Quick start and new partnership as Sombra Mezcal set to support Cosmo in Texas
Austin, Texas (6 March 2015) – While a problem with a transponder meant that the time sheets don't show it, Guy Cosmo wrapped a successful practice day at Circuit of the Americas on Friday in 2nd place as the American racer prepares to kick off the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge championship with Rounds 1 & 2 at the Texas track this weekend.
While the timing issue was a small frustration for Cosmo, he was able to balance that with some good lap times and some even better news as Sombra Mezcal has joined the effort for the race weekend and will be on board the M1 Racing Audi as Cosmo makes his series debut.
"We are incredibly excited and honored to partner with Guy Cosmo in the Texas Grand Prix and we wish him all the best,” said Sombra Mezcal Director of Marketing Devin Dutz. "Sombra Mezcal is the authentic agave spirit of Mexico, and fans can check out our story at www.sombramezcal.com"
The Pirelli World Challenge event opened with testing on Thursday as Cosmo took his first laps around the circuit in the No. 23 Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery Audi R8 LMS ultra.
The test schedule was pushed back due to freezing rain in the Austin area and cold and blustery conditions enveloped the track through the remainder of the day, while Cosmo and his M1 Racing team worked to fine tune the Audi machine through two test sessions.
“We had a few issues in the first test session so we went back to the garage and the M1 Racing guys worked hard to fix them,” said Cosmo of his first outing in the Audi R8 LMS ultra. “The second test session was a bit better for us. We put in a decent number of laps and got a good start on developing the car for the weekend.”
Friday brought pleasant, sunny conditions, as Cosmo took to the track for two official practice sessions at the classic Forumla1-grade facility. The first practice of the day saw limited track time due to a long red flag period, but Cosmo ran several fast, clean laps and took all he could out of the run. The afternoon practice allowed for a bit more track time which saw Cosmo happy with the gains made on the car in a short amount of time.
“We’re getting better each time we go out on track,” added Cosmo, who scored an ALMS podium at the track on board an LMP2 machine. “We’re learning more and more about the Audi R8 LMS and we’re making big gains. I’m excited to race this car tomorrow. Pirelli World Challenge has seen incredible growth and you can already tell just through practice how competitive the racing will be.”
In addition to the support from Sombra Mezcal (www.sombramezcal.com) and Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery, Cosmo is also benefitting from new programs with Anthros, Inc. (www.anthrosinc.com) & Lake Austin Spa (www.lakeaustin.com) as well as product support from Ironclad.com & moleculemotorsports.com.
Cosmo will qualify the No. 23 Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery Audi R8 LMS ultra tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM Central Time. The green flag for Race 1 will go green at 2:45 PM ET and can be viewed LIVE at http://www.world-challenge.tv.
Race 2 is set for a 1:25 PM CT green flag on Sunday.
--
