Laguna Seca charms Seb on his first visit

‘I immediately fell in love with Laguna Seca and thoroughly enjoyed learning the circuit for the first time,’ he said.

Following a frustrating visit to Road Atlanta earlier in October, Priaulx made the near 2,500 mile journey west to Laguna Seca aiming to bounce back strongly in the penultimate meeting of the Michelin Pilot Challenge season with the Multimatic Motorsports team.

As well as tackling the legendary circuit for the first time, the Sarnian also had a new team-mate alongside him in the No. 22 Ford Mustang GT4, Hailie Deegan.

The two teenage talents worked well together and got off to a good start in free practice.

Priaulx lapped within the top eight in both practice runs, before Deegan secured them 11th on the grid in an ultra-competitive qualifying session.

The American racer started the two-hour race behind the wheel, but sadly saw her stint broken up by a number of yellow-flag periods.

Handing over the car with 50 minutes remaining on the clock, Priaulx settled in 11th and posted consistent personal best lap times to try to close the gap to the cars ahead.

Progress was tough to come by for the 19-year-old, though, and he remained in 11th through to the finish.

‘It was a great to team up with Hailie [Deegan] for the first time, while Multimatic Motorsports gave us a great car once again.

‘Unfortunately it was just a tricky week for us. Our practice pace was promising, but when it came to the racing we didn’t quite have that edge of speed to move up the order.

‘I pushed as hard as I could in my stint and was pleased to bring the car home for another strong finish.’

The 2020 Michelin Pilot Challenge season comes to an end later this month at Sebring International Raceway, with a two-hour race on Friday 13 November.