Jordan Erickson and Selena Ward combined for six wins in this year’s SportsCar Championship - a series record. But Saturday’s Petit Le Mans proved a more challenging race for the team than hoped for.
"The end of the race was a bit more chaotic than we would have liked.", said Jordan Erickson.
"The late full course yellow forced us into an alternate strategy to the one we had planned. We ended up with the lead after short-filling fuel. In hindsight it was maybe too aggressive of a pit strategy, but we thought it was our best chance at maintaining control of the race and track position."
Things turned dramatic late in the race for another reason: Going into the chicane, Erickson made contact with the long-time race leaders and eventual race winners #155 DS Racing eSports Team.
"That and the issues that the Albrecht team was having made us decide that we just back off and hold on to fourth place at the time. With the post-race penalty against the #14 we got bumped back to P3. It’s a bit of a surprise podium for us, really. But it feels good to finish the season on the podium.", Erickson added.
Looking back, the #19 Dallara of Trading Paints Racing was well worthy of a championship, all the while overcoming a bit of a hiccup at VIR and Indianapolis that prevented a clean sweep of the LMP2 category.
"Our focus has always been on the overall championship. To achieve that goal in our second season, first as a full-time entry is amazing.", said Jordan’s team-mate Selena Ward.
Throughout the season, the team demonstrated exceptional qualifying and race consistency. On the question, on what was the secret to the team’s success, Erickson said:
"Selena has pushed me to become a better qualifying driver. Being able to have both drivers consistently put the car toward the front of the grid really opens our strategy options up. Flexibility is key in this type of racing, really."
Sebring win one of the highlights of the season for the team
Winning the LMP2 championship is a significant accomplishment that is only possible with garnering several highlights and successful runs into one long season. However, being asked on whether there were some specific moments over the course of the season, that stood out to them, Selena Ward responded:
"Sebring will always hold a special spot in our team’s heart as it was our first VSCA victory, but the circumstances it happened really left us with something to prove. The run of wins from Laguna Seca to Road America really is what left us in such a great spot in the championship. That was really special."
Endurance racing is widely recognized - more so than any other type of racing - to be all about teamwork. So how did the team at Trading Paints Racing work together to overcome challenges and secure the overall LMP2 and Endurance Cup championship titles?
"Selena and I like to go into the races as prepared as possible. That means everything is scheduled down to the second for our stints in the car. Preparation on-track is one thing, but we’ve found that having tools available to us that make calling race strategy easier to be the most impactful thing across an entire season. Countless times this year we’ve been able to strategy our way to a better finish or victory.", said Erickson.
Plans for 2024 season yet to be determined
With the 2023 season officially in the books and the team just coming off celebrating its championship, planning for the 2024 season has already started. So the question looms, on whether the #19 Dallara return next year.
"Right now, we’re only sure that we’ll be back in VSCA for 2024. What classes and how many entries - that is still up in the air.", said Erickson.
"I think the most likely scenario is that we move up to GTP with Selena and myself. And contract our other efforts to at most a single car in another class. We’ll have some decisions to make during the off-season, about driver lineups and the entries. We’ll see."