Sonoma, Calif.—Eager to build on a successful start to the Toyota GR Cup Season, RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate rolled into Sonoma Raceway with a three-car team that was ready to dominate.
And dominate, they did. A total of four podiums across two races only told part of the story about the speed and consistency the team displayed all weekend. In both races, all three drivers finished inside the top five, a remarkable feat.
The Sonoma double-header was a quick turnaround following the season-opener in Arlington, Texas, but RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate showed up in California with quick Toyota GR86 entries, though there seemed to be a bit more speed that could be found.
While the crew worked on setup, the drivers settled into the new lineup. Max Schweid and Will Robusto started the season at Arlington, and at Sonoma, Garrett Manes joined the team for his first professional race weekend.
Will and Max teamed up in qualifying to secure third and fifth, respectively. Meanwhile, Garrett got his professional racing career off to a strong start by taking the eighth spot on the grid.
In race one, the results for all three drivers showed how well the team is working together. Will finished second, bettering his top result from race one. Max was in a fierce battle for position the entire race, getting as high as third and as low as sixth, but he wound up bringing home the final podium position. Garrett rounded out a stellar race by securing fifth.
More teamwork in the second qualifying session gave Will second, which meant a front-row start for race two. Max qualified fourth, while Garrett was seventh. Despite an early battle for Will in race two, things settled into a fairly steady pace. At the end, Will was second and Max was third, giving RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate two spots on the podium once again. Garrett was in fourth, proving that he’s a series rookie who can get results.
While the podium finishes are nice, Will has his sights set on the top step. He says, “We had really good speed this weekend. Now, we just need to figure out how to win one of these things.”
Max is already thinking strategy as the team readies for the next event, which will be at Circuit of the Americas in April. “I liked my race pace,” he says. “I just started farther back than I would like, so I think qualifying is going to be a focus point for me going forwards.”
Garrett was excited about his first weekend in the series, and deservedly so. “I don’t think I could have asked for a better debut in GR Cup,” he says. “The P4 and 5 greatly exceed my goals for the weekend, and I’m looking forward to building on this momentum going into Circuit of the Americas.”
