Former Star Mazda Champion and 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year, Guy Cosmo, had his 24 Hour effort cut short by mechanical gremlins at this year's Grand-Am Series Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Cosmo and the Blackforest team enjoyed brief success as teammate Alex Tagliani set the GT class' fastest time during practice earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the #15 Mustang Cobra GT suffered mechanical issues and was retired several hours into the race.

"It was exciting to be a part of the debut of the Ford Mustang Cobra GT," said Cosmo after the race. "We've all got very high hopes for the car this season as it certainly proved to be one of the quickest GT cars out there this weekend. As every one knows, though, bringing a brand new race car to the Rolex 24 is a very difficult task for a machine that's had very little run time and development since it's inception."

The 45th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona was the debut for the Mustang Cobra GT.

"Brian Nott and the Blackforest Motorsports crew did a fantastic job with the car," added Guy. "I'm quite confident that he and the team will quickly mold this Cobra GT into a winner. Tom [Nastasi], Alex [Tagliani] and Valerie [Limoges] were great to drive with and we all enjoyed the energy and excitement of the weekend. While it was disappointing to have not finished the 24, it was very encouraging to see the potential of this car and team."

With the 2007 season beginning to unfold over the next month or so, Guy shared some of his short term plans.

"There's a chance I'll be back for a handful of races with Blackforest here and there," Guy noted. "However, my focus is on landing a full-time Daytona Prototype drive for the rest of the season. I really enjoyed my drives in the DP's last year and showed I can run well in the series. I know I can deliver wins and I am committed to pairing with a strong team this year."

Having recently relinquished his seat with Mazda's B-K Motorsports LMP2 effort, Guy continues to pursue a seat in the American Le Mans Series talking with several
teams both here in the states and in Europe.

"I continue to enjoy my relationship with Mazda," said Guy. "Winning the Star Mazda Championship and the 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year award with Mazda were two very proud moments of my career thus far. However, competing for wins in the American Le Mans Series and driving at the 24 Hours of Le Mans remain priorities of mine and are among my short list of goals for 2007.

When Guy is not tending to his driving duties, he'll be keeping busy with his private coaching and racing instruction services.

"I have a growing number of clients that I work with and I stay very involved in the local karting community," added Guy. "I really enjoy teaching kids from 7-years old all the way up to 60-something. It's great fun and extremely rewarding."

Guy Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top-level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles and major successes in many disciplines including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at www.guycosmo.com.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2007 Rolex Series schedule and the 12-race KONI Challenge Series calendar will deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America. All 2007 Rolex Series events will be televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.

The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and sophisticated production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at the same time. The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a 2007 television package that includes five network broadcasts on CBS and NBC as seven telecasts on SPEED, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the Series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The Series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Audi, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Panoz, and premium brands such as Michelin, Yokohama, Kumho, Lowe’s, Shell and many others.