For the second time this season, the stars of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series will head to picturesque upstate New York's Watkins Glen for the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen, Friday, August 7. The first Rolex battle at the track was in early June during the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen, when drivers competed in a six-hour-long race, rather than the usual Series' race length of two hours and 45 minutes.
At the Glen and beyond, the 2009 season has been a successful one for the Supercar Life Racing team, which is coming off its strongest cycle of consecutive races so far this year.
The No. 55 Supercar Life BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype led its first race of the year during the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen-a good omen for this weekend's return to the New York track--and has continued to post Top 10 finishes in every race since. Looking ahead to the Crown Royal 200, the team is working to realize their ultimate goal: their first victory in the Daytona Prototype car.
Drivers Scott Tucker and Christophe Bouchut are both familiar with the track's shorter, 2.45-mile configuration on which Series' athletes will compete this weekend. The Glen's shorter circuit shares its straights with the longer, 3.4-mile circuit, and this has its advantages: Drivers will be able to produce faster lap times and faster top speeds, allowing for even tighter competition. The team and its No. 55 DP excelled in an open test session on the short course following the Sahlen's Six Hour event, posting a fastest lap time of 01:05.253. With all of these ingredients in place, the Crown Royal 200 is sure to serve up success for Supercar Life Racing with its best Rolex Series finish so far this year.
"The short race at Watkins Glen is a bigger challenge than most would expect," Tucker said. "Because of the configuration, results are more car dependant than driver dependant on the short course. It is one of the faster tracks we run on, so a properly set up car is a must for this race."
"Returning to The Glen for the second time this season, I will know immediately what I need from the No. 55 and can concentrate solely on that," Bouchut added. "While we've had a series of great Top 10 successes, I feel that our team is capable of much more than that. We've come so close each race; I know we will see a checkered flag in the very near future."
Watch the Supercar Life Racing team and its competitors Friday on the SPEED television network Friday, August 7 at 8:00 p.m. EST as the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series continues its battle in the next race for the championship.
Catch Supercar Life Racing on SPEED TV at the following dates and times:
Ferrari Challenge Series:
Saturday, August 22 at 1:30 a.m. EST (Race 7 at Road America)
Friday, August 28 at 9:30 a.m. EST (Race 8 at Road America)
Rolex Series:
Friday, August 7 at 8 p.m. EST (Race 9 at Watkins Glen)
Saturday, August 29 at 2 p.m. EST (Race 10 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve)
No comments:
Post a Comment