Austin, Texas (16 September 2016) – Even though there are two long straightaways, some 20 corners and a remarkable stadium tunnel that marks the front stretch, the signature segment of the 3.4-mile Circuit of the Americas road course is its long uphill run into Turn 1.
Unfortunately, for TeamTGM Turn 1 wasn’t the only uphill climb of the weekend as the squad took on Friday’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race.
Drivers Ted Giovanis and Guy Cosmo persevered through a number of challenges during the 2.5-hour event that marked the penultimate round of the 2016 IMSA season.
Racing in some searing Texas heat, Giovanis opened the race from the fourth row of the grid and early on in the going reported that the handling of the car had become quite loose. Hanging onto the No. 46 JKTG Foundation/Camp Boggy Creek Porsche machine through some very hot driving conditions around the Texas circuit, Giovanis pitted about 50 minutes into the race and handed the car over to Cosmo, who would take it to the finish.
“The car was really pointy, it just was too eager to rotate,” said Giovanis following his run. “This isn’t the hottest weather I’ve ever raced in, but it was definitely pretty warm out there!”
Unfortunately, shortly after Cosmo returned to the track, the team was called to pit road for a drive through penalty following a pit lane penalty during the stop.
“I didn't get the car into park when I came in, so the wheels rotated just a bit when the car came up off the ground, so Guy (Cosmo) had to do a drive through penalty which was a tough way for him to start his stint!” said Giovanis.
Upon returning to the track once again, despite making his way all the way from 30th to sixth in the order, the challenges continued for Cosmo as half-way into his stint he began to experience braking issues. Ultimately as the pedal kept going longer, the day ended up getting shorter as the No. 46 entry retired with about half an hour to go.
“The brakes were fine in the beginning of my stint,” said Cosmo. “We didn’t have much practice time this weekend, and early in the race we discovered we weren’t in the window that we needed to be. The car was not in its sweet spot and I just couldn’t put together the lap times I needed to stay with the lead group. Then the brake issue slowly started trickling in and the problem grew worse and worse. I felt like it would become unsafe, so we called it early. We learned a lot again this weekend. We continue to learn more each weekend. I think we could be in a really good position with the car and our pace going into Road Atlanta. We’re pretty optimistic about it.”
The final round of the 2016 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship takes place at TeamTGM’s home track of Road Atlanta in two weeks. The Circuit of the Americas event will be televised on FS1, Sunday, September 25 at 5:00 PM ET.
About Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy: The Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy (JKTG Foundation) aims to change health care for the better. The Foundation funds innovative medical research, data and health policy analysis, sponsors events and engages in other projects designed to advance both health care and health policy.
About Boggy Creek: Camp Boggy Creek was founded in 1996 by Paul Newman and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, with one simple premise in mind, that every child, no matter their illness, could experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand in hand with camp. With unobtrusive expert medical care, it was their dream that Camp would provide seriously ill children with a fun-filled experience defined by compassion, laughter and acceptance. Located just a short drive from Orlando, Florida, the 232-acre camp serves children ages 7-16 who’ve been diagnosed with chronic or life-threatening conditions. http://www.boggycreek.org