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From speedarena.com Team & Driver Features
Waking up Thursday, I was hoping to see the birds chirping and sunshine, but instead, all we saw was cloudy skies and rainfall. Romeo, never racing at Mosport before, really needed the time on the track, as well as I wanted to know what to expect from the Mustang SVT Cobra, so during the mist of all the rain, we took our car on track. All I can really say is Wow! Never having driven a sportscar in the rain, I did not know what to expect, but I definitely had my hands full. After the day was over, Romeo and myself both agreed that we would need a bit more wet weather testing should there be a wet race in the near future. Entering out two practice sessions Friday, Eric Burch, team manager of SpeedQuest, as well as both drivers laid out a plan which would prepare the team for our qualifying session in the end of the day. Romeo took to the track for the first session, in which he quickly adapted to the very fast and tricky Mosport circuit. Making small changes to the car, Romeo was able to get down to competitive times. For the second session, I jumped into the car and began getting reacquainted to the track, as I drove a Formula Ford Zetec here last year. We were able to get in the top-10, which meant there was still time to be had in the car. The next session would be qualifying, in which I would qualify and start. Being that Romeo and I are close in times, we have taken turns starting the races. With only a 15-minute session, it is important to get clean laps, we got lucky and had two, and again we would be in the top ten with a 9th place qualifying effort. Although it is great to be in the top ten, I was not satisfied due to a missed shift and it cost us a few tenths, which would have put us in the top 5. That night the team went to Outback Steakhouse for some team bonding and much deserved fun. It just so happens that Rehagen Racing team partner Dean Martin told Outback it was my birthday, in what I quickly learned is a team joke for each race. Supposedly in Canada when it’s your birthday not only do you get a B-Day cake, but also a whip cream pie in your face. HAHA. They got me good, but they will get theirs soon. On race day there is always a bit of nervousness, but since we had a practice session at 8:30am, then nothing until 3:30 in the afternoon, it felt like forever, but having the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as F1 qualifying on Speed Channel made the wait much easier. Starting in 8th because of a disqualification up front, I got a rough start and got pushed back to 10th on the first lap. The SVT Mustang was driving well and with the HP of the Mustang I was able to climb my way back to 5th position for the remainder of the stint. Handing the car over to Romeo at the halfway point, we lost some positions in the pits and came out in 14th position. Romeo had a very good finish to the race in which many of the faster drivers are in the seat or the “hired guns” as they are sometimes called. With 3 laps to go, he made two passes and got the car up to 7th, where we would finish. This is our first finish in the top 10, after running in the top 3 our first two races of the season, so we are quite happy, but now there is only room for improvement. Our next race is in Alabama at the Barber Motorsports Park at the end of August in which we may have the 2005 Mustang GT. Check back next month for more good news about Speedquest Racing, and our quest for race wins!! © Copyright
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