With but two laps remaining at the Grand American Road Racing Association’s KONI Challenge Series race at Watkins Glen International, a faulty fuel pump sent Guy Cosmo shuffling backwards from 2nd place to 10th during Saturday's three-hour Supercuts 200 at The Glen.
Coming off a late race restart, Cosmo had finessed the #127 Fountain Motorsports BMW up to second position when suddenly he felt the motor stumble as it struggled to get fuel.
“On the restart I was in 3rd,” said Cosmo after the race. “I got a great jump, timing it perfectly to pull out just as I crossed start finish line. I made the pass for 2nd in turn 1, lost it on the exit and fell to 4th. Heading into the Bus Stop I passed back for 3rd and was on the right line where I was going to get 2nd. Then the car stumbled on fuel. It continued to stumble more and more. I limped it around to finish 10th.”
“What a disappointment,” exclaimed Cosmo. “We had a strong car and a very good chance of winning. Shane Lewis and Billy Johnson were racing hard on those last two laps and we were right in the mix with them to fight for the win.”
“It was a tough ending to a very promising weekend,” added Guy. Fountain Motorsports’ BMW was very fast in every practice session and VJ Mirzayan worked hard to get up to speed. This was his first visit to Watkins Glen. Our race went great and to plan. We had a good car and the pit stops were fantastic - (46 Seconds for 2 tires, fuel and driver change). Having the win get away from us is obviously very disappointing, but these things happen - it's racing!”
The team has since made an attempt to assess the fuel line problem.
“It was definitely not a failure of the team’s strategy,” said Guy emphatically. “We had plenty of fuel to run to the end,,, or so we thought. Our fuel remaining calculation on the dash displayed 4 gallons of fuel left. So, either the fuel tank didn't fill all the way during the stop, or something was faulty with our fuel pumps.”
Guy and the team remain optimistic looking forward to the balance of the season.
“With the string of strong results we've had,” observed Guy, “we can't complain too much. Unfortunately, we've lost a little ground in the points chase now and it's going to require a flawless run to the end of the season.”
“I'm looking for complete domination,” said Guy laughingly. “Seriously, I'm just looking to continue with solid results like we've had for the past several races. I know the Fountain Motorsports’ team is up to it, and our BMW 330 is a car that's strong in many areas and well balanced in others. That's what has been keeping us close to the front at every race. Now it's time to turn up the wick.”
The team will enjoy a one week break before heading to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama where the KONI Challenge Series returns to the split format of 400K races.
Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top-level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles and major success in many disciplines including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at www.guycosmo.com.
The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2007 Rolex Series schedule and the 12-race KONI Challenge Series calendar will deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America. All 2007 Rolex Series events will be televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.