Continental Tire IMSA Driver Spotlight: Lawson Aschenbach

Driver Spotlight: Lawson Aschenbach
Driver, No. 01 CKS Autosport Chevrolet Camaro Z28.R (CTSC)
Follow: @lawsonaracing

How competitive is the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series this year?

“I believe the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series is the most competitive series in North America. It’s exciting to see the large variety of cars on track and that makes for great racing for the fans. On any given weekend there are so many different car/driver combinations duking it out for the win. We all have to thank IMSA and Continental Tire for providing us with an exciting series. Continental has built a tire that’s very forgiving and allows us to push hard throughout a race. I love seeing the series grow and continue to draw rave reviews from the fans”

Is it still feasible to win the championship from where you sit (9th) in the point standings?

“These days you never know until the last lap of the last race. We’ve had some unfortunate races this year and have been caught up in some things outside of our control, but that doesn’t mean we can’t win the championship. In reality, I go through an entire season focusing on wins and then take a look at the championship with a few races to go to see where we are. We’ve got a fast Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R and a great team in CKS Autosport. We just need to keep our heads down and focus on each race.”

What are some of the challenges that Canadian Tire Motorsport Park will present this weekend?

“Mosport is one of the great tracks in North America and Ron Fellows has done an excellent job updating the facility. It’s incredibly fast and has lots of elevation changes. I really enjoy the flow of the place and I think the fans are going to get a great show. Depending on the car you have, it can be a tough place to pass because it’s more of a one line type track, so it really challenges a driver to think. I’m looking forward to going there.”

What are some of the differences between the Camaro you drive on track to a Camaro that someone drives on the street?

“The answer also is the reason why we race a Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R in Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. This series is the perfect avenue for someone to race a street car with minimal changes, and there is no better way (in my mind) for a manufacturer to validate a street car’s performance than by racing it against its competition. Our Camaro is extremely similar to the street car other than some basic changes like sway bars, shocks and brakes. We have to change certain things to tune it for endurance racing, but a lot of the core parts stay the same. Plus, I think it’s the best looking car on track! In the end, this type of racing really does prove the ‘win on Sunday, buy on Monday’ mentality.”

What’s  your most memorable road trip?

“To be honest, all of the memorable road trips I had usually had to do with racing Karts at a young age. My Dad would load us up in the back of a GMC 3/4 ton dually and we’d drive all over the eastern side of the USA hitting different races in different states. From Florida to Michigan we drove everywhere. I still remember those days of sitting in the truck with a trophy from the race feeling proud and excited we won, then passing out about five minutes later and waking up only for food and bathroom breaks!. To this day I don’t know how my Dad would do all of the driving! It’s been an incredible journey.”