Sean Rayhall poised to make a championship move at The Mobil1 SportsCar Grand Prix
It is always like this when one is interested in following events in motor culture. It seems that there is never anything going on ... and then, BAM! Great racing starts popping out all over the place.
Take living in Toronto, Canada, for example - Last weekend they held the first ever two (2) race weekend of the IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS) at the Exhibition Place temporary street course track. The IICS is experiencing one of the most competitive and tight championship points fights with 1/3rd of a season still left on the schedule once the weekend of double-points and big moves was over. The crowds were larger than in recent years of the two decades old annual IICS event.
The very next weekend has the sports car world visit Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formally Mosport) with the last race of the American Le Mans Series due to the merger with the Grand-Am series to compete as United SportsCar Racing (USCR) in 2014. The Mobil1 SportsCar Grand Prix for ALMS cars is to be held on Sunday July 21, 2013 at 12-2:45 p.m. ET with live television broadcast carried by ESPN2 beginning at 1:00pm ET.
The other set of races that surround the racing action is to be supplied by The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel cars, the Mazda Playboy MX-5 Cup, and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda - both feature a two-race weekend. The last time the Mazda Playboy MX-5 Cup, and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series were together was a weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Diamond Cellar Classic June 14-16, 2013.
The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda will contesting Rounds 7 and 8 in a 14 Round season. Sean Rayhall and Comprent Motorsports Robert Talbott Inc sponsored #14 Elan DP-02 currently lead the points and this feat was produced by scoring points in only five of the six races run to date. Rayhall would be the first to say that this has been a great team effort.
Sean Rayhall appears to be poised to repeat the feat that launched him into the points lead with a double win weekend like he had at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. All three practice sessions had Sean in the lead, or barely #2 by 9/100s of a second.
Before qualifications for the weekend's Rounds, Sean Rayhall had these responses to the following questions.
1- Is this your first time at this track? If so, What is you favorite impression of the track (corners, difficulties, and etc.)?
Yes it is my first time at the track and I absolutely love the high speed corners as well as it really being a drivers track!
2- With two races over the next couple of days, what do you see are the critical sections of the track and what do you intend to be on the look-out for?
Critical sections rely on the high speed areas and having enough aero without hurting the straight line speed before the back straight!
3- Pre-Race - What are the team's thoughts on the upcoming weekend's races (Rounds #5 & #6)? Is your team back to full strength?
Team thoughts are to have a smooth consistent weekend, and come away with good points for the championship, but we always are in it to win it! - Yes.
4- Additional thoughts on being at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and rubbing elbows with the folks in the other series racing this weekend.
Additional thoughts are I am also coaching for 8Star Motorsports Lites programs for the remaining of the season so working side by side with LeMans winner Enzo Potolicchio is an absolute pleasure!
ENDS
After qualifications for Rounds 7 and 8, the Comprent #14 driven by Sean Rayhall outpaced the competition in similarly prepared Elan DP-02s.
Results communicated through a Facebook entry in the following manner:
@TheEDJE
Sean Rayhall - P1 - Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Qualifying - 1:14.238 | 119.244mph - @CTMPOfficial @IMSALites #CTMP #Mobil1SCGP
The #14 was 1.035 clear of Ryan Booth's Performance Tech #18 and faster by 1.64mph!!! Whoa, the Comprent guys really had the Elan hooked up.
Excellent set-up for the Mobil1SCGP race weekend.
@prnmag
@IMSALites top three from qual: 1. Sean Rayhall 2. Ryan Booth 3. Daniel Goldburg. Race 1 at 5:10 pm ET @CTMPOfficial #Mobil1SCGP
— at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Series has the GREEN Flag dropping in Race One at 5:10 p.m. ET Saturday. Race Two is set for Sunday, July 21 at 8:10 a.m. ET - wake up early!!
If one is following the action, either at the track or on internet services ... it's like, don't blink, you'll miss something.
... notes from The EDJE
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