I just got out of the shower and my head felt like it was about to explode. Every muscle in my body was aching, and there I stood, looking at a 2nd place trophy. Any driver in motorsport can relate to this. The last of the adrenaline leaves the body and exposes the less charming sensations of having pushed yourself to the limit for a whole day.
Sweden had its warmest weekend in history in some parts of the country this June, and I can tell you, when you’re sitting in that iron furnace running down the straight at 200+ km/h, your body is trying everything it can to keep you cool. The cost of that was almost a gallon of fluid loss over a single stint.
After Linköping, Gula Garaget didn’t grow lazy. We brought a massive upgrade kit to Mantorp. A new aero package to reduce drag and increase top speed, new rear springs, and a big increase in rake. Our feedback from the post-race debrief at Linköping had turned into some bold changes. Peter was the most nervous about it, and he had every right to be.
On top of that, Gatebil and King of Mantorp, the big time attack event of the year, had laid down a lot of rubber on the track in the days before. That meant more grip once the track hit the right temperature, but ice rink levels of slippery if it got too hot, or if any rain came through. I was filling in for Jan-Jan this weekend, which put me third in the driver line-up: Emil, Claes,
me, Peter, then Emil again to the checkered flag. The morning was warm and sunny. Emil and I handled qualifying and managed 7th position despite running with a full fuel tank.
At the start, Emil played it smart, conservative through the first few corners before starting to send it and clawing back positions. Near the end of his stint, the radio connection with the pit lane cut out just as rain started to fall. He couldn’t find the button for the windscreen wiper and struggled to spot our signal calling him in for the driver change.
Claes started his stint in the rain, and after a couple of laps he came into the pits saying the car had lost power. With no radio, we couldn’t diagnose anything from the box. The team checked the car but found nothing, so the radio transmitter came out to charge while Claes went back out. The stop cost us three minutes, and a few laps later, in drying conditions, Claes set the fastest lap times he’s ever done on that track. Emil had been even quicker before the rain hit, also breaking his own personal best. Conditions just turn for the worse fast once water washes the rubber off the surface.
Near the end of Claes’s stint, another car went off track. Emil and I told the team to call him in. Almost a full lap after Claes crossed the line, the full course yellow came out. While the rest of the field slowed to 60 km/h, Claes got to rush straight into the pits.
It was my turn, and we were down in 8th. Full send was the only option for the entire stint. Early on, a lapped car slowed a competitor into the first corner, and I squeezed into the gap between them, inches from contact on either side. When drivers know you’re there, they usually back off the throttle without even thinking about it, and it worked out in my favor. A few
laps later I was in a proper fight with the BMW from RSJ, our main championship rivals. We traded positions side by side for several laps, including one moment running three wide at over 200 km/h down the main straight, with me in the middle again.
My stint should have ended at the 60 minute mark, but Claes told me to stay out until further notice, and I ended up running the full 90 minutes, the maximum allowed. By the end of it, the BMW had lost power and dropped back. I found out later their engine had blown from pushing too hard, drafting too long, and running temperatures too high for too long. When I climbed out of the car, someone on the team told me we were now leading the class. I was too tired to register who said it, maybe it was Tommy, maybe it was my dad, but this time I didn’t need to lie down to catch my breath. My lap times were consistent, and my fastest was slower than what Emil ran before the rain, but faster than anyone else managed for the rest of the day.
Peter took over and it didn’t take long before he set his own personal best, he loved the new upgrades. Emil closed it out, running fast and even, to secure our third podium in a row. Class 2nd, overall 3rd, and we’ve extended the lead in the championship standings.
All in all, I didn’t black out, my old racing suit from 2018 still fits, everyone set a new personal best and we’re one step closer to securing the championship. All because nobody got comfortable after the last win, and we kept pushing the limits forward.
New bounties to hunt awaits in front of us, let me know if you want to join our journey.
Jonas.
