Guy Cosmo and Extreme Speed Motorsports will campaign their Patrón Ferrari 458GT racers at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Int'l) in round five of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, the Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport. Teams will test Friday and have two rounds of practice followed by qualifying on Saturday. The two hour and forty five minute race will get underway Sunday at 12 noon EST.
Opened in 1961, Mosport / Canadian Tire Motorsport Park retains its classic 2.459 mile road course. The famed circuit has hosted F1, Indy cars, motorcycles and a host of other racing classes. Yet none holds a greater popularity than the biggest event of the season, the Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport featuring the American Le Mans Series sports car race. Previous years have seen three-day weekend crowds of more than 70,000.
Unlike many historic motorsport venues, Mosport's track layout has remained mostly unchanged from its original form. The fastest ever recorded lap was taken by Rinaldo Capello, in an Audi R10 TDI, in qualifying for the 2008 Grand Prix of Mosport, with a time of 1:04.094. The lap record was set in the race for that meeting with Capello's Audi Sport North America team mate Marco Werner lapping in a time of 1:05.823.
Still reeling from the needless contact that took place in the closing laps of the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock, Cosmo is hopeful cooler heads will prevail on Mosport's high-speed natural terrain course.
"In regard to what happened at Lime Rock," noted Cosmo, "I'm really disappointed. The careless driving that's been taking place between the classes on track needs to stop. We were lucky our Ferrari wasn't a total write-off and that I didn't wind up in the hospital from that crash. It was all a result of someone's lack of respect for his fellow competitors. If driving like that takes place at a track like Mosport, the repercussions will be bigger than anyone in this series can handle. This place is way too fast and dangerous for drivers who's skill level and judgement are lacking, and I won't stand for it any longer."
"Mosport is a great place that dates back to when men were men and racing was dangerous," added Guy. "It's fast, sweeping and blind with huge elevation changes. It's a track that demands 100% focus and commitment at all times. I absolutely love it. And now under it's new ownership many renovations and improvements have been made around the facility, so I'm looking forward to the new 'Canadian Tire Motorsport Park'."
The crew for the No. 02 Patron Ferrari have practically been working around the clock to get the car put back together and race ready. Cosmo and co-pilot Ed Brown are more than ready.
"Ultimately," said Guy "all I can say is we're looking forward, and we're going after the result we should have gotten at Lime Rock - a podium finish for Ed and I in the 02 car."
In other team news, Johannes van Overbeek will celebrate his 100th ALMS race start this weekend when he lines up alongside ESM team owner Scott Sharp aboard the No. 01 Tequila Patrón Ferrari Italia 458.
Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is set for noon ET on July 22 from the 2.459-mile, 10-turn Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. ESPN2’s broadcast featuring live coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET. Full, live coverage is available starting at 11:45 a.m. ET on ESPN3.
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