The Team West/Alex Job Racing/Boardwalk Ferrari team is headed tothe American Le Mans Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Drivers Bill Sweedler and Townsend Bell are looking forward to the four-hour race that will end at dusk in the foothills of Monterey.
The Team West/Alex Job Racing team will be visiting the 2.2-mile, 11-turn undulating natural road course with their Ferrari for the first time. Sweedler (Westport, Conn.) and Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) both list Laguna Seca among their favorite tracks.
“We are coming to Laguna with a very strong package,” Sweedler said. “The Ferrari, with its mid-engine configuration, has been designed for a track like Laguna Seca. The varied elevations and turns, track surface, and the roller coaster Cork Screw all fit the balanced handling of the West AJR Ferrari on Yokohama tires. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel this weekend! Laguna Seca is one of my favorite locations to race in the United States. Between the vineyards, the mountains, Pebble Beach, and my favorite store in Carmel, The Club, I always look forward to my return trip before I even leave! Plus the local fans are avid sports car enthusiasts who always come out to cheer and support the ALMS event.”
For Bell Laguna Seca is close to home.
“I began my racing career at Laguna Seca,” Bell said. “I did my first Skip Barber Racing School there and did many laps learning about race cars from the instructors around Laguna. It is a full circle track for me – I learned the craft of racing there and sealed the Indy Lights Championship at my home track in 2001 and returned a few years ago and took their Super Bike School – what a blast! I was able to follow that up in 2002 with a strong seventh-place finish in the ChampCar Series. I consider Laguna Seca my home track and the best in North America. Combine that with the Monterey Peninsula being a great part of the world. That makes for a fun weekend.”
Team owner, Alex Job, is taking a new platform to the Monterey Pennisula.
“We have a lot of races under our belt at Laguna Seca – in a Porsche,” Job said. “The Ferrari 458 will be a new experience and one that the whole team is looking forward to this weekend. We have been able to roll off the trailer at the first two races well within a good handling parameter. We plan to do the same this weekend. The longer race distance is an advantage for us. I am looking forward to seeing the red and white Team West Alex Job Racing Ferrari come through the Cork Screw.”
The American Le Mans Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca television broadcast will air May 12 at 4:00 pm EDT on ESPN 2. Live streaming can be viewed on May 11 starting at 6:15 pm EDT on ESPN 3, with live qualifying running on May10 starting at 7:45 pm EDT on ESPN 3.
Source : Team West Alex Job