Consistently fighting among the midfield runners, Morales took significant strides forward over the course of the second Porsche Sprint Challenge North America's round at Barber Motorsports Park, where the RAFA Racing Team driver was set for a top-10 overall finish.
Paige Morales showed improved performance during the second round of Porsche Sprint Challenge North America at Barber Motorsports Park. Consistently fighting among the midfield runners, Morales was set for a top-10 overall finish in race two before a puncture put pay to a season’s best result. An on-track incident resulted in a retirement during race one, however Paige took significant strides forward over the course of the event.
Paige has enjoyed an excellent start to her car racing career, having began 2024 as a motorsport rookie. Stepping in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America was set to be a challenge, but Morales started the season positively. Competing at Sebring International Raceway in March, the RAFA Racing Team by JDX driver achieved a best result of sixth in the Cayman Pro/Am class. Now supporting the NTT IndyCar Series at Barber Motorsports Park, Morales was targeting her first top-5 class finish while continuing to develop her racecraft.
To give herself the best chance of a season’s best result, getting up to speed quickly on the challenging Barber Motorsports Park circuit would be crucial. Setting her fastest time on her final lap of first practice on Friday, Morales was sixth fastest in class, 11th overall in a competitive 26-car field. Session two of the day was also an encouraging one for the RAFA Racing Team by JDX driver who again set the sixth fastest time in class, 13th in the overall classification.
Qualifying on Saturday morning was the next opportunity for Morales to make progress and extract the potential from a new set of tyres. It was a challenging session for the RAFA Racing Team by JDX driver who saw others around her improve significantly from practice. As a result, her fastest lap time of a 1:31.731 placed her eighth in class, 19th overall.
Morales was determined to make a quick start after showing competitive pace throughout practice. From 19th overall on the grid, Paige gained four positions on lap one while moving into sixth position within class. Teammate Ian Porter was required to start from the back of the grid in race one and he moved ahead of Morales on lap three, with Paige aiming to follow him through the field.
During the opening stages, Morales was continuing to race amongst more experienced drivers while improving her lap times and learning from her competitors. Defending smartly from Daniel Ammann, she was determined to keep her rival behind and this persistence paid off as she held off his challenge, while moving back inside the top-15 overall on lap 12.
Aiming to move further forward, Paige was involved in a three-car incident on lap 13 which saw her spin, collect damage and retire from the race. It was an unfortunate end to race one for Morales who was showing excellent speed in her first race at Barber Motorsports Park.
Despite the damage suffered in race one, a superb job from the RAFA Racing Team by JDX squad saw Paige’s car repaired and ready to go for race two. Starting from 19th position overall, eighth within Cayman Pro/Am, it was a phenomenal start for Morales who gained six overall spots on the opening lap. Running in 13th, Paige’s speed was excellent as she fought for position alongside drivers with significantly more experience in the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS.
Moving ahead of both Roland Krainz and William Peluchiwski on lap two, Paige was soon targeting a spot within the top-10 of the overall classification. At this stage, Morales was also up to sixth in class with her next Cayman Pro/Am target being fellow female driver Loni Unser. Firstly defending from Peluchiwski and then class rival Chris Hutter, Paige lost out to Hutter at the turn five hairpin. Misfortune then struck again as Morales picked up a puncture while fighting side-by-side for position.
As a result, the RAFA Racing Team by JDX driver was forced to pit with the crew changing the damaged tyre. This relegated Paige a lap down to her rivals, however she remained on track to bank vital experience. Showing competitive pace to the midfield runners, Morales took the checkered flag in 22nd position overall, ninth in the Cayman Pro/Am class.
Although Paige did not achieve the results her speed deserved at Barber Motorsports Park, it was an excellent weekend of development for the racing rookie. Morales took significant strides forward from the season opener at Sebring International Raceway and should be encouraged by her ability to fight for overall top-10 positions.
The next round of Porsche Sprint Challenge North America will take place at Circuit of the Americas on the weekend of 25th/26th May, with Morales targeting strong results at a track which she has tested at previously.