STUART, Fla. (August 8, 2013) – The Kink, The Carousel, high-speed corners and the longest circuit on the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón (ALMS) combined with the power and high-performance Tequila Patrón-sponsored P2 race cars? Yep, this is a race Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) team has been looking forward to all season.
A historical landmark and American motorsports treasure, Road America is the longest circuit on the ALMS calendar. The 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course is a favorite of race car drivers, teams and road racing fans alike. This weekend ESM heads to Wisconsin and the sixth round of ALMS competition for the Orion Energy Systems 245, where a victory and double-podium finish are on the agenda.
Co-drivers of the No. 01 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-03b, Scott Sharp and Guy Cosmo have had success at Road America. In 2008, Sharp and then co-driver David Brabham won the P2 class in their Tequila Patrón-sponsored Acura LMP2 race car, then repeated that feat in 2009 with an overall win after a stunning opening stint from Sharp. While in 2009 and competing in the GTC class of the ALMS race, Cosmo won pole position and set the fastest race lap time. With the combination of Sharp’s winning ways at Road America and Cosmo’s fast laps, the duo should be highly competitive this weekend.
Johannes van Overbeek, co-driver of the No. 02 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-03b, earned a third-place finish in the GT class last year with then co-driver Sharp. Although new to the P2 racing machine, van Overbeek and co-driver Ed Brown are not new to Road America and seek a podium finish at the classic American circuit.
On Friday evening, Aug. 9, Cosmo is participating in the annual Subaru Tour De Road America – Bike Ride to Fight Cancer. This special on-track bicycle event benefits theAustin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, the official charity of the American Le Mans Series, as well as LIVESTRONG and the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
To support Guy Cosmo and his fundraising efforts, visit http://laf.livestrong.org/site/TR/Grassroots/Grassroots?px=4117418&pg=personal&fr_id=1201
The two-hour, 45-minute Orion Energy Systems 245 is the sixth round of the 10-race ALMS championship and takes place on Aug. 9-11. Qualifying for P2 cars is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 10. Live coverage of qualifying begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 10 on ESPN3.
The race is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 11 with live coverage on ABC.
Further information:
Susan Pollack
Extreme Speed Motorsports
Phone: +1 313 434 6912
Email: susan@sjp- media.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ESMracing
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ESMracing
YouTube: www.youtube.com/esmracing
SCOTT SHARP
“Road America is one of my favorite tracks on the ALMS circuit!“From my first laps there, the flow of the track has come naturally to me and I enjoy the challenge of putting a great lap together. The medium- to high- speed corners should really allow us to maximize the power of the P2 cars.
“The team has worked non-stop this season to build, tune, enhance, develop and expand our P2 program. We’re making strides each lap, practice, qualifying and race. We’re not where we want to be, but we are definitely moving in the right direction. I’m really looking forward to letting the P2s loose this weekend.
“It should be a strong weekend for both of our cars.”
ED BROWN
“I’m really looking forward to the race this weekend. I love racing at Road America and the fans there are fantastic. Our ESM/Patrón car should be really good with a nice mix of corners. Johannes and I have our plan for the weekend. We know what we need to do and we just need to be smart and not make any mistakes. The shorter race changes our car into a one driver change race which should be a good thing for us.”JOHANNES VAN OVERBEEK
“Road America is one of the classics. The ESM/Patron P2 cars will be good under braking and in all of the fast corners. As many miles as I have there, it will drive like a new track in the P2 car. It should be fun.“I'm looking most forward to watching Ed continue to excel in the P2 car. If everything lines up for us, we will win a race and I hope Road America is the first for us.
“The change in race length (from four hours in 2012) should make for an interesting day on Sunday. The longer the race, the better it is for me. The more mileage I can get in the car, the better. ESM also excels in pit work which a longer race highlights. However, the way the class and series is run it doesn't really matter if it’s a three-hour race or 24-hour race, the team, drivers and crew are ready to go flat out for the duration.”
GUY COSMO
“Road America is one of the top road courses in the country and one of the great classic tracks on the ALMS circuit. The track will definitely cater to our ESM/Patrón P2 race cars because of the track length and high-speed nature.“Unlike other tracks where as long as you're strong in traffic you can get to the front, at Road America you need outright speed & pace.
“You need to have a clean car for the end of the race so you can chase down the win - or stretch away from the competition. As with any length, it's 'maximum attack' from the drop of the green flag.”