2025 GLTC Weekend - Road America

Returning to Road America for 2025 was a chance to build on lessons from last year. The 4.048‑mile circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, is known for its long straights, heavy braking zones, and fast corners. In 2024, limited green-flag laps made it difficult for the guys to find a rhythm. This year, with more preparation and both cars further developed, the team aimed to make the most of every session.

Pre-Event Prep

In preparation for the event, the team spent significant time and energy at the shop making suspension setup changes to the #83. The goal was to figure out why midcorner speed was so low by disassembling the suspension and performing a full bump steer analysis. The team also made adjustments to the aero and tire size, switching to a smaller rear wing to reduce drag and moving from 265/35-18s to 255/40-17 Falken RT615+ tires. The smaller size offered lower rolling resistance, a smaller diameter, and reduced weight, making it better suited to the track’s long straights and heavy braking zones.

A routine oil change the weekend before leaving for the track revealed a major concern. The filter contained a significant amount of metal flake, and a boroscope inspection confirmed the worst, scoring in the cylinder walls. The finding explained the unexpectedly low horsepower readings the team had been seeing in the #83 at both Gingerman and Mid-Ohio. The engine had been losing efficiency over time, reading lower than expected at both previous events.

With only days to spare before making the 1,295‑mile trip from Oakland Park, Florida, to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, the team prepared and installed a replacement N52. The new engine would get its first test at one of the fastest tracks on the calendar.

Test Day & Dyno 

Mendez took advantage of Thursday’s optional test day to shake down the new engine and validate the setup changes. On Friday morning, the team ran the car on the dyno before qualifying. The results showed the engine was still down on power, producing 217 hp versus the expected ~235.

The next few sessions were spent reviewing data and working with the tuner to understand where the missing power was. Despite making incremental adjustments, no significant gains were found before qualifying. 

Qualifying 

Cool morning conditions helped everyone find speed. Thomas Lathrop entered the weekend with new spring rates and a rear sway bar upgrade, which gave him more confidence through high-speed sections like the Carousel. He set a 2:33.978, placing P20. Mendez followed with a 2:34.553 for P23, running 130 lbs overweight due to his low HP dyno reading… Mendez had no additional weight/ballast available to be removed from the car. Both results were a step forward compared to their 2024 qualifying times.

Race 1 

Saturday brought very warm weather conditions, and fortunately, the duo ran a clean, caution-free race. Mendez, still overweight, worked his way through the midfield to finish P15, recording a 2:35.252. Thomas kept close and finished P16 with a 2:35.984. The 83’s balance and setup changes showed progress despite the lack of power.

Tuning Fix 

After the race, the breakthrough finally came. Digging deep into the ECU, the tuner discovered a global setting that was pulling timing across the entire map. With the fix applied, the car went back on the dyno and made 236 hp—right where it needed to be. With power restored, the team now added 85 lbs of ballast to meet the corrected minimum weight. For the first time of the weekend, Mendez felt confident in the car’s potential and went into Race  2 with cautious optimism.

Race 2 

Mendez gained positions early, moving from P15 to P12, but mid-race, a competitor lost an engine exiting Turn 13, dropping oil into the braking zone of Turn 14. Mendez hit the slick, lost control, and slid off track. He rejoined near the back in P29. The incident brought out a full-course yellow, giving him a chance to catch the pack while also managing higher-than-usual engine and oil temperatures. On the restart, he recovered 10 positions to finish P19. Thomas avoided the incident and drove a consistent race to finish P14.

Race 3

Sunday was predicted to be the hottest day of the weekend, making temperature management important. Before the race, Mendez removed the wire mesh from the kidney grills. The idea was to increase the flow into the cooling system to handle the ambient heat. The mods helped, and the car ran noticeably cooler. Combined with the medium wing and 255 Falkens, the car felt balanced and efficient. Mendez finished P10 with a 2:35.182, while Thomas followed close behind in P12 with a 2:35.276, his fastest lap of the weekend.

Race 4 

By Race  4, the heat had peaked. The weekend’s only inverted grid didn’t include either Condor car, but both drivers delivered strong finishes. Mendez ended the weekend with P7 and set a 2:34.797, marking his fastest lap of the weekend. Thomas finished P10, securing another double top-ten for the team.

Weekend Totals

• Carlos Mendez: 29 points – 10th overall
  

• Thomas Lathrop: 28 points – 13th overall
  
  

2024 vs 2025 – Year-over-Year Comparison

Road America delivered a challenging but productive weekend for the team. The fresh engine, setup changes, and mid-event tuning work gave Mendez a more competitive car, while Thomas’s suspension updates, combined with consistent, steady driving, helped turn last year’s struggles into a solid top-15 overall result. Both drivers improved over their 2024 performances, showing clear progress in car preparation and execution.

With the lessons learned at Road America, the team now shifts focus to the next round at Lime Rock Park. The short, technical layout will present a completely different challenge, and preparation is already underway to carry this momentum into the next event.