No Place Like Home for G&W Motorsports
No Place Like Home for G&W Motorsports VIR-Based Team Looking Forward to Inaugural Race ALTON, Va. (August 26, 2002) -- G&W Motorsports will not have far to travel for this weekend's inaugural VIR 500 at Virginia International Raceway. While other team's transporter trucks are already on their way to VIR carrying race cars and equipment, G&W Motorsports' pair of trucks have not moved an inch. As a resident of the VIR Raceplex, G&W Motorsports only needs to drive its race cars around the corner to be on the track and ready race. "It's really a relief more than anything else knowing that you don't have to send your trailers halfway across the country," admits G&W team owner Cole Scrogham, who will field the #70 BMW-powered Picchio in the Rolex Series VIR 500 and two Porsches in the Grand-Am Cup Grand Sport 250. "But more than that, a lot of our guys will be spending the night in their own bed. We'll be working out of the shop rather than having to deal with the trailer. Just a lot of niceties. For us it's just a big test weekend." While the convenience of the track's location is one advantage the team will admit to, it does not think the hours of testing on VIR's 3.27-mile road course will necessarily be to its advantage. "We might have an advantage in the first practice session, but after that I think everyone will be up to speed with us," says Scrogham. G&W team manager Price Cobb says that the familiarity with the course might actually work against the team. "Sometimes knowledge or comfort breeds complacency. Sometimes a new team may come here and have an advantage because it's so raw to them. The things we take for granted, we may not take notice of and we should," notes Cobb. "VIR as a racetrack is a very challenging track. It's a very high-speed track. We've had our own share of testing incidents here and our share of problems in smaller races here. I'm generally surprised that cars get along as well as they do on this track from different classes," adds Scrogham. The weekend will also serve as a homecoming for G&W Motorsports, whose race crew is made up of not only fulltime employees that reside near VIR, but also several part time workers from around the country. "For us this weekend is doubly important because all of our crew is going to be visiting the shop and many of our part time people don't see it very often. We are going to hold a big barbeque on Friday for the team and just try to do a little team building here at home," said Scrogham. As the Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series roll into town later this week, Scrogham and his G&W team are ready to greet their fellow competitors and show them the track that they call home. "It's a very exciting place. The facilities are world class. People enjoy coming here to watch. People enjoy coming here to drive." For information on the VIR 500 and to purchase tickets to the event visit the track's website at www.virclub.com or call 888-RACE-099. Additional information about the Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series can be found online at www.grand-am.com. -30- EDITORS NOTE: Additional information may be requested from Grand American Road Racing Association Christie Hyde 386-681-4182 (phone); CHyde@grand-am.com