Photo by John ThawleyDaytona Beach, Fla. The 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series season gets underway this week with the 64th running of the famed Rolex 24 at Daytona. Guy Cosmo is back in the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona FABCAR chassis fitted with a new Lozano Brothers-prepared Porsche-based 5.0-liter V-8 engine, His goal for the week? Build.
The new No. 09 Spirit of Daytona car made its racing debut at the season-ending event at Miller Motorsports Park last September. Using that race as a real-world test of wheel-to-wheel competition to prepare for the 2008 season and the Rolex 24, Guy and the team continue their growth.
“Developing a new chassis and motor program at the same time is a huge undertaking,” noted Cosmo. “We’re being extremely realistic with our objectives and goals. And, not only for this race, but also looking at the big picture. We look at those teams that have succeeded in this series and we respect that their success didn’t come overnight or easy. Spirit of Daytona is prepared to do the hard work.”
In addition to Cosmo, the team has signed Rolex Sports Car Series regular Marc-Antoine Camirand. Camirand and Cosmo promise to be a force to be reckoned with as both drivers participated in the team's 2007 outing at Miller and their most recent test for the Rolex 24. The team also participated in the Pirelli tire test at Daytona back in November. They are joined for the Rolex 24 at Daytona by Rolex veteran Michael McDowell.
"The car keeps improving \and a lot of improvements were made at the January test and the Pirelli tire test in November," said Cosmo. “Those two tests provided a lot of data to use as a baseline for this race,”
“That said,” added Cosmo, “our expectations are real. Our strategy for the 24 is to simply run a solid pace, work within the cars limits and be there at the end. A 24-hour endurance race takes on a much different complexion than any other form or racing. It requires a very patient approach and cool-headed management of your equipment. A top-10 finish is a very reachable goal for us, but more importantly, 24 hours of hard racing data will help improve the new car and build the program. But, I'm confident the Fabcar chassis is capable of running at the front of this very competitive field. The Lozano Brother's Porsche-based V8 motor is rock-solid and has great potential. Certainly it's as reliable as they come and we keep gaining more and more power.”
“Lastly,” Cosmo asserted, “the Spirit of Daytona team is here with the right attitude. They’re prepared to work hard to reach their goals. You can’t ask for more than that."
Cosmo and the Spirit of Daytona #09 Porsche/Fabcar are scheduled to run:
- Rolex 24 ~ January 26 - 27, 2008
- Homestead ~ March 29 - 29, 2008
- Watkins Glen 6hr. ~ June 7 - 7, 2008
- Daytona 250 ~ July 3 - 3, 2008
- Barber Motorsports Park ~ July 20 - 20, 2008
- Montreal ~ August 1 - 1, 2008
- Watkins 200 ~ August 8 - 8, 2008
The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 46th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona runs January 25-27 at Daytona International Speedway.
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 Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.