Sebring International Raceway treated James Vance to a rough weekend from start to finish for Round Two of the 2014 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season.
Vance and teammate John Weisberg were credited with 27th in the ST class during the race March 14 at Sebring International Raceway, as the No. 50 Berg Racing Porsche Cayman lost drive and wasn’t running at the finish. The mechanical problem occurred during one of Vance’s signature advances through the field, when he drove the car from the 23rd to 13th place.
Then the axle bolts on his left wheel loosened and fell out as Vance made his way through Sebring’s famed hairpin, ending Vance’s weekend and his first race at historic Sebring.
That problem was the last of an event week marked by mechanical gremlins. Engine overheating plagued Vance’s Bionic Environments/ ExpoSystems Porsche, causing the team to miss many practice opportunities. Qualifying proved hope remained for the team, as Weisberg ended up placing the car 16thon the starting grid.
But Vance left the weekend frustrated at being unable to build on the progress. Yet he still was thankful for the many supporters around him.
“Having the right mindset as a race car driver is so important, even more so when things are not going quite to plan,” Vance said. “This weekend was most definitely not one where everything went according to plan, but it is racing, and we all have weekends like that.
“As a driver, these are the weekends that really do make you appreciate the great weekends and allow you to make sense of things out of your control that unfortunately take place. I can’t thank Bionic Environments enough for all their support, and I am already training harder than ever with not only my Memon products by my side, but the ExpoSystems USA team and all of my family and friends that give me the amazing support back home!”
Off track Vance spent the weekend in the company of his sponsor Bionic Environments Inc. of North America. The company once again set up its own shop at track to support Vance. During the week Vance spent time signing autographs and talking to fans about the Momon technology that has improved his focus and endurance.
Vance’s next race is May 2-3 for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For more information on James Vance, visit jamesvanceracing.com. For updates on Vance, follow him on Twitter at @James_Vance and on Facebook.
Source: Grand Solutions
