‘It’s been such a valuable year for me’ says Priaulx
THERE were times earlier in the year when Seb Priaulx must have wondered if he would compete on tarmac again in 2020 rather than a simulator.
However, after the coronavirus-enforced break, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series managed to hold eight races in four months in a condensed season and the 19-year-old Guernsey driver believes he made the most of his time in the United States.
‘I can’t believe it’s the end of the season already. It has been such a valuable year for me, a great opportunity to learn all of the key US race tracks,’ Priaulx said.
‘I’ve developed a lot as a driver and I can’t thank Multimatic Motorsports and Ford Performance enough for the opportunity.’
In the season finale at Sebring, which had also hosted the first meeting when the series came out of lockdown, Priaulx once again demonstrated his pace as he was in the top-five fastest drivers in the race.
He and new teammate Marco Signoretti finished a commendable sixth, a result that might have been much better if they had not suffered the misfortune of a change from yellow-flag caution to green-flag racing status while they pitted, which cost them crucial ground.
Looking at it from a positive angle, that did allow Priaulx to showcase his ability as he mounted a charge from 10th place in the closing stages of the race.
‘After a difficult outing during our last visit to Sebring, I was pleased to be able to have the chance to come back and have another go at scoring a strong result at a circuit which I really enjoy racing at,’ said Priaulx.
‘The podium was always our goal, but we knew it would be a tough ask at this circuit.
‘Pace was strong in free practice, though, and we got a good qualifying result [third], extracting everything we had from the car to put us in a good position for the race.
‘Marco put in a great opening stint and we were right in the podium battle, but sadly as we pitted in a caution period the race went green again. The time lost in the pits put us right on the back foot, but I was able to fight through to sixth at the finish for a strong result.’
