Lucky Dog at Laguna - 2024
There is no better way to kick off the 2024 season than making a trip down to Laguna Seca to race on some fresh pavement and escape the winter weather!
Lucky Dog started their season with a return to Laguna after a fresh repave last year. With it being a bucket list track for many, there were only 50 spots available for teams. We were fortunate enough to get selected in the lottery to have one spot and were excited to kick off our Arrive & Drive program at one of our favorite tracks.
So we hauled our #161 M3 (formally the Three Thieves Car) down to Laguna, braving some treacherous road conditions along the way.
We unloaded Friday night, got the cars strung, and did a once-over on everything. With no testing available, our first session was Saturday morning qualifying. The M3 consisted of a driver line-up of Tom Roberts, Tyler Strand, and Brad Kellett. We got all three drivers out there for a few laps to get acquainted with the M3. This group has previously raced with us in our former Cobalt Spec E46 but quickly took a liking to our new M3. The group collectively loved it and the driving experience it provided. Excitement was high heading into the race.
Tom Roberts ran the fastest lap during qualifying, running a 1:41. The Super Dog time for the race was determined to be 1:42. We started from P1, and Tom took an early lead before heading down the Corkscrew. The sweeping left-hander caught him out a bit, grabbing a little too much curb while the tires were cold. He looped it around but was able to get back going right away and only dropped to 12th. For the remainder of his two-hour stint, he clawed his way back forward, getting to 2nd. It was a great drive, putting his mistake behind him early and patiently working his way forward.
Brad Kellett then got in and drove a smart and consistent stint with no spins or penalties. He kept it smooth and brought the car in after two hours in P3. He handed off the car to Tyler Strand, who took third stint duties. He had one slight spin but kept his head down and returned the car to Tom in 4th.
The team decided to have Tom finish the last hour to make up some time and push for a win. He had no mistakes and was running some really fast times. He made it to third and was making up gobs of time on P1 and P2. Ultimately, we just ran out of time while chasing them down and came home P3 right behind P2. Tom, Brad, and Tyler made a valiant effort to be in the hunt after 7 hours, and the whole team was proud to secure a podium.
Our crew had great pit stops, we didn't receive any penalties in the pits or on track, and we had a chance to win. You can't ask for much more. It was a successful day topped off with some excellent Surf & Turf prepared by our man, Chef Ben!
We went into Sunday with good spirits, and so did the drivers. We knew what we had to do to try and get a win.
Although we were enjoying some warmer weather, avoiding the arctic freeze in the Northwest, we still had some coastal showers to deal with in the Bay that soaked the track that morning. We started from the front row and settled in, running third in the #161 M3.
Meanwhile, Tom began reporting that the M3 wouldn't shift into 6th gear. He held it in 5th down the front straight and finished his stint, handing the car to Tyler. About a half hour in during his stint, he reported that the car had lost 5th gear. The car was not shifting properly with the paddles and eventually wouldn't shift at all. Tyler brought the car into the pits and in Josh's words, "the transmission sounded like a pile of rocks getting shaken around" when he pulled in. We have yet to take the transmission apart, but we assume a gear failed which most likely took out a few other gears along the way.
Although it was a challenging way to end the weekend, our drivers still walked away with a podium finish Saturday with a drive to be proud of. They loved the experience nonetheless, and we all had a memorable time in Monterey.
We now have some mechanical repairs to make on both cars before the next Lucky Dog race in April!