional racing (specifically, the 13 Hour endurance race at VIR in November).

September is busy with the ProSolo Finale and the Solo Nationals followed immediately by another Koni Challenge race with Jason at Miller Motorsports Park. I've never been to Miller and that's why I'm doing that school in July. The school will have me driving race prepped Ford Mustangs, but this race will have me back in the RX-8.

October starts with another Koni Challenge race. This time it's at what I consider my home track, VIR. With any luck I'll get the RX-8 from Jason a few weeks before this one (or maybe right after Miller if we don't hurt it there) and can get some testing at VIR in it. I'm also hoping to race the MX-5 Cup finale at Mazda Laguna-Seca Raceway if I can get a rental car for it. Then there's a double regional at VIR that I'll likely race my Spec Miata in. The very next week is the 13 hour where we plan to race the Acura RSX-S. That takes us into early November and caps what I consider my race season.

Whew, that's gonna be a lot of racing!