Orbit Racing - Sebring race 12h

2003 12 Hours of Sebring - race 12h
 
top-10

Orbit Racing scored a top-10 GT finish in the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, 
despite mechanical problems that plagued the team during the last few hours 
of the race.  Mike Fitzgerald, Jay Policastro and Joe Policastro drove the 
No. 42 Classic Industries Porsche to ninth in class, after maintaining a 
top-10 position for most of the 12-hour race.  It was the Policastros' first 
12 Hours of Sebring.

Fitzgerald and Jay Policastro alternated driving stints in the second half of 
the race, moving up to seventh in class .  They encountered oil and water 
temperature problems at 9h20, followed by a broken left-rear axle at 10h50.  
Despite several pitstops, including a 25-minute stop to replace both rear 
axles, the car finished ninth in GT.

The team's No. 43 YES Network Porsche retired after the first hour of the 
race with an engine problem.


team owner Rodger Hawley
"At the end of a 12-hour race I'm both happy and disappointed.  Disappointed 
that the best car in the field lost an engine an hour into the race, but I'm 
very happy that my other two customers were able to finish.  I think it's a 
very good entrance to the American Le Mans Series for them.  The 12-hour race 
was one that many drivers didn't finish and Jay and Joe Policastro, with the 
excellent addition of Mike Fitzgerald, did an outstanding job."

Mike Fitzgerald
"We had a relatively successful race.  We had a busted axle with a little 
over an hour to go, and we would have been seventh if it hadn't been for 
that.  I think most of the drivers did a great job in this race.  You only 
saw one full-course caution in the whole race.  The last hour everybody got a 
little goofy, but prior to that I hadn't seen a race as well-driven as this 
one in a long time."

Jay Policastro
"We finished 12 hours!  The last hour was pretty eventful, with a few minor 
mechanical woes.  But we only lost one position.  We finished in the top 10 
and we're thrilled to death.  The Orbit guys as usual were top performers and 
kept us in the fight at the end.  We'll take this one and go home."

Joe Policastro
"Great race!  The crew did one hell of a job changing those axles and keeping 
us right up there.  We're really proud of everybody and a top-10 finish 
again."

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945