Dempsey Racing Powers No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Share a Little Sunshine Mazda RX-8 GT to Top-10 Finish at 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona

Using the same determination, drive and total teamwork that produced last year’s third-place podium result, Dempsey Racing’s No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Share a Little Sunshine Mazda RX-8 GT was driven to its third consecutive top-10 finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 28 – 29. Team drivers Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub, Tom Long and Charlie Putman all made a contribution in the weekend’s 10th place result that follows last year’s third place showing and a sixth-place result in 2010.

“I’m so proud of the team, I can’t get over it,” Dempsey said. “They just worked so hard all week, all through the testing. We had a lot of adversity, they overcame it, and just the consistency with the 40 car was great. Charles, Joe, Tom, Charlie, everybody did a great job. Really, really consistent, solid performance and as a team I couldn’t be happier. To say coming into this weekend, we’d be coming out of here with a top-10 finish I would have been thrilled, completely. We stayed out of trouble, drove within ourselves, didn’t take too many risks and it paid off in the end.”

Dempsey Racing’s sister No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2Billfish with Team Seattle Mazda RX-8 GT also celebrated a determined finish of its own Sunday, albeit under different circumstances. The No. 41 was heavily damaged Saturday night after a blatant bump-and-run hit from another GT competitor, but the Dempsey Racing crew never thought for a minute about giving up. After lengthy repairs, the No. 41 returned to the race Saturday evening and team drivers Don Kitch Jr., Rick Johnson, Dan Rogers, Ian James and Scott Maxwell did their part to get the stricken car to the finish line in 27th place.

“It was a successful outing for Team Seattle, especially related to the kids,” said Kitch, who both drives for and created the Team Seattle program. It was a bit of a war out there last night. We kind of lost a couple battles and that put us back a ways, but at the end of the day we raised $150,000. The kids are the ones that win in this deal. I’ve run here with a lot of teams, but Dempsey Racing, Joe, Patrick and Mazda, VISIT FLORIDA, they made up their mind they were going to take good care of us. It doesn’t get much more professional than this.”

As both a team driver and Dempsey’s motorsports business partner, Foster is already looking ahead to the coming weeks.

“We’re hopefully going testing to improve the package that we have,” Foster said. “We’re going to do a little testing at Barber Motorsports Park, if we can, and just work on every aspect of the process. Considering the state of competition in GT right now, to finish 10th in our car was outstanding. Obviously we had a different kind of race this year than we had last year. We had to really come back from some adversity this year. We had some people say the 41 car was a write-off but it was on the track less than three hours after it got hit.”

Maxwell was part of the driver lineup in the No. 40 that finished sixth two years ago, but this weekend he was in the No. 41.

“My time in the car was actually pretty uneventful,” Maxwell said. “The car really handled well the whole race. We were just a little down on power and therefore we didn’t have the speed we needed. The car ran like a train. It’s too bad we had a couple of little incidents but that’s all it takes in this race, it’s so competitive. I’m glad we finished the race but disappointed that we got caught up in an accident. This was great for Team Seattle. We were pounding in the laps and bringing it home, that was objective number one, and we’re going to get that done.”

Putman will drive the No. 41 all season with Espenlaub, but both drivers were in the No. 40 at the 50th Rolex 24.

“It was a learning experience for me,” Putman said. “This was my first experience in this car. Outside of testing and some practice, I didn’t have much time in the car to speak of, I had two laps. My first stint was at night. Daytona at night is pretty intimidating but we got through it and it got better each stint. My third stint was very comfortable, very good. I’m very happy with the car, with the team. I think we have good things for the future. I’m looking forward to the rest of this year. It’s going to be a fun one. It’s going to be intense.”

Long was in the No. 40 for the second straight year and will also substitute for Dempsey whenever the popular actor’s “day job” schedule keeps him from races this year.

“The VISIT FLORIDA Mazda was just really reliable,” Long said. “Dempsey Racing did an awesome job this whole event. I really couldn’t ask for any more. We did all we could and had all we could ask for with this team. I feel like my performance in the car was always there, it was just a matter of getting the balance of the car there so it was comfortable for everybody to drive.”

Next up for Dempsey Racing and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama, March 30 – 31.

No. 40 Mazda Takes Third-Straight Rolex 24 Top 10; No. 41 Mazda Makes It to Finish For Team Seattle

Dempsey Racing Ready to Roll for 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona One Year after No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA Mazda RX-8 GT Team’s Top Finish

Dempsey Racing heads into the 50^th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend fueled by a team-best third-place finish in last year’s race with the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Share a Little Sunshine Mazda RX-8 GT and a top-10 showing by the team’s sister No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2Billfish with Team Seattle Mazda RX-8 GT. The 50^th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona begins this Saturday, January 28, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage on SPEED starts at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT

The No. 40 team drivers Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Tom Long, and Charles Espenlaub will defend last year’s podium result with new teammate Charlie Putman.  The No. 41 will be driven by Don Kitch Jr., Rick Johnson, Dan Rogers and recent team additions and top road racers, Scott Maxwell and Ian James.

“It’s an honor to be part of the 50th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona and we are proud as a team to be starting our fifth Rolex 24 in a row,” Dempsey said.  “Of course, our ‘Cinderella’ run to the podium last year in the Share a Little Sunshine No. 40 Mazda is my best memory of Daytona, as well as leading for more than 20 laps at night.  We will continue to do our best for Mazda, VISIT FLORIDA and the Seattle Children’s Hospital this year with a two-car effort.”

Long thinks Dempsey Racing has an advantage over the competition with the team’s VISIT FLORIDA sponsorship and paint scheme.  Long’s role with the team this season, in addition to being part of the No. 40’s five driver lineup in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, is to serve as Dempsey’s stand-in when the popular driver/actor has scheduling conflicts.

“It’s hard to think about topping the podium result from last year’s Rolex, especially considering the strength and depth of this 50th anniversary GT field,”  Long said.  “But if anyone can do it, it’s this VISIT FLORIDA Dempsey Racing team.  I hope we’re ‘Sharing a Little Sunshine’ on the top step of that podium this time.”

With nearly 30 years of racing, Foster has childhood memories of being in Daytona dreaming of the day he’d take to the wheel himself and compete.  Both an engineer and a racer, Foster knows what it takes both under the hood and in the cockpit to have a successful 24 hour race.

“This is our fifth Rolex 24 as a team and we are all grateful to be part of the 50th Rolex 24 event,” Foster said.  “I remember coming here as a kid, sleeping in a car in the infield, and dreaming of being in this race someday.  Today I feel like the luckiest guy around to still have Mazda and VISIT FLORIDA supporting our team in this event. Once on track, we have a daunting task to recreate the dream finish from last year when we finally hit. Our focus is to make the team better, improve our own performance, and let the results sort themselves out.”

Putman is making his Dempsey Racing debut at the 2012 Rolex 24 At Daytona.  Although new to the team, Putman has plenty of experience behind the wheel and teaming with Espenlaub. In 2010, the duo won the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Series GS championship.

“I’m thrilled to be part of the VISIT FLORIDA effort and Dempsey Racing,” Putman said.  “I’ve known Patrick for many years, since we used to race each other in our ‘driving school’ days.  Charles Espenlaub, Joe Foster and Tom Long were both a big part of those days as well, so being with the team is like a homecoming for me.  There are a lot of familiar faces on the team and we have a great connection between all of us.  I think the friendship that we share is what sets us apart, and hopefully ahead of, many other teams and driver pair-ups.”

Dempsey Racing also supports the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing, located in Dempsey’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine.  A primary focus of these efforts will center on building funding and awareness for the Dempsey Challenge, a cycling event held each year to benefit the Dempsey Center.

The Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend begins Thursday with opening practice and qualifying. Friday features final practice before Saturday’s race start at 3:30 p.m. local time.

Dempsey Racing closes Rolex 24 Roar Test with Best Showing of Weekend Sunday at Daytona in No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA Mazda RX-8 GT

Top Time of Weekend Set Sunday Morning; Dempsey, Foster, Espenlaub, Long and Putman Share No. 40

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 8, 2012) – Dempsey Racing ended this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 Test Days at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on high note with the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/ShareaLittleSunshine.org Mazda RX-8 GT recording its top lap time of the weekend in Sunday morning’s opening practice session.

The Dempsey Racing crew continued to make Friday’s early weekend issue a distant memory on Sunday with an equally strong showing in the afternoon’s final session of the three-day weekend. Team drivers Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Charles Espenlaub, Charlie Putman and Tom Long all put in some time at the wheel of the team’s bright yellow and orange Mazda RX-8 GT.

“It was a tough weekend for everybody,” Dempsey said. “But the team, once again, worked really hard, battled back and kept their composure. It was a great lesson for us to take into the 24. I think all the adversity that we had really gave us a glimpse of what could happen. We’re prepared for that, now we’ve gone through it, so that’s really good. The final stint for me today was my fastest, which was nice. It was nice to get back into the car with some consistency. We have a lot to think about in the next couple of weeks, digest and come back and hope for the best.”

The No. 40 Mazda improved during the closing sessions of the test, but the sister No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2Billfish with Team Seattle Mazda RX-8 GT of Don Kitch Jr., Dan Rogers and Rick Johnson remained sidelined Sunday following Saturday’s rare and unforeseen mechanical issues.

“We finally got some miles on the VISIT FLORIDA/ShareaLittleSunshine.org car today,” Foster said. “I think we’re still definitely chasing our tails a little bit set-up wise. Obviously, there’s a pretty big disparity between the cars inside the GT class, which we’re trying to deal with. So, we’re just trying to be the best Mazda we can be and come back with both guns blazing at the race. We’re very frustrated in not getting the 41 guys running the whole time, but we definitely got a lot of the bad luck out of the way. We’re looking forward to the race.”

Espenlaub turned a couple of quick laps during Sunday’s final sessions, took charge of the Mazda, and worked on improving lap times and establishing setup configurations.

“We were trying to work on some setup stuff and continue on in the endless quest to get more speed out of the Mazda,” Espenlaub said. “I think it went well overall and, unfortunately, we lost basically a day and a half there with the problems. The guys persevered through it and did what they do. A great team and got us a great car again. Hopefully when we come back in a couple weeks, we’ll come back with what we’ve learned and have a more competitive car.”

Long is optimistic in his assessment of the three-day test and foresees a positive and solid performance for the Rolex 24 At Daytona at the end of the month. In the 2011 Rolex 24, Long was part of the third-place No. 40 team alongside Dempsey, Foster and Espenlaub. Last year’s podium finish was the career best for No. 40 team.

“Sunday was our best day by far,” Long said. “I know on Friday we had some struggles but the team persevered and every session, I feel like made great strides forward. We chased the track a little bit this morning, but Joe did a really nice job in the car working with our engineer and the team to develop the car. By the time I was in it this afternoon, it was the best the car had been all weekend. In fact, it kind of reminds me of last year. It might be even better than it was last year. From the results last season being in the podium spot, I think we’ve got a better shot, even so this year.”

The No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/ShareaLittleSunshine.org Mazda RX-8 GT team returns to Florida for the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 26 – 29.

Noteworthy

- Dempsey and his teammates were busy both on and off the track this weekend. In addition to his driving duties, Dempsey filmed a PSA commercial for VISIT FLORIDA and its ShareaLittleSunshine.org campaign. “We’re really excited about ShareaLittleSunshine.org. I think they were really great to work with. It’s going to be a really strong PSA for them and we’re really happy to be partnered with them all year. Hopefully we can drive a lot of tourism down here, which is a good thing and an important thing for the state of Florida.”

About Dempsey Racing
A fulltime and year-round enterprise, Dempsey Racing (www.dempseyracing.net) is a professional sports car auto racing team based in the greater Atlanta area in Norcross, Georgia. Owned by actor/driver Patrick Dempsey, the team races in support of the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing (www.dempseycenter.org) in Dempsey’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine, and the Team Seattle Guild (www.teamseattle.com) to benefit the Seattle Children’s Hospital Heart Center (www.seattlechildrens.org).

Dempsey Racing Partners
Dempsey Racing is an official Mazda (www.mazdausa.com) racing team and has competed exclusively in Mazda RX-8 GTs since 2007. Team partners include VISIT FLORIDA (www.VISITFLORIDA.com), the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida, and its ShareaLittleSunshine.org and FishingCapital.com promotional programs, and the television show Bass 2 Billfish with Peter Miller. Additional Dempsey Racing partners include Trina Solar (www.trinasolar.com), a leading manufacturer of high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) modules that deliver reliable, environmentally-friendly power to homes and businesses and value to customers, and Specialized Bicycle Components (www.specialized.com), a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of technically advanced bicycles and related components.

Dempsey Racing to Field Two Mazda RX-8 GTs in the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series with Full VISIT FLORIDA® Support – Third Consecutive Year for Dual Dempsey Racing Mazda Effort for Patrick Dempsey, Joe Foster, Tom Long, Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman

 ORLANDO, Florida (December 1, 2011) – Dempsey Racing will campaign a two-car Mazda RX-8 GT team in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series for the third-consecutive year in 2012 in an expanded program with Mazda partner VISIT FLORIDA®, supporting both Patrick Dempsey and Joe Foster in the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT and Charles Espenlaub, who has been named the lead driver of the No. 41 FishingCapital.com/Bass2 Billfish/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT he will co-drive with Charlie Putman.

“Dempsey Racing expanded to a two-car operation in 2010 and VISIT FLORIDA has been with us from practically the start while Mazda, of course, brought us into GT at the end of 2007 in our debut race with a Mazda RX-8 GT,” said team owner and driver Patrick Dempsey, the popular television and film actor who has also raced at professional levels for the last six years.  “Mazda actually first introduced us to VISIT FLORIDA, they have a very unique partnership that works so well at so many levels, and we couldn’t be happier than to grow this relationship to the next level.”

The No. 40 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT will run the full season in VISIT FLORIDA’s popular orange and yellow ShareaLittleSunshine.org paint scheme that was on the car when Dempsey, Foster, Espenlaub and Tom Long finished a team career-best third in last January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona.  Long will continue to be a part of the team next season as the designated replacement driver when Dempsey’s busy Hollywood schedule forces him to miss races.

Espenlaub had served since 2008 as Dempsey’s high-speed “stand-in” but has always been capable of stepping up to a lead-driver role in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series, something he will finally have the chance to do next season.  He will partner with Putman, Espenlaub’s co-driver of the last few seasons in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Challenge Series, who will contest his first full season of Rolex Series GT competition.  Espenlaub and Putman co-drove to the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Grand Sport (GS) Championship.

Both the FishingCapital.com and Bass 2 Billfish branding first appeared on the No. 41 at this past June’s Rolex Sports Car Series 250 driven by VISITFLORIDA.com at Road America. They will be featured more prominently in next year’s livery on the No. 41 which will showcase a red, white and blue theme in the same design scheme as the No. 40 Mazda.

The expanded driver lineups for the season-opening 50^th Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 26 – 29, will be announced in the coming weeks for both the No. 40 and No. 41 Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GTs in addition to the charitable and philanthropic programs the team will be supporting in 2012.

About Dempsey Racing

Dempsey Racing (www.dempseyracing.net) is a professional sports car auto racing team based in the greater Atlanta area in Norcross, Georgia. Owned by actor/driver Patrick Dempsey, Dempsey Racing is an official Mazda (www.mazdausa.com) racing team and has competed exclusively in Mazda RX-8 GTs since 2007. Team partners include VISIT FLORIDA (www.VISITFLORIDA.com), the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida, and its ShareaLittleSunshine.org and FishingCapital.com promotional programs, and the television show Bass 2 Billfish with Peter Miller.  Additional Dempsey Racing partners include Trina Solar (www.trinasolar.com), a leading manufacturer of high-quality solar photovoltaic (PV) modules that deliver reliable, environmentally-friendly power to homes and businesses and value to customers, and Specialized Bicycle Components (www.specialized.com), a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of technically advanced bicycles and related components.

 

December Updates…

The fall & winter months will be keeping us busy @ Long Road Racing as we build new cars in-house for the 2012 Grand Am season.

This wknd we head to Road Atlanta for NASA’s 8 hour endurance race. We have 2 Spec Miata’s entered in the race, & looking to keep our endurance winning streak alive with the win from last years 8hr & recent 13hr victory.

Tyler Cooke & Gilbert Galle will team up, as they’ll be teammates during next years Grand Am season as well. Mike Edwards, whose defending race winner with Tyler Cooke from last year, will be in another LRR SM entry joined by John Mayes. The weather looks to be clear & mild, so should make for some wonderful racing!

Heading to VIR directly after the event to instruct next week, as the BMW Performance School will be there conducting Advanced M Schools with all the famed M cars. Two schools for four full days of VIR lapping & camaraderie is always a great time!

This weekend also happens to be the annual PRI Trade show, where Mazda Motorsports will have announcements for a few 2012 plans… be sure to stay tuned, more details to come.

Long Road Racing: 5 Cars and 13 Hours at VIR

RALEIGH, N.C.—For Long Road Racing, this weekend’s 13-hour enduro at Virginia International Raceway is a numbers game. The team is entering three of their own Spec Miatas in the race and prepping two more cars for Freedom Autosport. Five cars racing for 13 hours is a daunting task, but one for which Long Road Racing is well prepared.

The SCCA’s Charge of the Headlight Brigade 13-Hour Enduro will include more than 60 cars on the starting grid. Over 20 of the entries are Spec Miatas, and four of those were prepared by Long Road Racing. The team has also prepared an STU-class Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 for the race.

Over the course of 13 hours, those five cars will wear out 80 tires, burn through more than 500 gallons of fuel and require over 25 crewmembers.

“Five cars is the largest number of entrants that any team has brought to this race before,” says Long Road Racing owner Glenn Long. “The crew is absolutely critical in what we do here. We need everything from people who ensure that the fueling rigs are always filled to my wonderful wife, who will be cooking for 40 people. Also, we have to ensure that all the spare parts are ready, organized and in the right place at the right time. It’s a lot of pieces and parts across three full pit setups. The crew at Long Road Racing are the ones who orchestrate all the pieces for this.”

Those crewmembers have been orchestrating Long Road Racing’s participation in the enduro for the past five years. The team has supported winning cars and finished second three years in a row in the Spec Miata class.

Even a task as simple as driving to the race track is a logistics challenge. Long Road Racing will have two haulers carrying cars and spare parts, as well as a third trailer for the pit carts, equipment and fueling rigs.

And then, of course, there are the 14 drivers for the race. “Our drivers are coming all the way from Ottawa, Canada, down to Orlando, Florida, and across to California. So they’re coming from all over North America for this race,” says Long Road Racing manager Tom Long.

In the Spec Miata (SM) class, Long Road Racing cars will include the No. 75, which will be shared by GRAND-AM Rolex Series driver John Edwards and his father Mike, as well as Greg Strelzoff.

Matt Graham, Richard Foegele and Bruce Gregory have teamed up to drive the No. 76. Meanwhile, Tyler Cooke returns to the No. 74 in which he’s won numerous races this season. Cooke is co-driving with Phil Mather and Jonathan Czarny.

The No. 56 of Tim Anderson, Chris Long and Jim Taggart rounds out the list of Long Road Racing-prepped cars in the Spec Miata class. Anderson is a CH-53 Helicopter Pilot in the Marines, which is fitting since the car is entered by Freedom Autosport. Long is an engineer and aerodynamicist in NASCAR, so he’s taking the opportunity to get on the other side of the window net this weekend.

The No. 25 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 driven by Derek Whitis and Rhett O’Doski will compete in the STU class. The Long Road Racing-prepared car is a veteran GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competitor and winner in the ST class. Now, the car will be tested in an enduro that is five times the length of the standard Continental Tire race.

The race begins at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, October 29. When the checkered flag waves, Long Road Racing hopes to play another numbers game: one that includes the number one in both the Spec Miata and STU classes.

Keep up with Long Road Racing’s 13-hour enduro and other events at www.LongRoadRacing.com.

This Fall season has brought lots of fabulous weather, & racing opportunities…

Last weekend was the NASA Oktoberfast event @ VIR, where one of our Long Road Racing development drivers, Tyler Cooke, swept the weekend in Spec Miata. Finishing 1st in both Sprint races, & the 1 hour Enduro on Sunday (yes, 3 wins). He even was victorious in the 1.5 hour Friday night kart enduro @ VIR’s fantastic karting facility, with the help of a couple LRR co-drivers Congrats guys!

We also had a couple other LRR cars & drivers in the stable that weekend having personal bests… John Linger’s second Spec Miata race weekend (ever) resulted in a top 5 & a new personal best laptime! Eric Campbell showed his ability & versatility driving not only one, but 2 high speed cars through the event… A 3rd Gen RX7 with plenty of boost, & Viper ACR would do the trick!

All the great results & a Brewfest celebration Saturday pm @ VIR’s Gallery building made for a memorable Fall classic.

The following week Freedom Autosport headed to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL for the first 2012 Grand Am official test. Not only was the BBQ top notch, but gave an opportunity for Freedom’s new drivers in the 2012 season (stay tuned for an official PR announcement coming soon!) a chance to get acquainted with the Mazda MX5 in ST trim while engaged in the Grand Am event format.

Beautiful weather & lots of tracktime allowed for a successful test. They’ll be ready for the next test @ Daytona before the official start to 2012 in January, during the Rolex 24 weekend.

Next up, is back to back SCCA races @ VIR… An 1.5 hour Enduro double-header this coming weekend (3 hrs of racing!), followed by the infamous 13 Hours of VIR during Halloween weekend. Over 60 cars entered in the once around the clock (plus an hour), race!

Be sure to stay tuned on LRR.com (www.LongRoadRacin.com) for the latest stories leading into the 13 Hour race weekend….”

Freedom Autosport Ends Season with 4th; Manufacturer Championship for Mazda

LEXINGTON, Ohio—Freedom Autosport earned their 15^th top-ten finish of the season during Saturday’s GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge finale at Mid-Ohio. The finish rounded out a season that propelled Mazda to the Street Tuner Manufacturer Championship.

“Our goal has always been to bring home the Manufacturer Championship for Mazda,” says Freedom Autosport co-owner Derek Whitis. “It was an amazing effort by Freedom and the other Mazda teams, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of the best automaker in the world: Mazda.”

Eric Foss and Brad Rampelberg finished fourth in the No. 27 Freedom Autosport MAZDASPEED3. The top-five result comes on the heels of their third-place finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park in July.

Nick Igdalsky and Ari Straus wrapped up the season with 14^th in the No. 28 ModSpace/Construct Corps MAZDASPEED3. It was an impressive result for Straus’s first outing both with Freedom Autosport and in a front-wheel drive car.

Both of the Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5s were strong throughout the weekend, and the team’s pit strategy played out perfectly during the race. “We were hedging our bets with the strategy, guessing there would be a lot of cautions,” says Freedom’s team manager Tom Long. “There was a yellow at the 30-minute mark, so we did pit stops for both MX-5s, hoping the fuel strategy would work. It did.”

That aggressive strategy allowed Andrew Carbonell to work his way into contention for a top-five finish. Unfortunately, the No. 26 Mazda MX-5 that he shares with Rhett O’Doski retired when a power steering issue developed.

Long and Whitis had their own challenges in the No. 25 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5. Whitis qualified seventh, but the car dropped to the back of the field when the team gambled on the early pit stop. Long took over and worked his way up before another car hit him. Long recovered from the resulting spin into the gravel, only to develop a differential problem that ended his race early.

Nevertheless, Freedom Autosport was happy to deliver the ST Manufacturer Championship to Mazda. “It felt great to solidify the Mazda championship,” says team co-owner O’Doski. “Mazdas took first, third and fourth in the final race; it really proved why they deserved the title. Mazda’s John Doonan and Jim Jordan were at the awards banquet and it was great to see them accept the championship trophy for Mazda.”

Freedom Autosport’s season finale at Mid-Ohio will be broadcast on SPEED on Sunday, September 25, at 1:00 p.m. ET.

 

Freedom Autosport Poised to Deliver the ST Manufacturer Championship to Mazda

LEXINGTON, Ohio—At Freedom Autosport, teamwork is about more than just the crew and drivers. It is also about the people, companies and sponsors who support the team. During the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge finale at Mid-Ohio this weekend, Freedom hopes to deliver the Street Tuner Manufacturer Championship to Mazda.

Currently, Mazda sits in the top spot with 271 points, 17 more than second-place Volkswagen. That strong lead comes from the success of Freedom Autosport, who has amassed two wins, a second, three third-place finishes, and an impressive fourteen top-ten finishes so far this season.

Derek Whitis and Tom Long have finished in every podium position this year with the No. 25 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5. They realize the importance of delivering the championship to the manufacturer that has supported the team from the start.

“Going into the final race, our goal is the same as it was going into the first race: deliver the manufacturer’s championship to Mazda,” says team co-owner Whitis. “Freedom has been fortunate enough to score points in every race, including six podiums, to put Mazda in that position.”

“There’s been a lot of progress with our entire program,” says Long, who is also Freedom’s team manager. “We’re more consistent this entire season than we ever have been, so it’s allowed us to be in contention for more podiums and drive home great finishes for Mazda.”

Team co-owner Rhett O’Doski and Andrew Carbonell scored their first podium of the season at Virginia International Raceway in the No. 26 Mazda MX-5. They went on to win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, giving Mazda the victory on the marque’s home track.

“Our relationship with Mazda has been an important part of Freedom’s success,” says O’Doski. “In addition to achieving our milestones in Mazdas, they’ve also been instrumental in developing talented drivers, like Mazda driver Brad Rampelberg.”

In fact, Rampelberg and co-driver Eric Foss finished third in the No. 27 Freedom Autosport MAZDASPEED3 during the previous round at New Jersey. They hope for another podium finish to end their season on a high note.

Nick Igdalsky and Ari Straus will co-drive the No. 28 ModSpace/Construct Corps MAZDASPEED3. Igdalsky qualified fourth at New Jersey, proving how well Freedom Autosport has developed the car. The entry is also testament to the important role sponsors play in any championship race.

“ModSpace is very proud of Mazda and their lead in the manufacturer’s championship as we head to Mid-Ohio,” says William Mann, Director of Motorsports for ModSpace. “As a market leader in our industry, ModSpace can relate to the countless hours Mazda and Freedom Autosport have put into this charge at the championship. The two organizations have worked in tandem to get an edge on the competition. It’s elements like teamwork that will keep Mazda out front.”

The season finale begins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 17. Long sums up Freedom Autosport’s expectations with well-deserved optimism. “The MX-5 handles well, and Mid-Ohio is all about handling and subtle elevation changes. Between that and the strong development of the MAZDASPEED3 over the last few races, both cars will be really competitive,” he says. “We’re poised to bring this home for Mazda, and hopefully they’ll get the GT championship, too.”

Tom Long to Closeout 2011 Rolex season for Racers Edge Motorsports in the #30 GT Mazda RX8

It was announced that Tom Long will be helping aid Mazda in the battle for the manufacturer championship title, as Mazda now leads the championship with just 3 of 12 rounds remaining.  Long will be teamed with a young emerging talent from Brazil, JP Mauro, currently running in the Continental Tire Series under Racers Edge Motorsports banner in their GS Ford Mustang.

 “It’s such an honor to drive for Mazda and Racers Edge for the remainder of the 2011 season in Rolex GT competition. It’s quite an opportunity, and I’m ready to make the most of it! A sincere thank you to all who have made this possible.”

 Live Timing & Scoring and Event Info for this weekend can be found at: http://www.grand-am.com/schedule/event.cfm?series=r&eid=2360. Catch the Red #30 GT Mazda RX8 & all the action on SPEED Channel over the next several weeks.

 A 2hr “sprint” is scheduled during this weekend’s popular Watkins Glen International NASCAR Sprint Cup event. SPEED TV coverage starts LIVE 6pm ET on Saturday Aug 13^th.

Directly following the next weekend, on tap will be another 2hr race at the famed Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in downtown Montreal, QC. The event will be shared with the NASCAR Nationwide Series. SPEED TV coverage will be 7pm ET on Saturday Aug 20^th.

The final round for the Grand Am Rolex SportsCar Series, will be at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course September 17^th. This will mark both finales for the Rolex Series & Freedom Autosport’s contest in the Continental Tire Series. SPEED TV coverage starts LIVE 3pm ET September 17^th. The Continental Tire Series coverage on SPEED TV will in one week’s time 12pm ET September 25^th.

 Rolex SportsCar Series TV Schedule

8/13, 6pm ET, SPEED (LIVE)

8/20, 7pm ET, SPEED (SDD)

9/17, 3pm ET, SPEED (LIVE)

Continental Tire Series TV Schedule

9/25, 12pm ET, SPEED (TD)

For more information you can go to www.grand-am.com & www.LongRoadRacing.com.