In motorsport, the practice laps can be nearly as important as the race itself. So you could imagine Edgar Lau’s frustration when transponder issues in his Ford Mustang touring car forced him to start from the back. But that didn’t keep the talented driver from making the most of a bad situation, putting himself at the front of the pack after 11 laps of Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 19.
Competing in Round 6 of the United States Touring Car Championship, Lau immediately started picking off competitors one by one, knocking seven of his colleagues down a peg within the first lap alone. By the 10th lap, he was in position two and chasing down Bob Accardo’s Chevrolet Camaro. Accardo put distance between himself and the rival Mustang at every straightaway, but Lau’s nearly perfect driving kept him close behind in corners, perfectly positioned to take advantage of even the tiniest opening.
After a few laps in second place chasing that Camaro, Lau’s fate finally turned when Accardo went just a bit too wide on the exit of Turn 6, spitting up gravel and allowing the Mustang to press forward into first. Lau maintained his position at the top for the rest of the 20-lap race, the best of which elapsed just 1 minute, 35.674 seconds.
Each pass was captured via on-board video. Lau uploaded the flick to his personal YouTube page, and it’s thrilling racing to be sure. What’s obviously even more impressive is how resounding the victory might have been were his starting position a bit more indicative of his talents.
Currently, Lau has 305 points in the USTCC GT Class, putting him in second place in the season championship after having missed three races earlier this year. Fellow driver Rob Harper has 575 points, making it unlikely that Lau will win his class with only two races to go. Still, with an incredible weekend of racing at the fearsome Laguna Seca Raceway under his belt, clearly anything’s possible.