The 2015 season of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires continued in Indianapolis with oval racing at Lucas Oil Raceway. Not only was this the first oval of the season, but it was my first oval race ever. Wow, what an experience!
At this race, I was the only Expert Class driver in the field. I guess driving at 120 miles per hour next to a cement wall is not their cup of tea. But it didn’t matter. As always, I was focused on the rest of the field and making myself more competitive. On the oval, I certainly had (and have) a lot to learn.
The first day of testing was fantastic. All competitors were in the 20 or 21-second range for lap times, including me. After a few sessions, I was just 2/10ths of a second slower than my teammate. I was very excited and very confident.
On race day, I was in for a whole new set of experiences. We had a 20-minute warm-up practice, and then it was time for qualifying. In this case, each car qualifies on its own, and this was a first for me. I drew the 8th qualifying position out of a bag, and we were all lined up in pit lane. As each car rolled out for a qualifying run, the rest of the cars would slowly move up in line. With each passing driver, the nervousness grew and grew. By the time I was at the front of the line, I was ready to explode.
Then, it was my turn to go, and the nerves faded away. It wasn’t my best effort, but I got down to my times faster than any other session. I just wasn’t fast enough. In the race, I was much more conservative than in the practice sessions, but this was my first oval, and I always tend to be conservative when doing something for the first time. The idea is to soak in all the surroundings and learn from it. That’s exactly what I did, and I’m very happy with the result.
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 GOPUSA.com)