;)
In a race that saw eight different leaders, the six hour endurance race demanded sprint race intensity. Not a Series 'regular,' the ESM Tequila Patron Ferrari 458 GT continues to impress. Like the recent Detroit Grand Prix, during his second stint, Guy Cosmo again set the fastest GT laps of the race.
"My second stint was a blast," grinned Cosmo. "The first stint wasn't bad either. I went from 14th to 4th in the first stint… on a track like the Glen, that's just a lot of fun. Then in my second stint, I'm not sure how many positions we picked up, but I gunned down the leaders and we were the fastest GT on the track. It was a serious charge and got us back to fourth."
"I really enjoyed my time behind the wheel," added Guy. "Watkins Glen is still one of the greatest tracks on the planet and still one of my favorites. It's so fast… it flows and it calls for an enormous amount of commitment and guts. It's unlike any track in the world. For me, it's home."
"This was a good race for the whole team," Cosmo continued. "Mike Hedlund did a great job for us. It was is first outing with ESM and first time driving the Ferrari 458 GT. He drove a solid race and kept the car in good position so Johannes and I could run down the leaders keeping the car in the top-5."
Cosmo and Extreme Speed will turn their focus back to the continuation of the American Le Mans summer session of the 2012 ALMS Championship as the team heads to Lime Rock Park and the Northeast Grand Prix. The team campaigns two Patron Ferraris with drivers Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek, and Ed Brown teamed up with Cosmo.
"I'm really enjoying this time in the northeast," said Guy. "I'm home with family and friends. I'm driving great cars on great race tracks. Not just great cars… I'm driving Ferraris. I'm loving these cars. They're Italian, I'm Italian…. it's a special relationship and it just keep's getting better."
The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is Saturday, July 7. The two-hour, 45-minute race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET from the 1.5-mile, eight-turn Lime Rock Park circuit. ESPN2’s broadcast featuring live coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET. Full coverage is available starting at 2:45 p.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.