Matthew Cowley: Debut Reflections

Well it’s been just over a week since the first race weekend of the F4 U.S. Championship at VIR, and I've had some time to reflect on my debut.

After the great success of last year, winning the FRP/USAC F1600 championship, the SCCA FF1600 National Runoffs Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the honor of being awarded the SCCA’s prestigious “President’s Cup”, I returned from England knowing this season was going to be a tougher, but I was looking forward to the challenge. My off-season on and off the track went well. I was granted a five year visa to live in the United States which was a key step for me to be progress my racing career and secure sponsors. 

My main aspiration for my debut season, of course like many of the drivers entered, is to win the championship, but most of all to be consistent. The first event was a learning experience. 

Practice 1 went alright with the pace, putting us in front-running opportunities. However, with an oil change we found a mechanical issue which needed mended, causing us to miss the second round of practice. 

Qualifying didn’t go as planned.An off-track excursion with a tow by another competitor caused a long red flag. I was able to lay down one full timed lap before the 30-minute clock expired. This left me in P20 with a lot of work to do.

F4 U.S. was the first series on the track for our first round. The track conditions were damp and cold from the morning dew, and it took a few laps for the track and tires to warm. My progress was not where I wanted it be. I was quick through the corners but lacked speed on the straights. I completed my debut race finishing just outside of points in P12.

Race 2 was a short lived event for me. With the issues of lack of straight line speed I knew I had to try to carry the car and push through Hog Pen to keep the places I had made up in this opening lap. I pushed a bit too hard and the back stepped out on me. I caught and corrected but the front wheel hit the barrier taking me out of the race. Race 3 I started 32 out of a 33-car grid. By the end of Lap 1 I had made up around 10 places. While I knew I was still down on straight-line speed, I could still race for a top-10 place. However, a trip to the pits with mechanical issues sent me back to back of the field. My great team, Century Auto Racing, resolved the issue and I laid down a few more laps before the checkered dropped. 

With all the hard work put in by Century Auto Racing it was a great disappointment having no points on the table after the weekend. We all know we have the abilities to challenge for podium positions and will work hard for the second round at Road Atlanta.