86 Challenge Rd-2 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Round 2 of the 2026 86 Challenge season brought drivers to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca — a track that rewards commitment, precision, and confidence.

Conditions throughout the day were warm and sunny, creating a wide temperature swing from the cool morning sessions into the late afternoon. Laguna Seca is known for this variation, and managing tire temperatures becomes a key factor. As track temps rise, maintaining grip and consistency requires careful setup and disciplined driving.

It was a strong day for pace, and the results reflected it.

Stock Class

1st – Ivan Larionov – Car 86 – 1:46.175
2nd – Saurabh Kulkarni – Car 404 – 1:46.497
3rd – Alex Deynega – Car 64 – 1:47.259

A tightly packed field in Stock with less than a second covering the top three. Clean laps and consistency made the difference.

Street Class

1st – Nico Iskos – Car 60 – 1:45.058
2nd – Dennis Feng – Car 72 – 1:46.482
3rd – Bill Wu – Car 55 – 1:46.518

Street delivered some of the closest margins of the day. P2 and P3 were separated by just hundredths of a second.

Touring Class

1st – Will Lorne – Car 24 – 1:40.792
2nd – Miles Kodama – Car 860 – 1:44.734
3rd – Alvin Quach – Car 161 – 1:44.748

Touring saw the largest pace gap at the front, with Will Lorne putting down a commanding lap in the low 1:40s.

Unlimited Class

1st – Qianli Xing – Car 866 – 1:39.171
2nd – Daniel Quinones – Car 68 – 1:40.466
3rd – Johnny Hu – Car 710 – 1:45.640

Unlimited produced the fastest laps of the weekend, with sub-1:40 pace setting the benchmark at Laguna Seca.

Managing Conditions at Laguna

Laguna Seca presents a unique challenge over the course of a full day. Early sessions offer cooler air and lower track temps, while the afternoon brings increased heat and changing grip levels.

Drivers who managed tire temperatures effectively — balancing warm-up, peak grip, and long-run consistency — were able to extract the most performance when it counted.

Looking Ahead

The next round shifts to a double-header weekend:

April 4–5
Thunderhill Raceway

Two configurations. Two opportunities to score. One weekend.

The 86 Challenge continues to build momentum, with deeper fields, tighter competition, and faster lap times each round.

The standard is rising — and the grid is only getting stronger.