Satisfying Race Weekend at Watkins Glen for Thomas Nepveu
It was Watkins Glen International's turn to host the next round of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America (PCCNA) Championship. It was a difficult weekend in terms of the temperamental weather, with threatening skies frequently unleashing downpours over the track.
Thursday's practice sessions went well, as Thomas continued to learn the track at the wheel of the #24 All Rem | Richelieu | GFL | Cromwell car in the Pro class. The McElrea Racing team also made some positive changes in anticipation of Saturday morning's qualifying session.
Everything looked as though the field would be set for a trouble-free session, but a red flag slammed the brakes on Thomas' ascent. He climbed up into the Top 10, setting the 9th fastest time, before the action came to a halt. Once he returned to the track, he only had two laps to try and set a better time. In the end, he qualified 15th for the first race, then 13th for the second race of the weekend.
Thomas took off right from the start of the first race on Friday afternoon, wasting no time in working his way up through the pack. After just a few laps, he had already made his way into 11th position. By midway point of the race, he'd made a spot for himself in the Top 10. It was an action-packed 40 minute event for the young Oka-born driver, as he battled across all levels, with the likes of Varwing and de la Torre. Varwing eventually got the better of him near the end, claiming the final spot in the Top 10 and relegating Nepveu to 11th place.
"We had a good start," said Thomas. "We were able to move up a position right from the start. After that, it was pretty tough for the first 4 laps. I spent part of the race in 12th place. I was maintaining 10th position leading into the final laps, on the attack for 9th place with 11th just behind me so I was under a lot of pressure. It was an intense battle and I ended up losing the position with just two laps to go, so I was unable to finish in the Top 10, but I'm still pleased to have moved up three places after qualifying and to have improved my speed in comparison to yesterday's practice session."
He continued by saying "we had a car that was quite fast, but I was still a little short. We worked hard in the evening, both on the car and time spent reviewing the data."
Saturday afternoon's race was not as exciting as the day prior. Nepveu, starting from 13th, battled with his competitors throughout the opening lap. However, he quickly dropped back to 15th. By lap 5, he had returned to the pit lane as he was suffering with a brake problem. McElrea Racing attempted to repair the car, but ultimately decided to retire from the race.
PCCNA's next event is July 27th to 29th at Road America, an iconic track in Wisconsin.