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| September 27, 2010 News |
| First Pro Challenge Runs Nets Top-15 Finish |
 | Rob made his Ontario Pro Challenge debut on September 25 at Flamboro Speedway and scored a 15th place finish, staying out of all the carnage that slowed the pace in the 25-lap feature
(Photo: Chip Young) |
Ontario Pro Challenge freshman Rob Howden made his series debut on Saturday evening (Sept. 25) at Flamboro Speedway and a focused approach on gaining as much seat time as possible resulted in a solid 15th place finish. After shaking down his eKartingNews.ca Chevy Monte Carlo on the same track on Tuesday afternoon, Howden entered the final series race of the year with a set plan of attack. With his fellow competitors still running for their end positions in the final point standings, the 42 year-old motorsports journalist would look to stay out of trouble while gaining valuable experience ahead of a more in-depth program in 2011. By the time the final checkered flag waved to end the night, the driver and his crew deemed it a successful outing.
“It felt good to finally get out there in the car after putting so much work into it, but I had a definite plan heading into the evening and we followed it perfectly,” Howden explained. “I’d only tested the car once and I’m in need of much more seat-time, so I just wanted to stay out of trouble and get a better feel for the car. We practiced in 75-degree weather on Tuesday and it was less than 50 degrees on Saturday night, and I wasn’t about to get caught out by the difference in grip levels. I really didn’t want to find myself in the wall with tons of work to do on the car. We rolled it on the trailer at night’s end, that was just what we were looking for.”
Over the course of the evening’s program, Howden picked up speed, as he lowered his lap times consistently to make this trip a valuable experience. Rain hits the track just before practice and the racing surface was very green and slick during the short sessions. It was very cold, making it almost impossible to built enough heat in the tires to find nay grip during the warm-up runs. In the heat race, Howden was put at the tail of the fast heat with the top-six drivers in the points, so avoiding getting lapped was the primary goal. The car did not have much exit grip, so Rob was forced to wait to get back on the throttle. The race went green to checker and the leaders were not able to track down the rookie, so the first goal was reached.
The 25-lap main featured more caution flags than usual, as several spins slowed the action. Howden stepped up in the feature race and found more pace, dropping down into the mid 17-second range to bring home a 15th place finish. The team identified some shortcomings in the driver’s corner-by-corner pace in comparison to the seasoned competition, and adjustments to the set-up are being discussed for the one final practice session that is being tentatively planned for this fall.
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