The No. 56 Mercedes Driver Remains in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Title Picture Despite a Foot Injury and Three Co-Drivers This SeasonJuly 11, 2022By Jeff OlsonIMSA Wire Service Entry List (Click Here) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t. That’s Eric Foss’ approach as he aims to get closer to the lead in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge standings Saturday in the Lime Rock Park 120 at Lime Rock Park. It’s a philosophy he borrowed from Dr. Jacques Dallaire, the popular racing performance coach. “There are things you can control and things you can’t control,” Foss said. “If you only focus on the things you can control, you’ll have the best result. Whenever I’ve been in a championship battle, I’ve always just focused solely on doing the best I can with my team. I continue to take that approach no matter where I’m at in the championship.” The philosophy certainly applies to Foss’ current situation. He and teammate Marc Miller – his third co-driver of the season – took the No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 to victory July 2 in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120, pulling Foss within 90 points of the drivers’ standings lead in the Grand Sport (GS) class. Foss prevailed at CTMP despite a foot injury sustained when the brakes failed while Foss was driving a client’s car during a coaching session. He may be on crutches at Lime Rock, Foss said, but it’s not as bad as it appears. “It’s not a big deal by any means,” said Foss, who was back to coaching last week at Watkins Glen International. “I’m good enough to get in the car, and that’s the key.” Just four races remain in the 2022 Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Foss’ deficit to co-leaders Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman isn’t insurmountable, but it does raise the question of which is more advantageous in a points battle – chasing or leading. “I don’t really have a belief on whether you’re in a better place – leading or behind,” Foss said. “As a team, if we always improve every weekend to try to be better as a whole, that’s going to always give us the best shot to have the best result and therefore could lead to a championship.” It also helps that he’s returning to a track that’s been good to him. Foss and Jeff Mosing combined to take the No. 56 Murillo Mercedes to victory last year at Lime Rock, and Foss and Ken Murillo’s team have a successful history at the seven-turn, 1.478-mile circuit. “Ken has a good understanding of what makes a car work,” Foss said. “Because of that – and because Lime Rock is so setup-sensitive – we’ve always had really good success with our cars there. I do love the track and the flow of it. I’m a guy who likes a lot of high-speed stuff. As short as Lime Rock is, it’s still a high-speed track.” All of which leads back to Foss’ core philosophy: Only concern yourself with the things you can control. “I don’t usually change my driving based on whether I’m in or out of the championship,” Foss said. “I’m always just trying to get the best result possible.” Foss is paired with Kenton Koch in the No. 56 for Saturday’s race (11 a.m. ET on Peacock [in the U.S.], IMSA.com/TVLive [outside the U.S.] and IMSA Radio). They’ve shared the car three times this season, with Koch qualifying on the pole twice and the duo winning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in May. Koch and Miller have been filling in for Mosing, who has missed the last four races with a rib injury. A total of 35 cars are entered, 23 in GS and 12 in Touring Car (TCR), where 2021 champions Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler regained the class lead with a second-place finish at CTMP in the No. 1 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Lewis and Hagler picked up the only win of their championship season last year at Lime Rock. |
