;)
Both cars performed extremely well all week with the No. 01 car qualifying for the outside pole. While the No. 02 car qualified 7th, it should be noted it was just .3 of a second behind the No. 01. Suffice it to say, after only three races, Extreme Motorsports is showing its strength and its ability to mix it up with the best GT teams in the world.
Cosmo was upbeat about the outcome of the week.
"All in all it was a very productive week for Extreme Speed Motorsports," said Cosmo. "Both cars were fast all throughout practice and qualifying. Johannes [van Overbeek] qualified the 01 car on outside pole, and although I qualified 7th, I was a mere 3 tenths behind. We were definitely in the hunt. Given the caliber of this year's ALMS GT field, we were feeling really positive heading into the race."
Cosmo started with a double stint and set fastest race lap and held it for the first half of the race. It was bested by Johannes in the 01 car during the second half. Through out the afternoon, both ESM cars kept the pressure on.
With just two hours remaining, Cosmo climbed back in the car for a run to the finish. The right rear wheel came loose on his out lap. Although he made it back to pit lane, it took valuable time to make the repairs.
"I had an issue with the right rear wheel after the last pit stop," noted Guy. "The wheel loosened up as soon as I left pit lane. It eventually came off before I could make it back into the pits. After an amazing repair by the ESM crew, we got the car back on track to finish the race and collect some valuable points. Quitting is not in our DNA. Unfortunately we were down 30-something laps at the end."
"It's a shame," added Guy. "We were really fast, the car was handling great, and my teammate Ed Brown did an incredible job. Ed set his fastest laps of the week during the race."
Saturday’s race was a thriller in every sense. The six hour endurance test saw four different overall leaders, eight leaders in GT, an LMP Challenge race that saw the top two cars with one second between them throughout the final two hours and a dominating run for a first-time victor in GT Challenge.
Congratulations to the 01 car and their solid 5th place finish and Extreme Speed's first top-five in just its 3rd race.
"With a break in the action," Guy noted, "we'll all be at work continuing to develop every aspect of the team. Even though it's a long way off, I'm excited for the next race!"
CBS Sports will air the highly anticipated INTERSPORT production of the Monterey race starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
The next race for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix. The two-hour, 45-minute race is set for 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday, July 11 from Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. SPEED will air the race same-day at 4 p.m. ET. Live radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche – a production of Radio Show Limited – as well as Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242. Visit the Series’ schedule page for ticket and accommodation information.
Guy Cosmo, 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year and also a former ORBIT Racing driver, competed last season in the No. 47 Porsche 911 GT3. He finished the season 3rd in the Challenge class championship qualifying on the pole three times. Cosmo has 19 starts in the American Le Mans Series, finishing in the top-five 17 times and has been on the winner’s podium twice. In addition to being an accomplished driver, Cosmo is also a highly sought-after driving instructor. Find out more about Guy Cosmo at http://www.guycosmo.com and follow Guy through the racing weekend on Twitter @guycosmo.
Extreme Speed Motorsports is sponsored by Tequila Patrón, along with support from Ferrari Corse Clienti and the team’s official tire technical partner Michelin. Patrón, a longtime supporter of motorsports racing, is the presenting sponsor of the full American Le Mans Series.