Following their first points of the season at The Grand Prix of Long Beach just four weeks ago, the State of California clearly provides a great place to race for the Silicon Tech/Dempsey Racing team. With the American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón just days away at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the Monterey Peninsula, the team is hoping this California good-will continues.
Round Three of the ALMS Series will include over 150 guests from the nearby Silicon Valley area coming to cheer on the no. 25 Freescale / STANDD / Future Electronics / RacersRoast.com / HP / Pounce Consulting Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet, creating a palpable pressure and excitement within the team.
“Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is very much a home race,” stated Silicon Tech Racing Principal, Henri Richard. “My home is literally an hour from the track, and holds a lot of my greatest memories, including my first podium finish ever in both gentlemen and professional racing.”
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was the home of Richard’s first ever podium in American Le Mans Series, finishing second in 2010. Beyond Richard’s podium result, Duncan Ende took a spectacular victory with teammate Spencer Pumpelly in the closing laps of the event in 2011, and also has numerous laps at the track having grown up a mere four hours south in Los Angeles.
“Winning last year was amazing,” stated Ende. “It’s a long race, and we played the race perfectly to be there at the end. This will be my first run at the track in a PC car, but I’m looking forward to it.”
As a six-hour race, the team will also field a third driver for the event, seeking support from long-time Silicon Tech Racing driver Ryan Lewis. Lewis, originally hailing from England, drove many Prototype Challenge (PC) events with Henri Richard in 2011. Most notably, Lewis drove a masterful race during last year’s finale at the Petit Le Mans, making a late maneuver to hand the team an impressive victory.
At Laguna Seca, Lewis has similar ambitions. “My last race with Henri went pretty well I’d say, so I’m hoping the momentum can continue,” stated Lewis. “I tested with the Silicon Tech/Dempsey team at Sebring back in February, and was very impressed with the team, you could tell that they had already bonded so well and collectively in a short amount of time. We set fastest time at that test, so hopefully that speed can continue in to Monterey.”
Source : Silicon Tech Dempsey Racing