Orbit Racing - Homestead preview

Florida momentum

Orbit Racing enters the next Rolex Sports Car Series race with the 
best-possible power - the momentum of a big win. The team, based in nearby Jupiter, 
Fla., opened the season with a dominant performance in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. 
Orbit led the GT class for 22 hours and 23 minutes of the 24-hour race, won the 
GT class and finished second overall.
 
Three of the drivers who shared the Daytona victory - Jay and Joe Policastro 
of Latrobe, Pa., and Mike Fitzgerald of Fountain Hills, Ariz. - will drive the 
No. 44 Classic Industries Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the Feb. 28 race at 
Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla.

"The last few weeks have been an emotional high for the entire team," Jay 
Policastro said. "People remember two things in racing - who won last week and 
who won the big one, the Daytona 24-hour. The team had been close to a big 
international win before, but never capitalized. Through a continual process of 
improvement in staff, drivers and preparation, we were able to succeed at the 
highest level under extreme conditions."

local driver

Joe Policastro will have a two-hour drive to Homestead from his winter home 
in West Palm Beach, Fla. He enjoys living close to the race shop, where he 
helps with car preparation.
 
"Spending time in Florida during the early race season gives me the 
opportunity to work with the crew on the car and have some input on driver issues such 
as cooling and ventilation," he noted. "Working with this team gives a driver 
a tremendous amount of confidence in the car. The setup we had for Daytona was 
the best we have had - the car was just outstanding. We are excited to try 
the new setup for Homestead."
 
at speed

The 2.21-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway course requires more driving skill 
than many tracks that combine oval and road course elements. Mike Fitzgerald 
explained, "It's fun for an infield road course - most of them, you just drive the 
banking like a straightaway, flat-out. The oval section at Homestead actually 
requires you to drive the car.

"You drive in at full throttle, then sort of breathe back out of the gas. In 
the middle of the banking, you roll the throttle back down to the floor and 
carry it up to the wall. If you do that too soon, you're in the wall. That's the 
challenge - get it pointed the right way and get it back on the floor. Going 
back down into the infield, you just breathe out of the gas a little bit, turn 
down into the infield and get on the brakes really hard for a tight 
left-hander."

Fitzgerald noted changes to the banking this season should allow drivers to 
carry more speed through the second half of the banking.

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945