Brings the Fountain Motorsports #127 BMW Home in Second Place
PHOTO CREDIT: Steve AlvineGuy Cosmo travelled out west this past weekend to participate in the KONI Challenge Series Fountain Motorsports #127 BMW 330i, and to join up with Kevin Doran and Memo Gidley in the #77 Feeds The Need Doran Racing Daytona Prototype in the Grand American Rolex Series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve U.S. Sports Car Invitational delivered by Luggage Express and the KONI Challenge Series events ran May 18-20.
Guy co-drove the #127 Fountain Motorsports BMW 330i finishing second place backing up his victory in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series at Iowa Speedway last month.
“Man, it was a great charge up to 2nd,” Cosmo said. “ Once again Fountain Motorsports gave me a great car. With another few laps we would have been racing for the win. The big thing with these cars is the momentum. They don’t have a lot of horsepower, but they handle really well and it’s really close racing. You just have to chip away at it lap after lap. Our BMW 330i was hooked up and the Fountain Motorsports crew performed flawless pit stops that actually gained us a few positions.”
Guy had a new co-driver for this event;
“VJ Mirzayan is a new teammate for me this weekend,” noted Guy. “Considering he’s never been with the team and never been in our car before, he did an outstanding job getting up to speed. He handed over the car to me in a great spot. He had a little slip at the beginning, jumping the start and getting a stop-and-go penalty, but he went from dead last all the way up to 10th when he handed it off to me. I was able to get to work from there. I was able to inch my way up to the front lap after lap, and like I said, I needed two more laps and I would have had him.”
“I just got a little bit greedy in the beginning,” Mirzayan said. “I pulled out of line, so we got a stop-and-go penalty. I just kind of kept cool and worked my way back to 10th. This is the closest racing I’ve ever done. This is like a dream day for me. The first time I got in a car ever was four years ago. I’m not talking about racing, just got in a car on the track. So, for me, to be here in four years on the podium, it is absolutely a dream come true. I can’t thank [Guy] Cosmo enough for being such an incredible teammate and instructor. He really helped me get up to pace really fast. This is the most unbelievable day of my life next to my kids being born. I want to thank the KONI Challenge for putting on such a great show, thank my sponsors and especially Fountain Motorsports for such a great car and team.”
But Cosmo’s weekend had just begun. He still had his hands full chasing down a pack of Daytona Prototype cars. Guy joined up with Kevin Doran and Memo Gidley for Sunday’s run through the hills of the Monterey Peninsula in the Doran Racing #77 Feeds the Need car.
“It was such a pleasure working with Kevin Doran and the Feeds The Need/Doran Racing team,” remarked Guy. “Kevin is really a first-class guy and he’s got to have one of the nicest crews I’ve ever worked with. And man are their pit-stops fast!”
“We had a few hiccups throughout practice this weekend,” added Guy. “That kept us off-track and put us behind the eight-ball to the rest of the field. The Daytona Prototype class is so competitive and so close that every minute of track time you can get is extremely valuable.”
“Memo and I had a good run in the race though,” Guy noted. “I felt good at the start and avoided a few incidents that happened right in front of me during my stint. Actually, the race was the most laps I spent in the car all weekend. Even then, I was still getting quicker each lap. Memo hopped in and did a great job. He worked his way through some shuffling around to pull off a top-ten for the #77 Kodak car.”
“I’m really impressed with the design and layout of the Doran JE4 chassis,” Guy said. “I think it’s the smartest DP chassis out there. I can see why this car was so dominant when the Prototype class first came about. Kevin and his group have done a great job competing against some of the better-funded teams out there. As development continues on this car I guarantee it will sit on the podium again, and I’d love to help Kevin and Memo put it there.”
During the past few seasons, Cosmo has brought his talent and services to several of the top-tier prototype teams in the Grand American paddock. In 2006 Cosmo joined up with Finlay Motorsports filling in for an injured Memo Gidley in the #19 Playboy Uniden car. He was also instrumental in giving the Spirit of Daytona car it’s best run ever at Watkins Glen. And, of course there was the popular 2nd place finish garnered by Guy, Memo and Michael McDowell at Utah to close out the season.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2007 with a world-class racing schedule including the U.S. Sports Car Invitational featuring the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series May 18-20, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix July 20-22, the 34th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races presented by Toyota August 17-19, the AMA Superbike Championship September 15-16 and the Monterey Sports Car Championships featuring the American Le Mans Series October 19-21.
Guy Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top-level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles and major successes in many disciplines including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at www.guycosmo.com.
The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2007 Rolex Series schedule and the 12-race KONI Challenge Series calendar will deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America. All 2007 Rolex Series events will be televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.
