The October Watkins Glen event for NASA Northeast had a large Super Touring 5 field, with 13 cars taking the green flag. Sunday’s race ended with a fantastic battle between NASA Northeast ST5 series leader George Menabde and NASA Mid-Atlantic racer Robert Porter, who had made the trip to upstate New York because, well, it is Watkins Glen.
The cool thing about videos from the Glen is that they properly convey the sensation of speed because the armco is so close to the racing surface. It’s the last few laps, and these guys are sending it!
“This particular race was especially important for championship points which I ultimately won by just 10 points, so every move mattered. Early in the race, I had a lead but once my Maxxis tires started to fall off, I had to change strategy. I let Robert take the lead so he would burn up his tires faster, but around three-quarters of the race Alex — on Hoosiers — started closing in,” Menadbde said. “I had already lost two races earlier in the season when my tires fell off before his came in, so I knew I had to do some thinking while I was in the situation where I had to defend and attack at the same time without any mistakes.”
Heading up the Esses essentially two-wide, Menabde is able to inch ahead to get the edge into the Chicane and is able to keep Porter behind him throughout The Boot and hold it to the checkered flag.
“On the final lap, it was now or never. Robert made a small mistake in Turn 1, and that gave me the opportunity to take P1,” Menabde added. “That weekend I scored a double win. Managing Maxxis tires is extremely challenging, but it forces you to become a much better driver — and the reward is worth it because of the high power allowance they provide without a penalty.”
Menabde’s build formula worked twice that weekend at the Glen.
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