Driver Database News

American teenager Sean Rayhall further strengthened his place as one of the most talented up-and-coming racers in the nation this past week (September 29-30) by dominating the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship season-finale at Road Atlanta. As part of the prestigious Petit Le Mans event, the 16 year-old racer from Georgia won both Round 13 and 14 from the pole position, setting a new lap record in the process. Making it even more impressive was the fact it was Rayhall’s series debut in the American Le Mans Series development championship.

Rayhall, having captured wins and championships in karting, Skip Barber Racing, SCCA Pro Racing and Legends, embarked on his latest motorsports challenge when he partnered with Comprent Motor Sports for his pro sports car racing debut. Thanks to support from SCCA Enterprises – a reward for winning the 2010 Formula Enterprises Series title – the Georgia native was part of the talented field racers taking part in the Prototype Lites Championship season-finale at Road Atlanta. While Rayhall had previously piloted a Comprent Motor Sports prepared Elan DP02 entry before (winning SCCA races), the Petit Le Mans doubleheader represented the first chance to go against pro racers and teams with lots of experience and skill.

The action at Rayhall’s home track unofficially commenced via a promoter’s day testing, and the highly-rated teenager wasted little time showcasing his skills behind the wheel. Despite focusing on car setup rather than an outright quick lap, Rayhall still managed to top the speedcharts.

When the action officially got underway via two practice runs on Wednesday, the No. 77 SCCA Enterprises/Comprent Motor Sports Elan DP02 remained the car to beat, as Rayhall was nearly a second faster than his nearest pursuer in both sessions.

Given Rayhall’s performance in the sessions prior to the lone qualifying run, everyone expected the 2011 Legends racing standout to challenge for the Round 13 pole position. Rayhall promptly met everyone’s expectations, posting a lap of 1:19.836 – four tenths faster than the next fastest driver – to secure the P1 starting spot for his inaugural Prototype Lites Championship race.

Returning to the cockpit of his Comprent Motor Sports racing steed a short time later for race one of the Road Atlanta doubleheader, Rayhall proved to be in a class of his own. Not only did the 16 year-old immediately pull away from the rest of the field when the green flag waved, but he did so once again following a brief full-course caution period. In the end, he led all 21 laps, scoring a 10-second win in his pro sports car debut.

“The key was to be good on cold tires,” said Rayhall. “The team gave me a great car to be able to do that. There was great competition behind me, with Nunez and my teammate [Jonathan Gore in the No. 14 Comprent car] coming in third, so it was a good podium for us! It’s a great debut for me, with no real moments. But you give it all you’ve got and really push it no matter how big a lead you have. There’s no relaxation out there!”

With the grid for Round 14 set by each driver’s fastest lap in race one, Rayhall once again was at the head of the field when the green flag waved for race two on Friday morning. This time however Rayhall had to fight for top honors. With a fellow teenage racer providing the opposition, Rayhall diced for the lead lap after lap, regularly swapping first place. In what was a thrilling battle, the win came down to the final few corners. Rayhall, having executed a bold outside pass in turn 10 with two laps to go, ultimately emerged with both a second consecutive win from the pole and a new race lap record of 1:19.434.

“Wild is an understatement,” said Rayhall. “It was controlled chaos. But it was a lot of fun. Tristan gave me a run today. Comprent gave me a great car, though I was having problems with the RPMs that affected my shifting. But it’s all about how you bounce back, and we bounced back hard today! It was a great debut for me. It was great racing against Tristan. I can’t wait to race with him again like that!”

Rayhall will now take a brief break to soak up his impressive pro sports car debut, before returning to the highly-competitive action in the Legends ranks. Next up is the 20th Annual Asphalt Nationals on October 28-29, at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 16 year-old star enters the event with the Charlotte Summer Shoot Out, Atlanta Thursday Thunder, and Legends Winter Nationals titles already on his resume this season.

Additional information on Sean Rayhall can be obtained from his website @ http://www.seanrayhall.com/ For direct contact and to inquire about supporting this fast rising motorsports star, please contact Charles Rayhall @ charlesrayhall@yahoo.com

Photo by Darren Pierson-DPerceptions.

John Burton made it four wins from six races in the Martini Trophy when the series switched to Oulton Park for the HSCC’s Gold Cup meeting (28/29 August).

Created by the Historic Sports Car Club, the Martini Trophy is for the 2-litre sports-racing cars of the 1970s and has a four-event schedule in 2011. The Oulton Park races marked the third weekend of the season and the 2-litre cars made a great spectacle as Oulton Park hosted its first 2-litre sports car race.

For the second event running Burton was the class of the pack in his Chevron B26 as the pair of races followed similar patterns. Twice Charlie Kemp (Lola T210) chased the flying Chevron to earn a brace of second places overall as well as a double victory in the class for non-winged cars. “Charlie kept me honest all the way through,” said Burton. “He drives brilliantly and I couldn’t let up for a second,” said Burton. Kemp was pleased to have stayed in touch with the newer car. “I never gave up,” said the Lola racer.

Third place in both races fell to Doug Hart (March 75S), despite this being something of a bogey track for the Londoner. Although he likes the track, Hart is always aware that he had his biggest ever accident at the Cheshire track several years ago.

A fine fourth in the opening race, to record his best Martini Trophy result to date, was Al Fleming (Chevron B36) after a long battle with the B19 of Jonathan Loader. Having both retired with minor problems in Sunday’s race, Sandy Watson and John Sheldon took fourth and fifth on Monday in their B19s. Watson was delighted with the result despite some worries during the 25-minute race. “The exhaust broke, the rear bodywork was loose and the oil pressure light was coming on,” said the Swiss-based Scot. Sheldon was pleased with his result after being sidelined by a failed battery in the opening race. “It’s lovely to come back to Oulton Park,” said Sheldon.

Making its Martini Trophy debut was the Chevron B31 shared by Graeme and James Dodd and resplendent in a new Martini stripes livery. Although the car showed strong pace – Graeme ran as high as third in the opening race – fuel pressure problems blunted their challenge with the car that Graeme intends to race regularly in 2012.

The final 2011 date for the Martini Trophy is at the Dijon (France) on 1/2 October.

For more details about the HSCC, please visit www.hscc.org.uk.

Alice Powell took a clean sweep of victories when she competed in the Performance Direct Radical Clubman’s cup last weekend. She absolutely dominated the meeting taking, pole and fastest lap of the day.

The opportunity arose as a way of learning the new Snetterton 300 circuit before she races there in the Formula Renault UK championship in August , a great deal drive was arranged with experienced team Mansol Motorsport. She had never driven a Radical and Friday was the first time she had even sat in one.

Despite being a sports car, there are quite a few similarities to a single seater with the rear wing providing lots of downforce, they are a very quick racing car. Alice spent Friday testing the car, before race day on Saturday.

Qualifying was pretty close and in wet conditions, with Alice taking pole by only 0.033 of a second from experienced Radical racer David Jacobs. The second race grid was decided on second best times and here Alice took pole by two tenths of a second.

At the start of race one Alice got what looked to be a perfect start, although she later admitted it wasn’t as good as she would have liked. She stayed ahead into the first corner and although Darron Anley attempted to out brake her down the inside, Alice simply took the outside line and just drove away from him. After this she calmly kept up a decent gap, increasing her pace when she needed to if the runners behind started gaining. It was easy to forget that this was her first ever Radical race, you could be fooled into thinking she had been racing them for years. She crossed the line 4.4 seconds ahead of Fredrick Moberg with Darron Anley a further 1.5 seconds back in third.

Race two was cut short after a start line crash on the first attempt to run the race caused a one hour delay while the barriers at the end of the pitlane were repaired. The restarted race was run over only 5 laps but Alice again streaked ahead pulling out a gap of 3.5 seconds over the short race. Fredrick Moberg was again second and Darron Anley also finished in third once more, this time a further 1.9 seconds behind.

It had been a perfect day with two flawless performances in the races. Things got even better when she was awarded driver of the day after the race. It was also revealed that she was the world’s first ever female winner of a Radical race.

Alice was understandably very happy with how the day had gone;

“It was such a surprise. I did not expect to have a weekend like that! The Radical is a great car and to come away making history and taking a clean sweep is awesome! I would like to thank Mansol Motorsport for all their help!”

Alice’s next race will be at Snetterton and is working to get the money together. This will be in the Formula Renault UK championship on the 6th and 7th August.

www.alice-powell.com
www.twitter.com/alicepowell

Photo by Marc Waller.

French sportscar team and manufacturer OAK Racing, which will this year enter four prototypes – two LMP1s and two LMP2s – at the Le Mans 24 Hours, can confirm the signing of Shinji Nakano and Nicolas De Crem for its second LMP2 machine.

The #49 OAK-Pescarolo is lead by Nakano whose speed and experience will be a significant asset in the team’s bid for LMP2 class victory. The 40-year-old boasts a fantastic racing CV across Formula 1 and sports prototypes that already includes four appearances at Le Mans. Nakano was also the first Japanese driver to contest world motorsport’s three biggest events; the Le Mans 24 Hours, Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500.

He is joined by 20-year-old Nicolas de Crem who in 2010 demonstrated his potential while racing in Formula Le Mans. Last weekend’s Le Mans Test Day saw the Belgian also prove his capacity to adapt to the La Sarthe circuit’s unique characteristics during the mandatory 10 lap stint required of all debutants.

François Sicard, OAK Racing Managing Director: “Entering two LMP2s strengthens our challenge for class victory. We have chosen a competitive and intelligent crew which includes a silver driver as specified by the regulations. Nicolas De Crem is a promising prospect, as well as solid and fast, whose talent we hope to develop in endurance racing. Pairing him with Shinji Nakano represents a great opportunity for himself and OAK Racing. A platinum driver, Shinji’s CV and popularity speak for themselves while his speed means we have high hopes for an excellent result.”

Shinji Nakano: “It has been three years since my last appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2008. From the bottom of my heart I am looking forward to returning to race at the beautiful and challenging La Sarthe circuit. At the same time, I am honoured and privileged to be a member of the OAK Racing team, which has an excellent history, record and great deal of experience.

“As you are already aware, my country recently suffered a devastating earthquake that led to unimaginable disasters. Many people are still living under very difficult conditions. I am therefore dedicating this race to the victims of the disaster, by doing my best at Le Mans to lift their courage and spirits in the hope of somehow aiding their swift recovery.”

Nicolas De Crem: “My objective for the 2011 season was twofold: to participate in both the Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 hours in LMP2. Now it is done! The LMS season has started very well and that will continue, I hope, in the same direction at the Le Mans 24 Hours with OAK Racing. I would like to thank the entire team for the confidence it has placed in me. Our common objective is clear: to finish in the best possible position. All that’s left is to do just that! Trust me, my motivation is huge!”

Fellow Le Mans-based team DAMS, which this year expressed an interest in returning to endurance racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours, will offer technical and logistical support to this second LMP2 entry. The collaboration is one which came about naturally between neighbours and friends, with DAMS having already experienced the event with a manufacturer as prestigious as Cadillac.

As a reminder, OAK Racing’s #35 OAK-Pescarolo-Judd will feature the same crew as that competing in this year’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Andrea Barlesi, Frédéric Da Rocha and Patrice Lafargue will defend the team’s colours at Le Mans’ 79th running on June 11/12.

After a winter break that proved as discreet as it was serious, Benoît Tréluyer’s season began in earnest at Le Mans last weekend where the three new Audi R18 TDIs made their first public appearance. With the successful test complete, he now heads to Japan for 2011’s opening Super GT round.

On Sunday evening, after the official test for the forthcoming Le Mans 24 Hours, Benoît’s smile revealed his delight at returning to competitive action and the targets he has set for 2011. Following months of development work, the first public appearance of Audi’s brand new prototype was a great moment.

“We have completed a lot of mileage since the end of last season so it is a great reward to see the car at the top of the timesheets,” he said. “We have to remain cautious as we are not totally ready yet, but it is looking good. The Audi R18 TDI is totally different from the Audi R15 TDI of last year and there is a lot of expectation. New regulations, a closed car, the desire to prove that we can be more reliable than our rivals whilst at the same time being faster; with this car Audi wanted to come back with a bang!”

While Benoît remained guarded on the potential of Ingolstadt’s latest prototype, he was more open when discussing its ease of usability.

“What is certain is that we have a car which is easy to drive. It’s great in the Porsche Esses for instance which is a critical section of the circuit. You enter the corner without any apprehension, whilst normally it can be a bit hairy! As a driver, it’s a big deal to enjoy driving and that helps improve overall performance.”

Focusing on the basics was the German manufacturer’s main objective over the Easter weekend at La Sarthe. “Shakedown the three cars and test several different things, followed by a major debrief with all the team’s engineers in order to get the most out of the gathered data! We did not take it easy!”

Benoît’s preparations for the famous event continue on 6/7 May in the Ardennes region during the 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps.

Before then, another of his season’s commitments will have already begun. This weekend, in Japan, the Super GT championship kicks off at Fuji. Just as the entire country was badly affected by the terrible earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March, so Japanese motorsport is slowly finding its feet again. For all its fans and those associated with the sport, the first meeting of 2011 will have strong symbolic value and be marked by great solemnity.

“I was in Tokyo the day of the earthquake,” said Benoît in La Sarthe. “It was not what scared me, but the tsunami which I witnessed live on television and the difficulty realising it was only 100 kilometres away. Then Fukushima happened… I left shortly afterwards for Audi testing. I have not returned since, but have spoken to the team nearly every day on the phone or by email.

“I will be delighted to see everyone again even if I’m going back with some apprehension. Saying that, I have never questioned returning in light of the nuclear issues as Japan has offered me so much.”

Benoît left Le Mans on Sunday night, making a quick visit to his home, before flying off to Tokyo. On Friday he will be reunited with his Motul Autech squad, team mate Satoshi Motoyama and the Nissan GT-R with which he intends to recapture the title won in 2008. In life as on the track, it’s safe to say he’s flat out!

OAK Racing has successfully utilised today’s Le Mans 24 Hours test day to prepare for the endurance racing season’s most celebrated event on June 11/12.

The team’s primary objective for its pair of LMP1s (#15 and #24) was to evaluate the new aero package developed with the 24 Hours principally in mind, while the LMP2’s (#35) aim was to qualify the two rookies that help comprise its three-man crew. The majority of the programme was successfully accomplished despite some technical issues and off-track moment for the #24 car at the end of the morning’s session.

Sébastien Philippe, Team Manager: “The team completed a lot of good work today. The test had no competitive significance so the difficulty for the team and drivers was to remain focused without worrying about our rivals. We have tested many things and validated several aerodynamic solutions. For the #15 LMP1 we were able to follow the proposed programme with Matthieu Lahaye, Guillaume Moreau and Pierre Ragues. The day was a bit more difficult for the other two cars, especially for the #24 LMP1 of Richard Hein, Jacques Nicolet and Jean-François Yvon. At the end of the morning, Richard had a big off at the Ford Chicane and the damage could not be repaired in time for the afternoon. Nevertheless, work accomplished with #15 will be applied to #24. Regarding the LMP2, we encountered a suspension problem that delayed us for nearly three hours this morning. The team did an excellent job and the car was able to rejoin the track. Our main objective was to qualify the two rookies, Patrice Lafargue and Andrea Barlesi, and that has been accomplished. But towards the end of the afternoon, Frédéric Da Rocha was hit from behind with the impact breaking the diffuser on the right rear. We preferred to stop before the session ended as we did not want to take any additional risks before Spa.”

Christophe Chapelain, Technical Director: “Overall, today has been positive and allowed us to validate several aero configurations and set-ups. We completed a lot of short two lap stints without trying to set fast lap times, which allowed us to acquire a lot of information. Now we have to go through all the data in detail and fine tune the good basic set-ups for Le Mans week’s first practice session. We have a good V-max, one of our major objectives of development for this year.”

Jacques Nicolet, OAK Racing team owner: “We had a very important working plan today and managed to stick to a large part of it. The technical conclusions are more than positive but next week is going to be very busy in order to properly prepare our three cars for the second round of the ILMC in Spa.”

OAK Racing returns to competitive action in round two of Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit on May 7.

Photo by Clément Marin.

Local team Comprent Motor Sports, based just 1 hour from the Road Atlanta circuit in Athens Georgia, might have a home track advantage this weekend. And they’re once again looking to be hometown heroes.

Team owner Kevin Kloepfer and Comprent have much experience and knowledge to draw upon for this weekend.

“For over 20 years we have existed and spent more time at Road Atlanta than any other circuit. Last year we were the hometown heroes; all but clinching the 2008 IMSA Lites 1 Championship when Jonathan Goring took out both races from pole. After that we only needed 1 point for the Championship in Monterey.”

Comprent’s Australian driver Tom Drewer is somewhat a ‘local’ too. He has made Georgia his US base for the past two years, this season staying near the Comprent team in downtown Athens.

He also shared success last year taking out the IMSA Lites 2 Championship at Road Atlanta, scoring his seventh and eighth wins of the season.

Charlie Shears will be another one to look out for this week. He missed earlier rounds due to illness and the birth of a child but returned in style at Lime Rock to score Comprent’s maiden 2nd place of the season.

Teammate Jonathan Gore is expected to make his return after missing Canada due to illness. Last year Jonathan scored one of his best finishes of the season at Road Atlanta with 2nd place in race 2. Furthermore, he leads Comprent’s 2009 podium tally with 3 third places and recently showed he had what it takes when he took the fastest lap of race one at Lime Rock to qualify on pole for race two.

The father and son due of Wayne and David Ducote will also make their return after missing Canada. Son David has just completed a two day test with Comprent at Road Atlanta and set impressive times in the sweltering heat. He feels “extremely positive coming into this round with a few laps” under his belt.

This week however, it may not be sweltering heat that the drivers feel here in Braselton. Rain still looms over the fast undulating 2.54mile (4km) circuit after Atlanta experienced record downpours over the previous six days.

Comprent Motor Sports and the IMSA Lites are scheduled to hit the track Thursday for Qualifying and Race 1 at 5:20pm and Friday for Race 2 at 12:10pm.

This week Australian Tom Drewer will compete in the final two rounds of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship presented by Frisby Performance Tire as part of the 12th Annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda 6.

The event held at Road Atlanta, Braselton is effectively Drewer’s home event as he’s been staying in Georgia for the past two years during the racing season.

“My US base has been Georgia for two years now. Both West Races Cars, who I drove for last year, and Comprent Motor Sports are based here and I have been staying in Atlanta and Athens, both only about an hour from the circuit. I guess you could say it’s a home away from home.”

So does the young Le Mans hopeful feel that this gives him a hometown advantage?

“I don’t think so. Although living close to the circuit has allowed me to visit a few race meetings I have been on a very limited budget so it’s not like I’ve done many laps around it. Its not since the start of the year that I have turned a wheel around here. This will only be my fourth or fifth time on the circuit. Most of the guys I am competing against have been driving this place for years.”

However, his lack of experience around the fast undulating 2.54mile (4km) track didn’t sway Drewer last year. From pole position Drewer won his first two races at Road Atlanta setting a new track lap record in the process. It was his 7th and 8th win of the 2008 season and allowed Drewer to wrap up the 2008 IMSA Lites 2 Championship with two rounds remaining.

This year Drewer has moved up a class and is driving a Comprent Motor Sport prepared Élan DP-02 in the Lites 1 category.

“2009 has certainly been more of a rollercoaster than last year. It has in many ways been more of a learning year too, even though 2008 was my first here in America.

I proved in New Jersey I have what it takes. I am focused on finishing the year, here at Road America on another positive note.”

In New Jersey Drewer put his Ubantu Resort sponsored car on pole position with the fastest lap of the weekend and dominated the first half of the race.

“I’m determined to end the season on a high. It’s the best way I can repay all those who are helping me achieve my dreams and goal of becoming Australia’s next Le Mans winner.

I want to use this opportunity to thank everyone who is behind me. Particularly John Trimble and Nichole Jennings from Ubantu Resort, my mother and father for giving up so much, Terry Little and all of my friends, family and fans back home in Australia who share my belief and give up their hard-earned cash to make this happen. We are getting closer.

I am ready to make the next step. Part of my focus this year has been developing into a well-rounded driver.

I have been working on my physical and mental fitness with Gary Daniels and Health Defense. I have tested a GT2 car and have another test announcement to make soon. I am already talking to teams about next year, looking at both GT and prototype drives including the new ALMS Le Mans prototype Challenge class using the Oreca-Courage P2 Formula Le Mans car.

But my focus for this week is Road Atlanta. The Petit Le Mans event is always fantastic. Looks like it may be a wet race week so that could be interesting. It’s an extremely challenging circuit in the dry!”

Drewer and the IMSA Lites are scheduled to hit the track on Tuesday morning for free practise. Official practise takes place Wednesday, Qualifying and Race 1 at 5:20pm Thursday and Race 2 at 12:10pm Friday.

Tom Drewer couldn’t replicate the success of last year during this year’s Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport for Rounds 11 & 12 of the 2009 IMSA Lites Championship.

2008 was Drewer’s first race at the famous Canadian circuit and he marked the occasion winning the IMSA Lites 2 category. This year driving in IMSA Lites 1, the up-and-coming Australian had what he described as a ‘lack-lustre’ weekend for both himself and the Comprent team despite demon passes and tough, hard-fought races.

“2009 has certainly been more of a rollercoaster ride than last year. We made a good progression and peaked with taking pole position at New Jersey, and although I’ve been up the pointy end of the field and consistently collecting points we just haven’t been able to convert into podiums yet.

I came to Canada looking to put all the drama of Road America – where I got incorrectly black flagged – behind me. But it just seemed the team; both my teammate and I struggled to find the pace all weekend, especially straight-line speed.

As usual it was another fantastic event at Mosport and the Canadians came out in droves despite the weather that turned from high heat to rainstorms all weekend long. I think my highlight was letting a few lucky young race fans get a thrill by taking a seat in the Number 1 Ubantu Resort car for photos.”

Drewer started Round 11 in tenth position after qualifying was abandoned due to heavy fog on the high-speed 2.5mile (4km), 10-corner track located 1 hour east of Toronto, near Bowmanville Ontario.

“Both Charlie (Shears) and I were dealt a bit of a blow when qualifying was aborted. We had both been working away during the practice sessions, collecting data to pool for qualifying, rather than get outright times so we stared down the order.

I made a fantastic start though and immediately passed (Anthony) Nicolosi to be right behind my teammate. We duelled it out for a few laps. Charlie wasn’t giving me an inch, and I didn’t give him an inch back. I felt I was faster and pounced when he pressured (Gary) Gibson going into Turn 2 and they both ran wide, with Gibson running off and hitting the wall.

After the restart I pushed on and caught Antonio Downs. As I was catching him he had a bit of a moment but heading through Turn 8 his car was at full speed. Into 9, Antonio just checked up and I had nowhere to go. I know Antonio well and I think he must have had a problem; he wouldn’t do anything on purpose. It was just one of those things.

I avoided major contact with him but locked up the rears in the process and the car spun into the wall breaking the rear hub. It was a shame because we were on for another top 6 finish.”

Round 11 was won by Matt Downs. Round 12, won by Canadian local Kyle Marcelli, saw Drewer start in 9th, one position behind his teammate Charlie Shears.

“Again, I got off to another strong start and battled pretty hard with my team-mate and passed him before getting stuck behind (Johnny) Meriggi. He was so slow through Turn 2, but if you try anything on there you’ll be in the wall, and he blocked me heading into Three. I made quite a few solid attempts to pass him both in Three and Five and each time he just moved over and forced me off the road. I was quite surprised he didn’t get penalised for blocking, actually.

Due to one of those attempts I lost momentum out of Five and Charlie and Nicolosi got passed me. But I quickly redeemed myself, making an awesome move through Turn 3 to take Charlie on the inside and Meriggi on the outside. Meriggi then immediately started blocking Charlie and I guess Charlie got sick of that and put him into the wall at Three to bring out a full course yellow.

With two to go the race was restarted and coming up the back straight for the last time I passed Nicolosi to take the flag in eighth. It was a good, tough race but a pretty lack-lustre result.

I guess I can just take comfort in the fact I out raced my teammate in both races. In a situation where the team doesn’t have the pace that is all you can hope for. Regardless, a potential 6th and 8th weren’t the results I was looking for. I am still looking for my first podium of the season.

Comprent is a fantastic team who knows how to win and we know the Ubantu Resort car can be fast as we proved at New Jersey. I know the guys will put in the hard yards to get back at the front, and so will I. We are testing at Road Atlanta before the next race and, although I won’t be driving due to budget, I’ll be up there too learning as much as I can from the sidelines to make sure I’m as prepared as I can be for the season finale at the Petit Le Mans event.”

The last two rounds of the 2009 IMSA Lites presented by Frisby Performance Tire season will be held at the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta on Thursday, September 24 and Friday, September 25.

19-year old up and coming racing driver Kyle Marcelli won the hearts of over 40,000 fans as he raced the #37 Intersport Racing entry to victory lane in round 12 of the IMSA Lites Championship this past weekend at the Mobile 1 Grand Prix of Mosport.

“It was an emotional win” said Marcelli. “My dad and I used to sit each year atop of corner two watching the American LeMans Series cars and Canadian Ron Fellows race by, for me to be apart of the events this weekend in front of my home crowd and win meant a lot.”

Starting third on the inside of row two for round 11, Marcelli quickly overtook for second position. Pressuring for the lead lap after lap Marcelli attempted an outside pass in turn five, however minor contact was made resulting in Marcelli falling to 11th. One lap later the race was under a full course yellow. Under caution for 3 laps the race resumed with Marcelli sitting P11 and only 15 minutes remaining in the race. Marcelli arguably put on the show of the weekend. Overtaking for position in places never even thought of, the young Canadian raced his way from P11 to P2 crossing the stripe only 0.731 behind the leader. “I needed just one more lap” Said Marcelli who set fast lap of the race by over 0.6 tenths of a second.

“The Intersport Racing squad had the car hooked up today. It’s unfortunate that I had to race through the pack because today was our race to win. Nonetheless, it was a good show for the fans and spectators and we will just have to do it tomorrow.” Marcelli said in a post race interview.

It was Sundays feature race, round 12 of the IMSA Lites Championship presented by Hankook, a feeder to the American LeMans Series that Intersport Racings up and coming driver Kyle Marcelli raced to victory lane. “Talk about pressure” Marcelli said. After opening up about a 3 second lead, a caution came out with 7 minutes left in the race and it was nose to tail for a famous green, white checkered. Marcelli got off to a clean start and raced around the 2.5 mile circuit to victory lane.

“Kyle drove outstanding all weekend, to work his way through the field in Saturday’s race on a track so high speed and minimal braking such as Mosport and to win on Sunday it shows a lot. We were clearly the car to beat all week. It was great for Kyle to be victorious in front of his home crowd and all his sponsors. We are really looking forward to taking Kyle to the next level.” Said Intersport Racing’s Team Manager Brian Alder

Kyle would like to thank Lafarge, GP Masonry and Landscaping Supplies, Brown Window Corp, Barrie Trim and Mouldings, Alpinestars, The Robert Simpson Brewing Company, Simplepay.ca and Intersport Racing for there continued support.