Some pics from pit lane
Well, I've made it to Daytona! Today all the teams parked, unloaded & got all set up for the big race. I met up with the ESM crew to say hi, check out the car, go over final fitment & cockpit changes, go over our run plan for the week and get all settled in! The weather is amazing, probably the best I've ever seen at Daytona for the Rolex 24. Let's hope it stays that way!
Had a nice dinner with my teammates tonight and am getting to bed early, as we've got an early and LONG day tomorrow with team meetings, drivers meetings, two practice sessions, qualifying and then night practice! Everything happens in the first day, it's crazy!
I'll report throughout the day, so keep an eye on the Twitter feed above. At the end of the night I'll whip up another quick blurb about the day.
Who's planning to attend this weekend? Leave a comment below and get the conversation going!
Ok, here's a little info to get you up to speed on my drive in this year's 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona!
Long story short, Extreme Speed Motorsports - my full-time drive in the American Le Mans Series - has chosen to expand thier racing program and compete in a partial season of Grand-Am Rolex Series competition, in addition to our full-season assault on the 2012 American Le Mans Series championship. That decision required an all-new Ferrari 458 Italia GT racing machine built specifically to Grand-Am specifications, which arrived in early December. Since then we've tested the car twice with much success. Earlier this month at the official Rolex 24 test at Daytona International Speedway we left on top of the time sheets, and learned a lot about the new machine - which differs quite a bit from the ALMS/GT2 spec cars.
Since then the team has worked tirelessly on the race week preparation of the car, all the equipment and all of the spare parts that need to be readily available in case of emergency during the race. As for me, I've continued to work with Ed Brown (President & CEO of the Patron Spirits Company - and my teammate) on driving simulators and data review in preparation for the event, as well as keeping up my fitness program and loving life in general... :)
Tomorrow is move-in day when all the teams park their trailers and unload all of the beautifully prepared race cars, and we finalize all remaining details before practice starts on Thursday.
Wish us luck, and stay tuned to this page for more updates throughout each day!
Guy ~
Check it out! I stopped by Extreme Speed Motorsports' World Headquarters to check out our new Grand-Am Ferrari 458 Italia GT car! She's a beaut, and here are a few spy shots for you...
Hi all! Today was a great day! I successfully completed the 40-mile West Palm Beach loop of the Dolphins Cycling Challenge - my 4th ride ever on this road bike, and my longest ride so far! It was a beautiful day and a wonderful event. I successfully raised, with the help of many of you reading this, just under $1,250 towards the Miami Dolphins Foundation where the funds from this two-day, tri-county event will be donated to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In its inaugural year, DCC raised $533,106 for Sylvester, setting the bar high for future rides. This year the Dolphins Cycling Challenge will honor Dolphins legend Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich who led the team on and off the field for over 40 years and lost his courageous battle with cancer this spring.
DCC Cyclists will be honored by the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, December 4th, 2011 as the team takes on the Oakland Raiders. All of the funds raised through the ride will be presented to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in a pregame on-field ceremony on that day.
I chose to ride in the fastest group they offered, the 18-20MPH group. After doing my longest ride to-date just two days ago, my legs were still a little sore, but the pace was attainable enough for me to really enjoy the ride. I met a bunch of extremely nice people who were all experienced riders, and learned a few tips here and there to help me out regarding group rides and energy conservation on the bike. We had a little head-wind on the way back North which made it more challenging and definitely more of a workout, but we ran in a single-file line and rotated the order so we all had a chance to lead the group - which was fun for me!
The event was really well run and a lot of fun. I will definitely plan for this event next year, but I want to do the entire two-day ride - which is 170 miles! We'll see how my cycling progresses in a year's time... :)
MANY THANKS to all of you who helped me participate in this wonderful event by making donations to the charity. If you are reading this, haven't made a donation and would still like to, fundraising will continue until December 1st (days before the Miami Dolphins Foundation will present the big check to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center), and you can still make a donation here:
http://www.ridedcc.com/dcc/page/Guy-Cosmo.htm
Thanks for reading, and for all of your support! Can't wait for the next big ride! Here's a few pics from today!
Guy
Hi folks!
As you may or may not know, I've recently gotten into cycling and am preparing to do my first organized ride this weekend in the Dolphins Cycling Challenge - a two-day tri-county charity cycling event coordinated by the Miami Dolphins Foundation. The purpose of the DCC is to increase cancer awareness, encourage healthy hobbies, and raise funds for the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
I picked up a Ridley Damocles road bike from the AWESOME people at The Racer's Edge bike shop in Boca Raton, FL. I was custom fitted to ensure I won't be straining or harming my body from riding long distances, and absolutely LOVE the bike thus far.
I've only ridden it twice since. First ride was 12 miles last week, then it rained for 40 days and 40 nights - or so it felt... then squeezed in a 14-mile ride last night, but we're having high winds in S. Florida that were over 20MPH with even larger gusts. Needless to say the ride was tough, but I know once the wind dies down I'll be able to see gains in my performance.
The ride this weekend will be 40 miles. I'm really excited for it, and will spend the rest of the week getting myself closer to the 40-mile mark. Nothing like giving myself 5 days to get ready for a big ride, huh? I know to you cycling pro's out there 40 miles is child's play, but I'm just getting started, ok? Hehe...
In the mean time, if you'd like to support my fundraising efforts for the charity, please make a small donation here: http://www.ridedcc.com/dcc/page/Guy-Cosmo.htm
Here's a picture from my first ride, and a picture of the bike. I know, not flattering, but hey - it's all I got!
Dear Friends,
Now that the 2011 racing season has come to a close I've taken on a new challenge, but with a few less wheels than what I'm accustomed to... like two, to be exact! Cycling has become a new hobby and passion of mine, and clearly a great form of exercise for me to keep in shape for what will certainly be an exciting 2012 racing season. (details will be announced soon!)
After my first Charity Bike Ride in the Tour de Road America this year - where you all contributed to help me raise over $4000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation - I was bit with the biking bug. I have since ventured into mountain biking and now gotten my hands on a road bike. But besides the joy I derive from riding, I'm most enthusiastic about the cycling community and the vast number of 'Charity Bike Rides' that make my participation actually matter - and help make a difference.
This weekend I'm participating in the Dolphins Cycling Challenge, hosted by the Miami Dolphins NFL team and the Miami Dolphins Foundation. I hope you will support me as I ride to raise money for cancer research benefitting the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Please visit my page at http://www.ridedcc.com/dcc/page/guy-cosmo.htm to sponsor me. It's easy to do and it's for a great cause!
Once again I'd like to thank you all for your wonderful friendship and support, and for allowing me to share my adventures with you. I am very fortunate to do what I love, but more so to have all of you in my life.
Here's to helping those in need and to our never-ending fight against cancer. Please join me in the fight by making a donation today.
http://www.ridedcc.com/dcc/page/guy-cosmo.htm
Sincerely,
Guy Cosmo
This weekend I had the pleasure of joining Robinson Motorsports at Mid-Ohio for the SVRA race. Meeting them all for the first time, I was shocked to hear that nearly ALL of the guys on the team had been working together at Robinson Motorsports for nearly twenty years! That's pretty incredible in this industry, but was certainly evident as I watched them work like a well oiled machine, with jokes and smiles flying around all throughout the weekend. What an incredible group of guys. And at the helm is George Robinson - probably one of the nicest men I've ever met - and quite a shoe as well. That boy was hauling the mail in that car!
Speaking of which - how about the new love of my life! (well, only 2nd to my girlfriend Joey... I love you sweetie!) That 2007 Lola Judd V10 LMP1 rocket ship! That thing was AWESOME!!! We got along verrrrry well - probably well enough to put it in the top three of an ALMS P1 qualifying grid...! But we ran the club course chicane, so it's hard to tell exactly how we compared to last years times.
George & I won the 80-minute endurance race today, of which George started and I finished - against our main competition of Andy Wallace & my best buddy Doug Smith - who drove the Rogers Motorsports Audi R8 LMP1 car. Quite a scene watching (and driving) these cars on track, whizzing past cars like they're standing still!
Here's some photos. I've got some in-car video that I'll post later this week as well, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!
Here at Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course with Extreme Speed Motorsports. Testing the 01 Ferrari 458GT while the 02 gets prepped back at the shop. Going well so far! Rain has held us up a bit both yesterday & today, but making good progress when it's dry. I LOVE being back in this car and working with this team! More later!