Engine Management - Spec Miata Race at Thunderhill Raceway

I was struggling with keeping the engine temperature under control a few laps into the race, getting as high as 220F. You can briefly see the temperature warning light on the left side of the AIM dash when the driver side net moves out of the way for several laps while this was going on. Drafting risked engine damage, so I needed to figure out how to back off the pace and get clean air without compromising my position from the drivers behind. I believe the overheating was caused by oil-dry getting in my radiator that was applied on the track in the braking zone of turn 14 and through into turn 15. During the out lap as we were lining up to start the race, as the first few rows of cars drove over the oil-dry, I ended up driving through a thick dust cloud. Managing the engine while staying out of trouble allowed me to gain some places when some contact occurred with two drivers in front of me, causing their retirement, along with another driver going off at turn 1 in the latter half of the race. I tried to line up for an attempt at P4 on the last lap but the driver in front ended up getting a bit loose coming out of turn 12 causing me to back out of it to avoid potential contact, preventing any last corner heroics on my part. All said, 5th place with some heavy competition is a great result for the first race weekend in a new car and team. P5/37 SCCA San Francisco Region, Thunderhill Raceway 3/29/26 Group 7 Race 3 Spec Miata Cerini Motorsports, #17 SMT