18.05.2008 vici racing utah warm up report
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Race day dawned warm
and dry with a light breeze and by the time the
official ALMS Warm Up session got underway this
morning at 8:00 AM the temperatures at the Miller
Motorsports Park were tipping into the 60s.
The team was happy with
the race set up planned the new #18 car so just a
handful of installation laps were scheduled to scrub
in race tires, during the 20 minute session which
was open to all ALMS classes. For the #5 car, which
missed the qualifying session yesterday afternoon,
the Warm Up would allow set up to be finalised and
to give Craig a chance to acclimatise to the Porsche
911 GT3 RSR on the Utah track as he only flew in
last night after a racing commitment at Laguna Seca
yesterday.
Ruben Carrapatoso, who
will be driving alongside Dutch brothers Nicky and
Francesco Pastorelli this afternoon, was entrusted
with the #18 car during Warm Up, and he ran four
laps to check the car over. Following his out lap,
the Brazilian youngster posted a 1:55.211 after 4
minutes of the session, following this up with a
1:55.778. Another consistent tour and his final lap
was a 1:52.864. With no issues reported he brought
the car back in after just over 9 minutes. “The car
feels good,” reported Ruben, “we scrubbed the tires
in, confirmed our set up, and we look well
prepared.”
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For the #5 car, which missed the qualifying
session yesterday afternoon, the Warm Up would
allow set up to be finalised and to give Craig a
chance to acclimatise to the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
on the Utah track as he only flew in last night. |
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Race day dawned warm and dry with a light breeze
and by the time the official ALMS Warm Up
session got underway this morning at 8:00 AM the
temperatures at the Miller Motorsports Park were
tipping into the 60s. |
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Meanwhile veteran
Porsche racer Craig Stanton was out and lapping the
3.06 mile ‘Perimeter’ course in the Tornos and
Westway Development supported #5 car and the
Californian would run for the full session as he
dialled himself in on the track with the RSR.
After his
installation lap Craig was quickly into the
groove and turned in his first competitive lap
time after 6 minutes, a 1:55.778. He followed
this up with a 1:53.393 next time round,
dropping the bar to 1:53.219, and then setting a
1:53 dead. Running very consistently on a track
that was starting to warm up quickly, he post a
1:53.133, before a final tour in 1:58.259.
Craig was pretty
satisfied with the car on the Utah track which
he already knows very well. “We’re in good shape
for the race, though we have some ground to make
up due to our starting position. It’s a nice
track in a beautiful setting, I’m up here a lot
coaching as well as racing, and I always enjoy
competing here.” In fact Craig is already a
winner on this new track, and last year he was
second in the Koni Challenge race at the Miller
Motorsports park as well as slotting in a podium
visit in the Rolex.
Team mate Nathan Swartzbaugh, who has been
entrusted with the #5 car all week here in
Craig’s absence, is also a podium finisher on
this two-year-old purpose built circuit which
features superb facilities for the teams, as he
climbed onto the Utah rostrum on his way to
winning the 2006 IMSA GT3 Cup title. |
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