;)
"I'm extremely optimistic about ESM's effort this season," said Cosmo. "As good as we ran in our debut season, I think with our experience, determination and the new Ferrari F458GT, we're going to be a force to be reckoned with. Of course, we've got a grid full of world class competition and we're running among what could be the most formidable grid the GT class has ever seen, but we're up to the challenge."
For Sebring, GT won't be the only challenge Cosmo and other drivers face. With 56 entries traffic is on every drivers mind. It's the largest field to take the start since 1999 and it’s the same size as the field for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. One big difference, the Le Mans circuit is 8.4 miles around while Sebring measures 3.7 miles – less than half of the length of the historic La Sarthe.
"The size of the field really changes the game," noted Cosmo. "You've got six classes running at once all at varying speeds. And with this being an International Le Mans Cup race, we're running with drivers and cars we've never seen before."
"Pit lane is another area of concern," Cosmo continued. "With 56 cars, the pits are going to be real tight. Pitting under yellow is going to be a real traffic jam. With all the things we normally concern ourselves with, the size of the field becomes a real wild card."
Official practice for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida gets under way Thursday, March 17. The race is set for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19 and will be shown live and in its entirety on ESPN3.com and americanlemans.com starting at 10 a.m. ET. ABC will provide coverage from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20.
Guy Cosmo, 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year competed last season in the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Patron Ferrari. Cosmo is a race record-holder at Mid-Ohio (for fastest lap in the GTC series, which he set in 2009 in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup). Cosmo has 28 starts in the American Le Mans Series, finishing in the top-five 18 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.