With a solid run in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Guy Cosmo and Spirit of Daytona Racing return to the track for the next step in their development of the #09 Porsche-powered Fabcar Daytona Prototype. The team is at Homestead Miami Speedway for the second race of the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Cosmo will share the driving duties with Marc Camirand. The two hour and forty-five minute race will be set on the 2.3-mile oval-based road course south of Miami.

“We haven’t been standing still during the two months off,” noted Cosmo. “After the Rolex 24 we were right back at it testing down here at Homestead. We were able to take the Daytona data and compare it with the testing we did here. Finishing the 24 was a big plus by way of learning more and more about the car and how it reacts to changes in the setup.”

Meanwhile the Daytona Prototype field continues to see a change in its make-up as more new packages hit the track. Spirit of Daytona team owner, Troy Flis, is well aware of the challenges ahead.

“Finishing the 24 was a big step for this program,” said Flis.  “We know we have to keep working because we are up against some Daytona Prototype combinations that have years and years of racing and testing behind them. But we’re really excited about the increased varieties of cars we are going up against, and with the progress the team has made so far. We will just look to keep doing that this weekend at Homestead and see what we can take out of the weekend.”

Keenly aware of the development process and challenges they still face, Spirit of Daytona Racing  is looking to make the most of the Gainsco Grand Prix and remain optimistic of seeing their strongest run to-date.

“We think we are making the right steps that we need to be with this motor, and after the Homestead test and with what we learned at the 24, we also feel like we’ve established a good baseline for the FABCAR set-up wise,” said Cosmo, who will only have to make a short trip south from his residence in West Palm Beach for the race weekend. “Homestead is a little like a ‘mini-Daytona’ so hopefully that bodes well for us this weekend.”

Cosmo and the Spirit of Daytona #09 Porsche/Fabcar are scheduled to run:

    Rolex 24 ~ January 26 - 27, 2008
    Homestead ~ March 29 - 29, 2008
    Watkins Glen 6hr. ~ June 7 - 7, 2008
    Daytona 250 ~ July 3 - 3, 2008
    Barber Motorsports Park ~ July 20 - 20, 2008
    Montreal ~ August 1 - 1, 2008
    Watkins 200 ~ August 8 - 8, 2008

Saturday’s 250-mile (or 2-hour, 45-minute) race begins at 3 p.m. with SPEED-TV’s delayed broadcast beginning at 6 p.m. The detailed event schedule, as well as live timing and scoring during all on-track sessions, can be found at www.grand-am.com.

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 Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.



Photo: John Thawley ~ Creative Communications Group