BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (September 11, 2024) – For Precision Racing LA w/PT Autosport and driver Henry Drury, the penultimate Toyota GR Cup race weekend of the season at Barber Motorsports Park represented the chance to ramp up the learning curve and show their competitive chops.
Though that experience doesn’t necessarily show on the results sheets, the 24-year-old English born, Tampa, Fla. resident has made great strides behind the wheel of the No. 88 PT Autosport Toyota GR86 Cup Car in his rookie season.
“In terms of learning another brand new track – and such a fast track – I’m pretty happy,” said Drury. “And I have to say – Barber is such an awesome place. This track is absolutely mental, it’s so fast. I loved it, I just wish the results had shown that.”
Drury had two practice sessions on Friday to learn the tricky 2.38-mile layout of the “Alabama Roller Coaster.” With 80’ of elevation changes and tight, hard turns, the track presents a challenge, especially to new drivers. P18 in session one, Drury improved to P13 in practice two, with the track drying quickly after hard rain.
”Both sessions were really tricky,” said Drury. “We struggled with setup in FP1 and the mix of damp and dry in FP2 disguised how positive they were for us. This track is so fast and requires so much commitment and confidence, and even though neither me nor the team has been here before, we were happy with the car in the end. It was one of the most efficient sessions we’ve had, where we got quickly up to speed.”
The team worked on a few setup changes overnight and Drury felt much more comfortable in the car for race one qualifying, putting the No. 88 13th on the starting grid.
“Massive improvement from yesterday, especially in all the high-speed entry stuff,” said Drury. “The team worked hard overnight and I had enough confidence to push the way I wanted to but we’re just not where we want to be on the timing sheets.”
At the drop of the green, Drury began looking for the chance to make a move – but on lap two, he slid wide and off course in Turn 2, falling to 25th position in the tight, competitive field. As Drury continued, it became clear that the splitter was damaged, sending him into pit lane and out of the race.
“I made a mistake, and the splitter just dug into the ground and sent me for a spin,” said Drury. “Sorry to the team. I have to make mistakes in my career – it’s inevitable, and the best way to learn – and I’ll make more in the future, but it hurts in the moment. I hate to give the team extra repair work, so definitely something to learn from.”
Qualifying 15th for race two, Drury focused on solid passes early to take 13th position. Keeping his line and balancing aiming forward while keeping an eye behind, Drury held his own in a four-car battle for 11th – expertly placing the No. 88 in each apex to keep his pursuers at bay. Side by side with another car turn Turn 9, the combatants locked wheels and both went off track, with the resulting incident responsibility penalty putting Drury back in 21st. He fought hard through the end of the race, ultimately finishing 20th.
“Another tough race for us,” said Drury. “We started well until we had an incident with another car. I was forced up into a position where I couldn’t avoid making contact, which blocked our radiator and landed me with a penalty, so we ended up a lap down. Had a nice little test session for the rest of the race, but a weekend to forget overall. It doesn’t feel great now, this is probably the first time I feel I’ve had a bad weekend and truly failed to perform, but all I can do is learn from this and come back stronger. No stone unturned”
Next up for Precision Racing LA with PT Autosport will be the Toyota GR Cup season finale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 4-6. The pair of 45-minute races will be broadcast live at www.grcup.com.
PT Autosport would like to thank partners STEAM Sports Foundation, Classic Car Club Manhattan and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
About PT Autosport — Discover Unique Talent. Develop Champions.
PT Autosport, based at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, campaigns rising star Alex Sedgwick (UK) in the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America series with JDX Racing and 2022 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner Henry Drury (UK) in the Toyota GR Cup North America series with Precision Racing LA.
PT Autosport is dedicated to providing merit-based motorsport industry opportunities for diverse individuals with high integrity, grit, and coach-ability, achieved through a development program for young aspiring drivers, engineers, mechanics, and other professionals. The first step of this process is applying for the annual Aspiring Driver Shootout, in which aspiring drivers aged 18-23 can compete for a team racing partnership with the team.
A rigorous evaluation process of applicants determines the final competitors for the driver shootout. The winner earns financial support of up to $250,000 ($50,000 guaranteed) to pursue their racing career. The review process also provides the team the chance to identify unique talent for other roles in motorsport, including race engineers, mechanics, and professionals.
PT Autosport is building a community that fosters the development of young talent to find a place where they can make an impact in the motorsport community as a career.
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