CORE autosport has something to prove as they head to Mosport International Raceway for the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of MosportAmerican Le Mans Series (ALMS) event. It was a mere two seconds that separated the #06 Excel Consultants / Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 from finishing first in the Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) class at the July race at Lime Rock Park, putting the CORE autosport team a mere one point behind leader Genoa Racing in the team championship point standings.
Drivers Gunnar Jeannette and Ricardo Gonzalez retain their lead in the 2011 ALMS LMPC driver point standings with the sister #05 car of CORE autosport founder Jon Bennett and Frankie Montecalvo currently placing third in the 2011 standings.
Located in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, Mosport is a treacherous 10-turn 2.459-mile course will be a bit faster for the CORE autosport team than originally anticipated, as the ALMS has allowed LMPC cars a 10 millimeter larger restrictor (70mm vs. 60mm) for this weekend’s race. This change gives the engine more power, making it easier for passing slower GT cars during the two hour and 45 minute event.
The CORE autosport #06 machine will be carrying a special Michelin in-car camera, highlighting Jeannette and Gonzalez’s quest to further their points lead in the LMPC championship driver standings.
Gunnar Jeannette
“I’m certainly happy to be back into the racing season! Lime Rock went well, but we definitely want to move one step up on the podium at Mosport. Mosport is a track I enjoy – it’s really fast, we’ll probably run the fastest average speed of all the tracks we go to. We’ll dial in as much downforce as we can and just let ‘er rip around the track as fast as possible. I’m also glad that we got the 10mm larger restrictor. Top speed of the car won’t be different, but we’ll get up to speed a lot faster. At Lime Rock we were having GT cars pull us off of second-gear corners – they’re that good these days. But now that we’ve got more power, I think its going to make a better show for the fans, allowing them to see the great battle that we’re seeing in the GT class.”We’ve also got a great battle going in the LMPC class, with excellent Michelin tires and more power, it’s going to go a long way and be pretty exciting.”
Ricardo Gonzalez
“I can’t wait to get to Mosport, this will be the first track where we go that I’ve actually raced at in the LMPC car so I’ll know exactly what to expect. Mosport is a very serious track, it is extremely fast and demanding and you definitely have to respect it, but on the other hand it is a lot of fun to drive especially with our cars. We have been on a roll lately, the team is working very well together and we are focused completely on winning the championship. We are currently leading but as we saw at Lime Rock this field is very competitive so we have to show up to each race ready to go and not take anything for granted. So far we’ve been on the podium every race and won at Long Beach, we need to keep doing what we are doing and learn from our mistakes so hopefully we can win a lot more of these races and wrap up the championship.”
Jon Bennett
“I’m certainly looking forward to Mosport this weekend. It is already a track with an incredible high average lap speed and now we will have more horsepower at our disposal with the larger restrictor. Lime Rock was a strong weekend for us, but we’re obviously looking to improve. The guys at CORE autosport have been working very hard to turn the cars around to head to Canada and solve the issues we had with Frankie and my car during the race. We know our competition is very tough but everyone wants to get back to victory lane and Frankie and I would love to get back on the podium again. Gunnar and Ricardo have been doing a great job and it will be great for the fans to be able to come along for the ride with the Michelin in-car camera on board this week.”
Frankie Montecalvo
“We definitely had some issues at Lime Rock, but we’ve learned from our experiences as a team and now we’ve got to move on.
“Mosport is a track I’ve loved since my first time racing there last year in an LMPC car. The track is intimidating at first because it’s very fast with blind corners. But once I got into the groove I loved it. The track is so fast and you have a nice rhythm while driving it. It’s just so much fun. The 10mm larger restrictor is going to help us a lot in traffic. Normally we can carry more speed through the corners than GT cars due to more downforce and we can out-brake them, but now we can get past them on a straightaway as well. With the 60mm restrictor you could catch them but to pass a GT car you’d have to set them up, think your pass out instead of just driving around them. Now I think we’ll be just fine out there.”
Source : CORE Autosport