(Watkins Glen, NY)— After starting the season out with a fifth place finish at Daytona International in February, championship-caliber driver Guy Cosmo has had a tough string of results running in Grand-Am Cup's GS class and was just hoping to get to the finish in this weekends Chemung Canal Trust 200 at Watkins Glen.
Driving for BGB Motorsports with American Mark Plummer, Cosmo was finally able to cross the finish line once again, but had to settle for twenty-first in class after a competitor spun Cosmo out and the team fell a lap down.
The race started well, as Plummer took the green from 27th position in a massive 73-car field and moved the car up into the top ten before handing the Porsche 996 over to Cosmo, who was forced to bide his time through a series of full-course caution periods before being set free with a green flag to charge to the front.
The run to the point ended quickly, though, as a spinning competitor made contact with Cosmo's right rear forcefully enough to spin the 2002 Star Mazda champion and force him back to the pits for repairs. Fortunately, the damage was light and the car was able to return to the track after replacing the cut tires, but the timing was lousy, as Cosmo was held by officials at pit exit, allowing the field to pass him in the pits and setting him back a lap to the leaders.
“I was so frustrated!” said Cosmo. “I was at the pit exit, and could see that the field was just coming onto the front stretch, but they still held me until everyone went by. For a race car driver, that's just the worst feeling in the world. We've have had some really small issues put us out of races since Daytona, and BGB Motorsports has worked so hard to avoid that. At least we got to the checkered flag today.”
Cosmo will race next in the Mosport 200 Grand American Cup at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville , Ontario . Like many other tracks in North America , Cosmo has taken victories at Mosport and is looking forward to the race on June 18th.
“It's a fast track, and it requires a lot of commitment . I feel really confident racing there, so hopefully we can build on this finish and try to get back into the top five again where we should be,” said Cosmo. “Our first win is not far away.”
NOTES:
LEADING THE FIELD: Cosmo got the chance to participate in Sunday's ‘Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen,' but not the way he wanted to, as Grand American asked the young American to serve duty as the pace car driver for the GT class for the starts and restarts of the 6 hour event. “I like running up front, but I'd of course rather be doing it in a race car! I was still glad to help them out for the race.”
SUB-DUTY—Cosmo was on deck to substitute with the Finlay Motorsports Daytona Prototype effort in case any of the drivers became too fatigued to continue. The rain cooled temperatures during the race, so Cosmo didn't get the chance, but he was flattered that the team, which has finished fourth in the last two Rolex races, thought of him. “I saw (team manager) Steve Cameron in the pits, and he asked me if I would drive for them—I wasn't sure if he was just kidding or what. It turned out that they were all set, but I am still hoping to get an opportunity to race in the Prototypes.”
Cosmo participated in Thursday's ‘Watkins Glen Sahlen's Go-Kart Challenge,' driving the hour and half karting race with a team of other drivers, Watkins Glen personnel, media members, and Grand Am officials. While the event didn't spell victory for Cosmo and his team, it was nonetheless a fun event for both the spectators and the participants.
Cosmo recently completed some successful testing in his other race car, the Mazda-powered Sportsbook.com Courage ALMS P2 entry. Cosmo worked with B-K Motorsports to put the car through its paces at Putnam Park outside of Indianapolis , and feels as though the team continues to make big strides in developing the car.