RYDQUIST REMAINS FOCUSED ON TITLE IN WEST COAST TA2
August 2, 2021
Carl Rydquist switched to TA2 for 2021 with cautious West Coast title hopes. With Nelson Motorsports he has led the most laps, secured three wins and is at the top of the standings with two rounds to go.
(August 1, 2021) - Rydquist’s plan ahead of the 2021 season was to achieve incremental goals in TA2.
“A podium, a fastest lap in a race, a win, and so on,” Carl said then. “If we achieve many of those smaller goals and stay consistent we have a shot at the West Coast TA2 Championship title.
Fast forward five championship rounds, the team has a commanding points lead. Although a rare motor issue impacted their consistency in Portland, forcing a retirement of the notorious jet black and yellow No. 47 Nelson Motorsports/GroupWholeSale/OptimalStunt TA2 Mustang, Nelson Motorsports have been extremely effective in providing Rydquist the platform needed for a title bid.
“The crew is talented and experienced, the setup support for the car is first rate, and there is a calm in Tom Nelson’s leadership of the team that allows everyone to focus on the process of coming up to speed.” Carl explains. “We have this groove where we step outside of the conventional box and embrace a lot of setup ideas to uncover more pace. This has made the car go fast and also accelerated my experience with the TA2 platform.”
Nelson Motorsports have accumulated a 29 point lead with Rydquist in the No. 47 Nelson Motorsports/GroupWholeSale/OptimalStunt TA2 Mustang. With eyes on the prize, following Portland the team made the decision to withdraw from the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix in Nashville to focus on the final two West Coast championship rounds at Utah Motorsports Campus and Circuit of the Americas. Although they could mathematically close out the championship already in Utah, any issue could cut deep into that lead.
“We really do want to race at the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix and we’re no quitters so it was a really tough call.” Carl says. “We have breezed through typical teething issues on our path to build our championship position, no big deal. Having the motor go in Portland woke us all up”.
National competition has been a big motivator for Rydquist, who got to race against many national TA2 drivers in the 2020 Trans Am by Pirelli eSports Series. His first real life matchup with the National field in a TA2 car occurred at Laguna Seca in May of 2021, his second time in a TA2 car. In that race Rydquist ran as high as 7th although he believes there is more to come.
“It was a lot of fun and I look forward to more National TA2 events. The setup is a lot faster for me now, so I was really looking forward to Nashville.” Carl says. “At the same time we have a real shot at the West Coast TA2 Championship title, which is also a priority to our partners, so our job now is to focus No. 47 on that to finish the season strong.”
“That said I have prepared for Nashville for six months, we wanted to show what Optimal Stunt is all about. These cars have proven to suit my aggressive driving style and then a close quarters street course ties right in with my stunt driving precision.” Carl continues. “You have to love sending these awesome Pirellis right up along the walls for a good lap, and do it at every turn, every lap. So yeah, definitely keeping my eyes and ears open if a competitive and current car frees up for Nashville at the last minute.”
Carl Rydquist social media hub www.carlrydquist.com
About Nelson Motorsports:
Nelson Motorsports is expanding its services into a rental race car program called Racecars4Rent. We began as a family passionate about racing and the life lessons it brings. Road course racing is where we have landed our racing passion, setting track records on the West Coast and winning races at big time circuits like Circuit of the Americas.
Learn more at https://www.racecars4rent.com/
Parties interested in the 2021 R4R “Arrive and Drive” Program in TA2, can contact the team office at (509) 948-5785 or email nelsonmotorsports64@icloud.com
