Though not quite the results they were hoping for, Guy Cosmo and Fountain Motorsports will take a 6th-place finish for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario and roll into Lexington at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the EMCO Gears Classic June 23-24 .The Fountain Motorsports #127 BMW ran 2nd quickest in each of the three practice sessions on Friday as well as Saturday's morning practice. David Tuaty qualified the car 5th and ran a steady 4th during the starting stint. At the first yellow, about 35-40 minutes into the race, Guy Cosmo climbed in and moved the car up to 2nd. Never one to follow, Cosmo soon passed for the lead and held on to it for 12 laps.
A yellow came out, and due to a radio mis-communication, the team pitted on the second lap of the caution. While this was the wrong choice, Cosmo managed to pass a lot of cars on the restart. After the first lap under green, the #127 Fountain Motorsports BMW came by start finish in 4th place. Unfortunately, the car and setup wouldn’t hold up to what it was during practice and Cosmo wound up losing 2 spots in the last 10 minutes to finish the race in 6th.
"A 6th place wasn't the finish I was hoping for,” acknowledged Cosmo, “but we came out of the race in one piece and collected substantial points towards the championship. The Fountain Motorsports BMW was very quick all throughout practice, but we missed the setup just a bit for the race conditions.”
“David did a great job qualifying the car in the top five,” noted Guy. “He ran strong in 4th place during his stint, and handed me a clean car. I managed to work my way to the front and lead for a while, but we just didn't have the speed to stay up there."
"We lost radio communication on the back side of the track causing a misstep in our pit strategy,” said Cosmo. “Unfortunatley, that dropped me from first to nearly last in the field. On the restart I charged back through the field and to be honest, I lost count of how many cars I passed - but it had to be one of the best charges of my life! When I crossed the start-finish line the next time by I was in 4th place!"
"I had a great battle for about 45 minutes trying to maintain my position,” Guy continued, “but we just didn't have the speed to hold on.”
“Either way it was a great run, and I'm extremely proud of my team and crew,” Guy exclaimed. “Fountain Motorsports is becoming a team the others watch out for at every event. It’s like they’re becoming a benchmark. The fact that this is their first full season racing is incredible. It is so much fun to work with these guys. And Mike's parents, Dom and Jan Fonte attend each of the races and feed us like there is no tomorrow. We are definitely the best-fed team in all of racing! With a team like this, there's no telling what we'll accomplish."
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.