Four-time Pikes Peak Champion Robin Shute will be one of several GRIDLIFE NOS Energy TrackBattle competitors vying for track records at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as the series heads to the storied 2.24-mile course for the first time on October 20-22.
Shute obliterated the standing track record at Streets of Willow in Rosamond, California, during a GRIDLIFE track weekend in his Pikes Peak winning TCS-FS prototype dubbed ‘The Wolf’. While the event was Shute’s first entry in GRIDLIFE, he is expected to run in the SuperUnlimited class at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in pursuit of the overall track record. IndyCar driver Christian Lundgaard owns the fastest time of 1m06.461s at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, claiming the record during last month’s IndyCar stop. He beat the previous record of 1m07.7s set back in 2000 by Helio Castroneves.
Another driver in pursuit of a record is Street Modified champion Eric “Dewey” Dewitt, who locked in his title this year with his turbocharged Subaru Impreza at Heartland Motorsports Park in August. With the championship settled, Dewitt now turns to the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca production car record. Dewitt isn’t one to back down from a fight – against a fellow competitor, or a challenge – and breaking the 1m27.62s record set by Randy Pobst in a McLaren Senna may be his biggest challenge of the season.
GRIDLIFE NOS Energy TrackBattle is an inclusive time attack format that allows virtually any level of vehicle preparation, from popular, near-stock Honda Fits through to 1,000 hp supercars. Racers can choose to run in one of eight classes: Falken Sundae Cup, Falken Club TR, Street, Street GT, Street Modified, Track Modern, Unlimited, and Super Unlimited. Each driver gets two practice sessions and three qualifying runs. The top five from each class advance to a two-lap podium sprint, with the fastest lap determining the NOS Energy TrackBattle Championship weekend podium.
Some 100 drivers are expected to take the start in NOS Energy TrackBattle competition at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca this October 20-22 – the twelfth and final destination in the nationwide circuit for the series. The GRIDLIFE Laguna weekend will also include the season ending GRIDLIFE Touring Cup competition and freestyle drift sessions, along with a concert stage featuring Grammy Award winning artist T-Pain.