While teammate Tony Vilander was in pit lane enjoying the start of a pole winning celebration, Guy Cosmo peddled the No. 02 Ultimat Vodka Extreme Speed Motorsport Ferrari across the line with a 1:18.677 second lap to take the top spot in GT qualifying. Vilander will start second, just 0.05 seconds behind.
This is Cosmo's first GT pole in ALMS and a first 1-2 qualifying for Extreme Speed Motorsports. The recently married Cosmo credited his speed to his wife Louisa and his new life-status noting, "I always said I'd be faster once I was married."
Extreme Speed Motorsports' Ferraris feature a special livery for this year's Petit Le Mans. Guy acknowledged the unique livery:
"The special Ultimat Vodka and Action Against Hunger livery for this race is just ballistic," said Guy. "Ultimat Vodka is another premium Patrón Spirits brand and it's great that we're building it's awareness to all the Patrón Tequila fans out there. Action Against Hunger is a global organization committed to saving the lives of malnourished children across the world. So as we close out the season and head into Thanksgiving and the holidays, we wanted to draw attention to the crucial work that Action Against Hunger does and encourage people to learn more and support this very important cause."
As part of the Ultimat Vodka livery, fans can contribute to Action Against Hunger at www.actionagainsthunger.org/ultimat. The online fundraising campaign supporting Action Against Hunger, will run through the end of the year.
The 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 20 from Road Atlanta. ABC's broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 21. Full, live coverage starts at 11:15 a.m. ET on ESPN3 with qualifying coverage beginning at 1:50 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 19.
Guy Cosmo, 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year drives the No. 02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Patrón 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 38 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. You can find out more about Guy Cosmo at http://www.guycosmo.com or follow Guy through the racing weekend on Twitter @guycosmo and on Facebook.
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the world`s leading sports car championship and is recognized as the Global Leader in Green Racing. In the tradition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, multiple classes of cars - purpose-built prototypes and production-based Grand Touring automobiles - race on the track at the same time to create compelling race action and constant passing. All cars in the Series compete using one of five approved alternative fuels or energy sources: clean sulfur-free diesel, cellulosic E85 or E10, Isobutanol and electric hybrid technologies. The Series has more automobile marques involved than any other major race series in the world as manufacturers develop relevant technologies on track that transfer directly to the customer showroom. The ALMS competes at North America`s premier road racing tracks and selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets.