While maybe not a result worthy of celebration, Guy Cosmo expressed much optimism following the 8th place finish for the Extreme Speed No. 02 Tequila Patron Ferrari 458GT in Saturday's ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

The annual 6 hour run into darkness has become a fan favorite at Mazda Raceway and the 2011 version didn't disappoint. It was close racing across all the classes, but none more so than the highly competitive GT division. After six hours of racing, the top finishers were separated by mere seconds.

Cosmo set the bar high for the weekend qualifying the No. 02 fourth for Saturday's 6-hour race. It was a long overdue boost for the hard working ESM crew.

"This weekend was a good step in the right direction for the Extreme Speed crew," said Cosmo.  "Our car was quick, I qualified 4th on the grid [just two spots ahead of the ESM 01 sister car] and ran strong during the race."

"For Scott and Johannes in the No. 01," acknowledged Cosmo, "it was a great weekend with a 3rd place finish, grabbing the first podium for the team this season.  We were all excited with their result."

"For Ed and I in the 02 car," continued Guy, "we were finally able to sort through most of the issues we've been having with the new paddle-shift system. We had a flawless run in that department, minus a few electronic & programming issues. These are small issues we're still waiting on from our partners."

"Once again Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Monterey, California kept it's status as one of my favorite places," said Guy with a smile. "The event served as the perfect venue to host a good number of Tequila Patron vendors and representatives, all who enjoyed the weekend with us at Extreme Speed Motorsports."

With the season winding down, the team will now focus on Road Atlanta and the season finale 10 hour Petit Le Mans.

"The race at Laguna was just the kind of run we needed heading into the Petit Le Mans," added Guy "With all the small issues behind us, we're ready for battle and looking for a podium of our own."

Guy will join in at the kickoff to the 14th Annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda on Main Street in downtown Greenville, S.C. For the second year in a row, Michelin will play host to a unique opportunity for fans in the southeastern U.S. to get up close and personal with the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón just days before one of the top international races of the year. Michelin’s North American home of Greenville will feature race cars, special displays, racing simulators, driver autographs, team merchandise, and more on from 1 to 9 p.m., September 22.

The 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón season concludes on Oct. 1 with the 14th Annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta. The race will air on ABC at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 2. Live coverage will be available in the U.S. on ESPN3 or outside the U.S. on americanlemans.com. Rogers Sportnet One in Canada and MotorsTV in Europe will also provide coverage. Ticket and schedule information is available on the ALMS schedule page.

Guy Cosmo, 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year competed last season in the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Patrón Ferrari. Cosmo is a race record-holder at Mid-Ohio (for fastest lap in the GTC series, which he set in 2009 in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup). Cosmo has 28 starts in the American Le Mans Series, finishing in the top-five 18 times and has been on the winner’s podium twice. In addition to being an accomplished driver, Cosmo is also a highly sought-after driving instructor. Find out more about Guy Cosmo at http://www.guycosmo.com and follow Guy through the racing weekend on Twitter @guycosmo.

The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the world`s leading sports car championship and is recognized as the Global Leader in Green Racing. In the tradition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, multiple classes of cars - purpose-built prototypes and production-based Grand Touring automobiles - race on the track at the same time to create compelling race action and constant passing. All cars in the Series compete using one of five approved alternative fuels or energy sources: clean sulfur-free diesel, cellulosic E85 or E10, Isobutanol and electric hybrid technologies. The Series has more automobile marques involved than any other major race series in the world as manufacturers develop relevant technologies on track that transfer directly to the customer showroom. The ALMS competes at North America`s premier road racing tracks and selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets.