2025 Gridlife GLTC Weekend — Mid Ohio Sportscar Course

The Gridlife Touring Cup (GLTC) returned to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Round 5 of the 2025 season. This marked the second time GLTC raced on the repaved surface, with the 2.4‑mile circuit having been fully resurfaced in late 2023 using a motorsport-specific asphalt designed for improved grip and consistency. In addition, Turn 4 received updates in late 2024, with its banking reduced from 4° to 2° and new drains installed to improve drainage—a change aimed at making the corner more stable in both wet and dry conditions.

A total of 44 drivers qualified for the weekend, making for a deep and competitive field.

Before qualifying, Mendez took his car to the dyno to confirm the tune and found it was making only 219 hp—about 25 hp down on expectations. 

The team removed all available ballast, but with no more weight to take out, he was forced to run 100 lbs over the minimum weight for the setup. Carlos managed to qualify P20 with a best lap of 1:38.7, running Falken RT615+ tires in 265/35R18 on 11-inch-wide wheels.

Thomas Lathrop faced his own challenge going into qualifying. The cars did not return to Condor HQ between events, so no work could be carried out at the shop. A drivetrain vibration from the previous round at Gingerman carried over to Mid-Ohio, forcing the team to perform a clutch and flywheel replacement in the trailer at the track. 

Despite the limited resources and last-minute repair, he qualified P27 with a best lap of 1:39.6 on 265/35R18 Kumho V730 tires, running 18x10 HRE wheels with continued support from HRE.

Race 1 opened on a slightly damp track. Mendez kept it composed, moving up five positions to finish P15, his best result of the weekend and matching his top finish at Mid-Ohio from 2024. Thomas gained seven spots with a clean drive to finish P20, setting the tone for a consistent weekend.

Race 2 saw a return to dry conditions. Mendez maintained a steady pace to finish P19 while continuing to fight through handling inconsistency. Thomas followed with a P21 finish, keeping pressure on the mid-pack and running reliable laps.

Between Races 2 and 3, the Condor crew pulled the valve cover off Carlos’ N52 engine to check cam timing after suspecting the car was down on power compared to previous events.

The grid for Race 3 was set by the fastest laps from Race 2. Before the race carlos made minor setup changes that improved the car’s balance, producing his best lap of the weekend at 1:38.2 and finishing P19. Thomas had his strongest showing of the event as well, turning a 1:38.124, his fastest lap of the weekend, and finishing P20 right behind Mendez. 

Ride Along with Mendez for Race 3:

In Race 4, Carlos carried the momentum, dropping his best lap to 1:37.4 and finishing P17, closing the weekend on a high note despite the power deficit.

Thomas lost concentration mid-race and slipped back to P23, but still completed the weekend with clean finishes and consistent lap times that showed he was closing the gap to his teammate.

Carlos left Mid-Ohio with an overall weekend average of P18 and expressed frustration with the results, given the power shortfall and handling struggles, noting there was more pace to find in both car and driver. Thomas wrapped up the weekend with an overall result of P28 and valuable seat time after overcoming the pre-event drivetrain repair.

Both Condor Speed Shop drivers brought home clean cars and valuable race data after a hard-fought four-race weekend. The team now turns its attention to preparing for the next GLTC round, with a focus on extracting more pace and refining race setups for the second half of the season.