Porsche Female Driver Program member Therese Lahlouh reflects on her podium-finishing weekend at COTA.
So Much for Calm and Composed
I went into Circuit of The Americas telling myself I would approach the weekend like a calm, composed, highly professional racing driver.
I’ve podiumed here before in Porsche machinery, surely I can do it again?
Hahaha. That confidence lasted approximately one out-lap.
If Sonoma was my “welcome to GT3, please hold on tight” moment, COTA felt more like, “Okay, let’s show them what we got, with slightly less internal screaming.”
The difference this time was that I showed up with something new: a small but growing sense that maybe I actually belong here.
Also, a very clear memory of how annoying it is to have a strong weekend and not come away with the result. There was unfinished business. And a thirst to prove myself.
Welcome to the SROdeo Featuring The Esses
Drivers always say they have a “favorite” track, but really it’s just the one they’re good at.
COTA has been good to me. On my Cup Car debut, I outqualified the team owner who refused to field me, and MAN that felt good. The next year, I led the Porsche Endurance Challenge with Riley Dickinson, Parker Thompson, and Trenton Estep breathing down my neck.
Last year, I qualified third (career best) and finished third. So I showed up secretly thinking, “Let’s go kill it.”
But a 911 GT3 R is not a Cup Car, and the Esses made that aggressively clear. It was like riding a rodeo bull around the barrels while you scream and pray that the damn thing doesn’t launch you into orbit and then trample you.
COTA rewards confidence in a very direct way. Hesitate, you bleed time. Commit, the car comes alive. This weekend, I leaned into trusting the car more. Huge credit to Thomas Merrill, Patrick Mulcahy, Justin Kachel, Ryan Yardley, and Dave Musial Sr. for the pep talks that helped flip that switch.
Photo: Colin McCarty
Fast in Practice, Spiraling in Real Time
By FP3, something slightly concerning happened: I was fast. Like, up there. Which, if you know me, does not immediately create confidence.
It creates panic about not being able to do it again. I would love to say I handled that maturely. I did not.
There was over-analysis, a couple mental spirals, a few tears for character development, and eventually the groundbreaking realization that maybe—just maybe—the move was to keep doing the same thing. Revolutionary stuff.
Quali continued my character building. I death-gripped the wheel hard enough to cut my hand, and put down a decent lap at best—11th in class, 16th overall. Thomas went out next, but a red flag due to a dog on track killed his chances, so we kept the position.
Return to Basics: To Finish First, First You Must Finish
Going into the race, I was nervous in a way I’m not usually. The grid was stacked, the atmosphere was electric, and I was slightly overwhelmed. The goal was simple: be clean, be consistent, and give us a chance. You can’t win a three-hour race in the first stint, but you can absolutely lose it.
So I focused on the basics. Hit marks. Manage traffic. Don’t overdrive just because everything feels dramatic in a GT3 (it always does).
I tried to be aggressive early, made a pass or two, and then immediately got re passed on the straights. Humbling. I stayed in the mix, avoided the chaos, and we went full course yellow.
On the restart, I was too far back to make anything happen into Turn 20. Annoying. I’m used to being a restart menace, and this was not that.
Photo: Colin McCarty
Strategy, But Make It Wright Motorsports
Then Wright Motorsports did their thing.
As I exited the stadium section, they called me in anticipating another FCY. The 31, the 14, and I all dove into pit lane just before it came out. Bold strategy, and it worked.
Coming out of the pits under yellow, I think the 14 car needed a nap, or the unicorn was out of sparkle power because he opened a seven-second gap to the 31 car as we were racing to catch up to the pack.
Interestingly, we finished exactly seven seconds behind the 31 at the checkered. Another restart, same story—too far back to do anything exciting.
Wait…We’re Third??
With about an hour left, it was hot, I was tired, and I assumed I was just circulating mid-pack. Then Thomas came on the radio: “You’re P3 overall. Pace matches the leader.”
I’m sorry—what?
I started catching the 14 car. A ten-second gap became four, then suddenly I was right there. I literally said “here I coooommmeeee” on the radio like an absolute menace and went for it.
Made the pass cleanly as Colin Braun in the 17 car, slipped through as well, and honestly—I was really proud of that one. Then I pulled a four-second gap in two laps, which felt even better.
Photo: Colin McCarty
The Handoff (With Apologies)
Now, slight downside: pushing that hard meant I used up all of our track limits and absolutely abused the exit curbs. Sorry, Thomas! The car survived. Mostly.
The driver change was nearly perfect, and the team nailed the stop. Being at Wright is like being in a three-star Michelin kitchen—a symphony of perfect execution.
Thomas did an incredible job bringing it home, managing strategy and chaos like a pro, and put us back in the top three overall. And at the end of it: second in class, third overall.
A podium. A real one. No longer promise or potential, an actual result.
So This Is What It’s Supposed to Feel Like
The funny part is that it didn’t feel like some massive cinematic breakthrough. It felt earned. Like the natural result of doing a lot of small things better. That’s probably the most satisfying version of progress.
Getting the SuperFuel Hard Charger award was extra validation that I can count on myself and my team to move forward.
If Sonoma was about proving (mostly to myself) that I could do this, COTA was about starting to believe it. There’s a difference between knowing something and actually driving like it’s true.
This weekend was a step toward that.
Also, a 1–2 finish for Wright Motorsports says a lot about what we had. Being part of that kind of result makes it very clear what’s possible when execution matches pace.
Photo: Wright Motorsports
Next Up: Sebring
Once you’ve stood on a podium, expectations quietly shift from, “That would be nice” to, “Let’s do that again.”
Next up is Sebring, which is famously smooth, not physically demanding at all, and generally a relaxing spa experience. (Last time I was there I took an ambulance ride from heat stroke)
But I love Sebring. I first went as a spectator at WEC in 2023, and that version of me would absolutely lose her mind knowing I’d be racing a GT3 there at night in 2026.
We qualify in the afternoon and race into the night, and I can’t wait for a shot at that top step. The goal now is to use the momentum. Show up with the same confidence, keep improving, and not just get to the front—but start there and stay there.
No pressure.
Just another GT3 weekend.
Show up. Do the work. Face the gaps. Close them. Repeat.