Another Podium Finish

San Ramon, CA – The last two races were riddled with issues for Reto Baumann and his #53 VW Jetta 2.0 GLI DSG. A lot of positive investment into the car hasn’t paid out or yielded the benefits expected yet. Laguna Seca this past weekend was no different.

The turbo hose issues finally got fixed and held together for this race. Somehow however, the car didn’t have the power or grip that it normally had, and the team is looking into what the causes could be. Running flawlessly though, and having competitive practice times, qualifying went reasonably well with Reto putting the car onto the second row overall and second in ST class as well.

The start went quite well too, even for a front wheel drive car. Staying calm and collected through the opening lap(s) and not pushing too hard, waiting for the race to come to him, Reto somehow seemed not to be able to find his usual rhythm. Could the unusual schedule of no warm-up and directly going into the race have been an issue for our driver? One way or another, it seemed odd for Reto to have dropped off his usual times from the day before. Something to be analyzed in the days to come.

Reto Baumann reviews his Round FOUR performance:
“It’s been a long time since I had been at this track. And I was very much looking forward to racing here at Laguna Seca. Saturday’s practice runs went well, and so did qualifying. The race, however, was a different story. I never had the confidence in the car, the grip or power nor the traction that I had the day before. And since we had no warm-up before the race, there was nothing I could have done about it. It is great to still be able to finish on the podium, but I really expected more from this weekend than a third place. Onto the next one, which will again be here at Laguna Seca. And I am very much looking forward to racing in front of a big crowd during the Firestone Indy Car Grand Prix!”

Nothing to fix on the car since it ran well mechanically, but lots to analyze and adjust to get the car ready for the next race. There just must be a break for our driver somewhere, sometime, somehow...



About Red Panther Motorsport (RPM)
A leading California based professional racing team. RPM competes in the Hankook Tires United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) race series. For more information please see and visit www.RedPantherMotorsport.com and also like us on our social media channels.