Coffey Battles Through Back-to-Back California Rounds with Grit and Determination
May 12, 2025
Monterey, CA – [May 12, 2025] — After two intense back-to-back race weekends on the West Coast, Trans Am GT driver Chris Coffey leaves California with a win, some challenging lessons, and a renewed drive to come back stronger at Mid-Ohio.
The double-header began at Sonoma Raceway, where Coffey impressed early by setting the fastest time across all classes in the rain during practice. Though qualifying was canceled due to weather, the race itself ran under dry conditions. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue struck — a left rear wheel bearing began to fail shortly after the green flag that hampered the pace and fully let go on the final lap. Despite the setback, Coffey powered through to take the GT class win.
The following weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca presented its own unique challenges. With limited track time — just one wet practice session before qualifying — Coffey faced the steep learning curve of a new circuit under difficult conditions.
“It was my first time at Laguna Seca, and with a wet track in Practice 1, it definitely wasn’t ideal for learning,” said Coffey. “But I had a blast — it’s an amazing place.”
Qualifying offered a short session of dry conditions, and Coffey pushed through technical issues to clock a 1:30.4 lap time, an impressive effort considering the circumstances.
“We had two injectors misfiring during qualifying, so to still put down that lap while getting to know the track was a win in itself.”
Afterwards , the team worked hard to track down the electrical gremlins, eventually discovering a burnt relay causing low voltage to the injectors. The fix was made just in time for the race — but unfortunately, the trouble wasn’t over. Just six laps in, the car lost all power. When power returned mid-corner, the engine mechanically over-revved, causing internal damage to the transmission. Moments later, a catastrophic gearbox failure ended Coffey’s race early. Upon teardown, the failure was traced to a seized gear on the shaft and a chipped pinion tooth — the same issue that affected the team’s other car at Mid-Ohio last season.
Despite the disappointment, Coffey remains focused and upbeat. “It’s not the weekend we wanted, but racing doesn’t always go your way,” he said. “We’re skipping Lime Rock to regroup, rebuild, and come back stronger. The goal is to have both cars ready for Mid-Ohio — it’s going to be a busy month in the shop.” With a strong team, resilient mindset, and lessons learned, Chris Coffey is determined to bounce back. The challenges at Laguna Seca may have slowed him down, but they haven’t stopped his drive.
Follow along with Chris Coffey’s journey as the team prepares for redemption at Mid-Ohio on Facebook and Instagram.
https://www.facebook.com/chriscoffey97/
https://www.instagram.com/chriscoffeyracing/
