You strive for perfection in this sport. You want the pole, the clean getaway, the gap management, and the comfortable drive to the checkered flag. But sometimes, racing gives you something else entirely. Sometimes, it gives you a street fight.
The win at NOLA against Michai Stephens wasn’t just a victory; it was the single tightest margin of my life. 0.001 seconds.
The Setup
The weekend was already chaotic. The Louisiana weather had washed out Saturday, turning the entire event into a one-race showdown on Sunday. My teammate Zac Anderson did exactly what he does best—he handed me the Auto Technic BMW M4 GT4 in a great position. We had the pace, but NOLA is technical, and tire degradation is real.
As the stint wore on, I could feel the rear tires giving up. I was managing the gap, but I saw the #34 Conquest Mercedes of Michai Stephens getting larger in my mirrors. If you know Michai, you know he doesn't leave anything on the table. He’s a fierce competitor, and he was hunting.
The Final Lap
With just a few corners to go, my tires were effectively gone. I was hanging on for dear life.
Michai made his move in Turn 13—a total "banzai" lunge to the outside. It was a brave move, and honestly, he made it stick. He got around me, and for a split second, I thought the win was gone. But I knew I had one card left to play: the exit onto the front straight.
I squared up the exit, got the power down as early as I dared, and we turned the run to the checkered flag into a pure drag race. BMW vs. Mercedes. German horsepower vs. German horsepower.
The Photo Finish
We crossed the line side-by-side. From inside the car, you can’t tell. You just keep your foot buried and hope.
When we crossed, the timing screens initially flashed that Michai had won by 0.004 seconds. The announcers called it for him. I pulled into the pits thinking we had just lost the closest race in SRO history. It was heartbreak.
But then, the officials went to the video review.
Electronic transponders are great, but at 140 mph, they aren't always the final word. The high-speed camera told the real story. The nose of my BMW had broken the plane exactly 0.001 seconds ahead of the Mercedes.
The Aftermath
They reversed the result. We didn't lose by 0.004; we won by 0.001.
To put that in perspective, at race speeds, that is less than six inches. It’s a blink of an eye. It’s a rounding error. But in the record books, it’s 25 points and a P1 trophy.
Michai was a class act about it, as always. We battled hard, we didn't touch, and we put on a show that I don’t think anyone at NOLA will forget anytime soon.
That race reminded me why we do this. It’s not for the easy wins. It’s for the moments where you have to dig deeper than you thought possible, drag a car that doesn't want to turn across the line, and wait for the photo finish to tell you if you’re a winner.
Official Margin: 0.001s Status: Win!