Samax took a great win at Laguna Seca
SAMAX
Krohn Racing
Alex Job Racing
Bob Stallings/GAINSCO
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SAMAX
SAMAX Motorsport Breaks Through As Zogaib and Dalziel take victory at Laguna Seca
Second consecutive podium finish for SAMAX Motorsport in Rolex competition
Monterey, CA --(17 May, 2008)--Henri Zogaib and Ryan Dalziel delivered the best birthday present possible for SAMAX Motorsport team owner Peter Baron as the two combined for a convincing race win with the No. 2 Dinan BMW-Riley in the Rumbum.com 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday. After racing back to the front from a lap down from the leaders, Dalziel led the final 23 laps to take the win.
The win is the first Rolex Sports Car Series victory for SAMAX Motorsport, and also marks the first Rolex Series Victory Circle visit for Zogaib and Dalziel. The break through victory was all the more remarkable given that Zogaib had never seen the track before the weekend started.
Zogaib started the race from deep in the field, and immediately began to set some of his fastest times of the weekend, relishing every lap on the legendary 2.2-mile natural terrain circuit. Using the same playbook that saw them take a strong second-place finish at Virginia International Raceway in April, Zogaib turned the Dinan-BMW over to Dalziel after his opening stint in the two hour and forty-five minute event.
An unfortunately timed yellow flag meant that Dalziel soon found himself a lap down from the leaders. But fast pit stops, shrewd strategy, and remarkable pace all added up to a big victory as Dalziel crossed the line 1.504-seconds ahead of the field.
The accomplishment was roundly lauded by the paddock, recognizing not only Dalziel's reversal of bad luck at the track, but also too the rapid progression made by Zogaib from interested observer to full-time participant in high-level road racing.
"It is hard for me to describe what this win means to me," said Zogaib. "This comes after years of hard work for me from when I first started in this sport racing in Skip Barber and beginning to dream of a day just like this. We struggled earlier this year, but we restructured the entire team and made the investment in a new powerplant and committed to having all the right resources to make sure we could win races. We showed we were strong at VIR, so this is just a fantastic feeling to go one better and take the victory today.
"I never set foot on this track until yesterday," said Zogaib, still drenched in champagne as he received the congratulations from everyone in the Rolex paddock. "We missed the whole first session due to a fuel cell replacement. So I was under a lot of pressure to learn this track and find some speed. Ryan was pure magic. I'm very proud of him. There's a lot more to come from SAMAX. I'm a happy man."
"It feels fantastic to break through the barrier for SAMAX and get this victory," said Dalziel. "I lost the Atlantic championship here in 2004, and since then I've had an up and down battle here. I told Peter Baron that I would get him a win, and he stuck with me and I'm happy to be able to get this win with Henri for Peter. The Dinan BMW was fantastic and team had phenomenal pit stops and strategy as usual, and even though I wasn't happy with my last restart, there was no way I was going to let this win get away! I was going to end up in the tires or end up in victory lane. This is very emotional for us, a huge day!"
Team spirits were naturally high in the SAMAX pits after the race, as team owner Baron saw his organization take the top prize after scoring several runner-up results in Rolex competition.
"I am really happy for Henri because he stuck with us after we had a tough run at Daytona, and he really pushed us to find the most competitive package we could," said Peter Baron. "He saw the potential in this team, and gave us the opportunity to be in a position to take a win like this. Henri did a good job his first time here at this track and the Dinan-BMW really helped us move forward along with our strategy and pit stops. We knew a win would come this year, but it was just a matter of time and I'm really happy it came together on my birthday!"
Krohn Racing
Krohn Racing Post Race Report from Laguna Seca
The fifth round of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series brought about the third different race winner in five events -- with Ryan Dalziel and Henri Zogaib, in the No. 2 SAMAX BMW Riley, taking the checked flag on Lap 98 of the RumBum.com 250. The two hour and 45-minute race at the 2.240-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit featured eight caution flags, for an average of one nearly ever 12 laps.
The No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola of qualifying driver Nic Jonsson and Ricardo Zonta finished ninth in Daytona Prototypes after surviving two on-course spins during racing action. The No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola of team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn and qualifying driver Eric van de Poele finished 13th, after starting from the 18th DP position following an engine change. Both drivers lead at least one lap and Krohn received a drive-thru penalty for what Grand-Am officials termed 'manipulating the start'.
Tracy W. Krohn, team owner/driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola: "I still do not understand the reason for the drive-thru penalty from Grand-Am. I have not had a chance to talk to race officials about it yet, but I will. The cars were good today. They're getting better. The cars were quick the first part of the race. We had some pick-up issues with tires, but other than that I would say the cars are getting stronger and faster every time. We've still got a long way to go to get them exactly like we want it, but it's coming quicker now than it was at the beginning. The information we've gathered in the most recent test is starting to pay off. I'm looking forward to the next race at Watkins Glen."
Eric van de Poele, driver, No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola: "It was very nice to do the qualifying and take the start. The car was not quite there yet for qualifying so we didn't have a very good qualifying run but it was nice. It's always good to have the spirit of qualifying.
The race was good because the car was finally competitive. We changed the engine so we had to start from the back of the DP class for the race. We played a new strategy and I stopped on the first lap and then when the first caution came I stayed out. Everybody stopped and I was in the lead. During my stint I was able to pass other cars. Then I had a stupid spin at the restart. The tires picked up a lot of rubber and I spun. I managed to stay on the lead lap though. Then Tracy had a pretty good run, except for the penalty they called on him. He had a tire problem, same as I, and spun, then tried to save the car so he was not quick at the last corner. They said he did that on purpose and assessed a drive-thru penalty for it. All in all our strategy was good again. I wish we could have a better beginning of weekend so we could be further along by race day. Hopefully next time."
Nic Jonsson, driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola: "We qualified eighth and unfortunately the car is not as quick as we wish on the one lap qualifiers. However, we have a new car with the Proto-Auto Lola, so each track we have to get new data from last year. The Rileys, of course, are much faster out of box because they already have set-ups. We have to start from scratch each weekend. It took us a little time but we improved the car every time out. We didn't have a lot of track time Friday and then had an hour warm-up this morning. (Team manager and engineer) David (Brown) changed a few things. He was able to get the car the best it's been all weekend.
We had a pretty good start for the race. We were sixth going into turn one and ran very competitively the whole race. We weren't pushing the car too hard and were pacing ourselves. The first yellow came out and we came in and topped off with fuel. Then we worked our way back up again. Another yellow came out and we stayed out. I collected a lot of pick-up on the tires that I could not shed. I worked the tires hard trying to get them clean. My pace dropped off considerably -- probably seven- or eight-tenths from the previous stint before the yellow. I was basically holding on there and trying to not make any mistakes and make it to the next stop so I could hand the car over to Ricardo, which we did under the next yellow. It took Ricardo a little while to get up to speed with a lot of traffic. About a third into the stint he really got going and had one of the quickest cars out there towards the end of race.
He got a really good run on the 59 car going into turn one and slid wide and went off the track and lost quite a few track positions. I think we went from 4th down to 14th but Ricardo got us way back up to 9th at the finish. We're a little disappointed though because we had a better car than that. We're still fifth in the championship and gained some point on fourth and third place in the championship. We have to keep developing the car and improve it even more for Watkins Glen. We hope to go up there and have a good run and look for podium with the new Lola."
Ricardo Zonta, driver, No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola: "It was fun. The car was one of the best cars we have had so far. I think I was pushing very hard and trying to go for the first place, not just to be on the podium. I pushed too hard and went off at turn one. The car was a podium placing car. I just went too wide at corner one when I was looking in my mirrors. I was pushing very hard and trying to pass everybody I could but not lose time.
I had a lot of fun. It was nice to overtake many cars during the race. It was a good fight.I had one of the fastest laps of the race. The car was really quick. We could go very fast every lap. Laguna is not a track you can overtake easily. You have to be very aggressive to overtake there."
The RumBum.com 250 race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will be televised next day tape delayed, on Sunday, May 18th on SPEED TV at 12:00 noon EDT.
The next Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race, Round 6 of 14 will be the Six Hours at The Glen in Watkins Glen, New York on June 6-7.
Alex Job Racing
Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team finishes 11th at Laguna Seca
MONTEREY, Calif. - The Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team finished 11th in today's caution-filled Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Rum Bum.com 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Driver Joey Hand started fourth in the No. 23 Ruby Tuesday Championship Racing Team Porsche-powered Crawford Daytona prototype and led 11 of his 59-lap stint. He also turned the team's fastest race lap with a 1:20.873 on lap 28. To that point in the race, the team had been running up front and the car appeared to be really strong. But, just as Hand turned the No. 23 machine over to teammate Bill Auberlen under caution on lap 59, the team's luck began to change.
Auberlen came down pit lane to re-enter the race and had the No. 7 BWM Riley on his right. Just as the two cars neared pit out, the No. 10 Pontiac Dallara came out of his pit stall and made contact with the left front of the No. 23 machine. As a result, it knocked the car's nose loose. The team felt the nose would stay connected and told Auberlen to stay out on track. But, shortly after the race went green on lap 61, it came off just as the caution came out because the No. 7 BMW Riley caught fire.
Auberlen brought the No. 23 Porsche Crawford back to pit lane for a new nose piece. When the race went green on lap 69, Auberlen was in 14th. The team got word from Grand-Am officials that it had to serve a stop and go penalty for not giving the No. 7 the right-of-way exiting pit out. Simultaneously, the No. 10 also received a stop and go for making contact with Auberlen.
On lap 70, Auberlen served the stop and go penalty and was still 14th with 45 minutes remaining in the 98-lap race. Unfortunately, the last 45 minutes was marred by cautions, which did little to help the Ruby Tuesday team finish in the top-10.
"We had a quick car all weekend," Hand said. "We should have been in the top-three all day long. We were for most of it. But, then we had some poor timing. We pulled out in the pit lane after our pit stop. The [No.] 7 car was in the fast lane and Bill could not blend in in time [at pit out]. Then, the [No.] 10 car came out of the pits and hit us and knocked the nose off the car. Unfortunately, they [Grand-Am officials] gave us a stop and go [penalty]. It was kind of a crazy deal. But, that is where the race ended for us. We just ran out of time with yellow after yellow.
"We really needed a good finish here. This was not what we were working for today. It was not for lack of trying. But, it just wasn't meant to be today."
"It was typical Laguna," Auberlen said after the race. "It was mayhem. The Ruby Tuesday car won here last year and we tried like heck to do it again. Joey was great. I had been quick all weekend. We were a car to be reckoned with. The team has got the Ruby Tuesday Porsche Crawford running better than it ever has and we're happy with the car. But, a lot of little weird circumstances took place in this race that put us back. It's a real shame. I feel really bad for the team. They've worked very hard. We need to turn this thing around, stay in the championship hunt and keep on going."
"The guys ran exceptionally well," Team Engineer Greg Fordahl said. "I think that as a team we missed it a little bit on the restarts. Of course being here at Laguna, there are so many yellows and we kept dropping tire pressure, which made it difficult for the guys on the restarts. They had to wait four or five laps sometimes before they could go racing. Once the car was up to speed and temp, it was definitely competitive with the other cars.
"Racing luck is racing luck. We were put five or six positions back from where we should have been because of being run over in pit lane. And, then there was an odd call by the officials as far as the judging of that incident."
The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series heads east for the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International June 6-7.
Bob Stallings/GAINSCO
VASSER AND DA MATTA SHOW WELL AT LAGUNA SECA AS RETURNING CHAMP LEADS 10 LAPS
Gurney and Fogarty Finish Fourth for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing in the RumBum.com 250
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 17, 2008) -- Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty scored a hard-earned fourth-place finish for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing in Saturday's RumBum.com 250 while comeback driver Cristiano da Matta and teammate Jimmy Vasser finished 15th after the returning Brazilian led 10 laps at mid-race.
The fourth-place showing for the reigning Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Champions came in a caution-filled race that had the GAINSCO team roll with different strategies throughout eight yellow flag periods in the 2 ¾ hour timed race.
"We had an up and down run today," said Fogarty, who was among the first to congratulate race winner and former Toyota Atlantic rival Ryan Dalziel. "We found ourselves in a bit of a pickle, kind of not anticipating some of the yellows, you know, just strategy mix ups. But we made a good recovery from where we were. We finished one spot behind the No. 01 car, our main opposition, and I think we are coming forward a little bit in the points. Ryan is a good friend and an excellent driver and I know how it feels when you get your first win. I am happy for him."
The No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley ran deep in the Top 10 several times in the race only to see Fogarty and Gurney claw their way back to the lead pack. Gurney took over from starting driver Fogarty during a lap 36 pit stop and drove the rest of the distance in what turned out to be a 98-lap race.
"It's impossible to read races like this with that many yellows," Gurney said. "It's hard to anticipate. When we did the driver change, we didn't change tires, so when I got in, I was hurting there for awhile. I lost a couple of positions. On the next yellow we got tires, we were in a little bit better shape and started to move up, but really the whole thing didn't fall our way."
Gurney ripped off the team's fastest lap of the race two laps before the checkered flag and closed up on third-place Scott Pruett in the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley in a bid to make the podium.
"We have to make up ground on the No. 01 in the championship and I did my best lap just trying to put him under pressure and see if I could make a move," Gurney said. "I did have a good run on him, but trying to pass going into Turn 6 is wishful thinking. It could have been a lot worse. Fourth-place points are OK, but the two guys in front of us finished ahead of us in the race, but that is just the way it goes. There's still a long way to go."
While the No. 99 team failed to lead a race for the first time this season, da Matta stepped up to carry the GAINSCO team in that stat category when he led 10 laps just under an hour from the finish. Fading tires later saw him drop several spots after a restart, but the biggest setback came when da Matta himself suffered a stomach illness and pitted late in the race.
"Man, it felt like I had a cat in my stomach," said da Matta, who was wearing a cool suit for the first time in his career and didn't have a heat-related illness. "It started feeling bad right when I got in the car on that very first yellow, but just a little bit, a very little bit. Under green, it was fine, but with all of the yellows, my stomach just started feeling worse. It was very strange. I am fine now, but I know we could have done much better, not just me getting sick, but some of the other things we did. It's just all part of racing, but for a comeback race, it went very well. It is important that I could see the performance is there now and for the future."
Da Matta was making make his first professional race start since recovering from life-threatening injuries in an August 2006 accident when he collided with a deer testing a Champ Car at Road America. His close friend and teammate Vasser was strong all weekend, ran as high as fourth in the race and handed off to da Matta on the same lap the No. 99 team made their driver swap.
"This was a great weekend for Cristiano to come back and race again, and it's always fun being a part of the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings' team," Vasser said. "A finish like that is not what we expected, Cristiano got a little food poisoning, I guess, and that's unfortunate. We missed a couple strategy calls and that put us back, but in all, it was a good weekend, and a great weekend for Cristiano's return. He did a fantastic job out front. I'm looking forward to working with him again. It's on the drawing board, but we gotta find the ink for the printing machine."
With five races in the 14-race 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Championship now in the record books, Gurney and Fogarty and the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance team have moved up to third in the respective driver and team point standings. Pruett, teammate Memo Rojas and the Ganassi team lead both championships with 167 points while RumBum.com 250 second-place finishers Jim Matthews and Marc Goossens and the No. 91 Riley/Matthews Pontiac Riley are second in the respective championships with 148 points.