Strong Return to the Track for Abbate
After suffering a failure in her transmission, Michele and the Grr Racing team went to work hard to get the car ready for the May races of the Spring Mountain Racing Series. The weekend was May 5-6 and Abbate spent a few days at the track shaking the car down. A full refresh of the transmission, rear end, trans and diff coolers, etc. made for a very important break in procedure.
On Friday Abbate qualified P2 in class but had a challenging start when the green flag dropped. An out of class car was slowing as the flag came out and Abbate had to get into the brakes, allowing 3 of her competitors to charge ahead of her. In the first lap she got loose in turn 5 losing a few more positions. Abbate stayed calm and charged forward for the 30 minute sprint race, climbing her way back to a podium finish and crossed the finish line in 3rd! “I’m thankful I was able to make up the ground we lost early in the race, but I am definitely hungry for a better start tomorrow”, Michele explained.
On Saturday Michele qualified 3rd, putting her in a good position off the start. She capitalized and raced with some very competitive times and a late race caution gave her the opportunity to close in on the win. As the white flag came out, Abbate focused and prepared to make the most of the opportunity at the win. She was trailing the leader, when a faster classed car went to make the pass and Abbate tucked in behind him successfully making the pass in class for the lead. As Abbate charged forward into turn 8, the second place car came on her inside in the sweeper and forced her into the marbles, where she lost grip and slid off the track. Michele was able to gather the car but lost 3 additional positions, and by the time she got to the finish line she was 4th in class.
“What an absolute heartbreaker!”, she shared. “We were really gunning for it, and it felt good to lead, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do once I was on the outside of the corner. I am learning more everytime we hit the track and I really wanted the win so bad, but we are getting closer. Thank you to all my partners who make this possible”, she said. “We’ll be back!”
Michele’s next race will be at Spring Mountain June 6-7 where the 2024-2025 season finale will take place. Be sure to follow along on social media at @micheleabbate Special thanks to Michele’s partners:
GHOST Lifestyle / GHOST Energy / GHOST Hydration – Use code “GRR” for a discount!
Wedsport Wheels
BOXO USA – Use code “GRR” for a discount!
Shift Up Now
Collision Careers
Simcoaches
Eibach Suspension
Heat Wave Visual – Use code “GRR” for a discount!
The Throttlestop
R1 Concepts
USA Doors
Radium Engineering
JEGS Performance
