With files from No.Dot Marketing
SEBRING, FL – Alex Penfold had a strong first outing in the Pfaff Porsche/AXA Financial Porsche during last Friday’s SPEED World Challenge GT event in Sebring, FL, finishing 13th overall in a field of 31 cars.
Driving the Jon Groom Racing 2000 Porsche GT3 Cup Car, Penfold managed to set the eighth-fastest time in official practice on Wednesday and that proved to be good in more ways than one. As well as surprising a lot of people with his performance, Penfold’s eighth-place time became his starting position as the rains hit on Thursday, making the track dangerous and canceling qualifying. This also allowed the team time to make the changes to the suspension that was needed to improve the handling.
Starting behind teammate Robin Liddell of Scotland, Penfold was just a little nervous about his first start in the big league, but he handled everything well. Liddell slowed on the start and Penfold went past him on the inside and moved up to fifth place by the middle of the first lap.
Then reality set in.
“The changes the team made had gone a little too far, and I quickly found out that I had a massive understeer,” Penfold said. “I could not accelerate in the corners and I was losing a lot of speed as a result. And this is not a track where you can afford to lose corner speed because of the high speed sections and the long straights!”
Soon he was caught and passed by other cars and he battled on to try to stay in the running. By the end he had dropped to 13th place, and second amongst Rookies.
“The team did an excellent job getting my car ready and it was a good result for my first race, but I know I could have placed better, so I am not totally satisfied,” he said. “We’ll see what we can do in St. Petersburg in two weeks time.”
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