One more time.
In addition to being a Daft Punk hit song, it serves as the unofficial motto for Toby Sowery entering this weekend’s Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires doubleheader at Circuit of The Americas.
That’s because the 22-year-old Brit’s availability was unknown beyond the season-opening round two weeks ago in St. Petersburg, Florida, despite him finishing twice on the podium in his debut on the top level of the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires development ladder.
While a full season remains uncertain, Sowery isn’t feeling the pressure.
“To be honest, not having a full campaign sorted doesn't affect me mentally,” said Sowery, driver of the No. 2 BN Racing Dallara IL-15.
“Either way, I am always going to go out there and do my best, whether or not it is a one-off race or a season opener. However, it could also be positive not having a season campaign sorted as it gets people talking, creates a bit of a story around me being there and also brings interest towards me through the media.”
Part of that mindset stems from a varied background in open-wheel racing, which includes two one-off race weekends in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship presented by Cooper Tires – the first rungs of the RTI ladder. That experience aided Sowery’s quick adjustment to Indy Lights.
“(The Indy Lights car) immediately felt familiar and comfortable, so there wasn't any acclimation to that side of the car,” confessed Sowery, the third-place finisher in the 2016 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship.
“However, this is the fastest single-seater I have raced and properly tested, so it wasn't as easy as jumping into a car I've previously driven. As far as single-seaters go, this is quite a loose car to drive, there is quite a good amount of mechanical grip, but the aero isn't as much as I had expected so driving on the edge is very fun and wild.
“In terms of finding the limit, it’s all about confidence. You always try to drive ever so slightly past the limit to find what the cars limits are, and then bring it back slightly. But it’s always a challenging task.”
Sowery’s effort with BN Racing has been aided by another RTI outfit, Team Pelfrey.
“Basically, (team owner) Dale Pelfrey wanted one of his yellow cars out at his home race at St Pete, so we ended up connecting,” said Bryn Nuttal, owner of BN Racing. “I had the driver, (crew) people and engineering to run the car, so that’s how it happened and as Dale let us use the car, we put his name on the entry as a goodwill gesture.”
With future Indy Lights weekends beyond this uncertain, but Sowery sitting third in the championship, 10 points behind points leader Zachary Claman, there is one focus coming into the 3.41-mile, 20-turn COTA circuit.
“Try and win,” Sowery said. “I know all of the drivers have driven the circuit before in this car. So, again it will be very important to learn as fast as possible, but I think that should be an easier task than it was in St. Petersburg.
“I know the team will do everything they can to try and win, as will I. The better the results, the better likelihood it is I will come back for more races. So the motivation for BN and myself is extremely high.”
Indy Lights competition at COTA starts Friday with practice and qualifying for the first race. Qualifying for Race 2 is set for Saturday morning, with the first weekend race starting at 1:45 p.m. ET Saturday. The second race goes off at 10:10 a.m. Sunday. Both races stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold.