Info: Greg Franz 949.851.4731
gfranz@competentms.com
Newport Beach, CA.
June 16, 2010
Pirelli Drivers Cup USA, featuring Porsche 996 and 997 GT3 Cup Cars, is a racing series dedicated to providing a safe racing environment for all participants where on race weekends drivers compete on challenging venues and this last weekend reinforced the goal of the series…On Track with Competence.
The venue this last weekend (June 11th – 13th) was The Rose CupRaces at the Portland International Raceway (PIR) as part of Portland’s Rose Festival, a month long event for the city of Portland and surrounding communities. The Rose
Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year which made it a special opportunity for the Pirelli Drivers Cup USA racing series to hold both its Race #5 and Race #6 of the 2010 season. As part of the Rose Cup Races, Race #6 was designated as the Festival Trophy Race for the Rose Festival which was well attended by Oregon race enthusiasts.
Local knowledge of a race track is always a big plus for any driver and with local knowledge from Jeff Gamroth, Jim Walsh, David Cormier, Jay Culbertson, Chris Pallis, and Peter Wong, the first timers were able to get the inside story on how to best drive the track and understand its nuances. In addition, Craig Stanton, the Pirelli Drivers Cup USA driving coach, who had just returned from competing at Watkins Glen in a Grand Am Rolex Race the previous weekend, was available for individual coaching sessions with all the drivers. Craig brings a unique perspective to the sport resulting in the drivers improving their race craft.
A short track like Portland International Raceway (1.945 miles) provides a level playing field for both the Porsche 996 and 997 GT3 Cup Cars as the aero package, horsepower, and gearing are per factory specifications requiring the drivers to make the difference.
Qualifying on Friday afternoon for Race #5 did just that as Peter Wong (Rothsport) 2010 997 got the pole, with Chris Pallis (Rothsport) 2007 997 in the second position followed by Jeff Gamroth (Rothsport) and Doug Baron (911 Design) both in 996 GT3 Cup Cars.
On Saturday, Race #5 lived up to its expectations and gave everyone an exciting race to watch.Race #5 also provided the grid positions for Race #6 (e.g. Festival Trophy Race). In Group A (2000-2005 996 GT3 Cup Car) Doug Baron remained undefeated while fighting off David Cormier (VI Racing) from Canada and Jim Walsh (Jim Walsh Racing). Both of these drivers have raced many times at PIR and looked to give Doug his first defeat of the season. Doug used all his racing skills to bring another victory home, while Jim Walsh had a mechanical during the raceand had to retire with two laps to go. That left David Cormier to chase after Baron with past champion John Trefethen (Trefethen Vineyards) finishing third.
Group B (2006-2009 997 GT3 Cup Car) had a number of first time 2010 season drivers testing each other and the track to find how to pull a victory out from a very competitive group. At the end John Crosby from Louisiana (TCM) beat out local Jay Culbertson (TCM) by .0296 of a second! Both were racing 2009 997 GT3 Cup Cars and the crowd loved the action. Guy Dreier (911 Design), who was racing for the first time in 2010 rounded out the podium with a 3rd place finish.
Group C (2010 997 GT3 Cup) had Peter Wong winning both his group and first overall with the fastest time in the race at 1:17.36.
As they say, time flies fast when you are having fun and the drivers of the Pirelli Drivers Cup USA racing series certainly experienced that as Sunday brought out the pageantry and spectators for the two featured races of the Rose Cup Races (Festival Trophy Race and Rose Cup Race). The drivers after a brief warm-up session were escorted with their cars down the front straightaway for introductions, interviews and spectator acknowledgment.
With the drop of the green flag, the Festival Trophy Race (Race #6) started out with a dash to the chicane and into Turn 1 with everyone understanding that to finish first, first you must finish. All the drivers were aware of their surroundings the entire race, which Stanton had reinforced during his coaching sessions, and the spectators enjoyed close and competitive racing from the Pirelli Drivers Cup racers.
In Group A, Jim Walsh raced to 1st place ahead of David Cormier and Greg Ross (Jay Jarvis Motorsport) respectively. David started at the rear of the pack due to some last minute mechanical adjustments and drove through the field to capture a spot on the podium. Doug Baron, who qualified on the pole for the race, was not able to start due to an incident in the warm-up session that the 911 Design crew was unable to rectify in time for the race.
Group B, found John Crosby leading this group again with Jay Culbertson behind him and Chris Pallis coming from the last row (due to a mechanical during the Saturday race) to take 3rd in this group.
Peter Wong, won both Group C and was the overall winner of the 2010 Festival Trophy. Good consistent racing and almost a second faster than Saturday’s race put Wong on top of the podium.
The Pirelli Drivers Cup USA racing series now heads into the 2nd half of the 2010 season with drivers figuring out what they need to do to achieve a Championship in the Series. The remaining venues and dates are:
Miller Motorsport Park – September 24 – 26, 2010
Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway – October 22 – 24, 2010 (Unlimited Decibels)
Infineon Raceway – November 5 – 7, 2010.
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