Orbit Racing - Homestead practice

smooth start

Orbit Racing had a quick start to the Rolex Sports Car Series race weekend in 
Homestead, Fla., posting the third-fastest GT time on Thursday. Jay 
Policastro covered the 2.3-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway road course in one minute 
21.770 seconds in the No. 44 Classic Industries Porsche 911 GT3 RS. He had high 
praise for the track's new banking.

"The new configuration of the track is great," he said. "They say it's 
progressive banking, but I can't tell the difference, running on the bottom or the 
top. I tried to run in the middle when the fast guys were coming, but they 
weren't much faster than we were through there. So the last couple of laps, I just 
hung out up top and it was great."

Florida fitness

Joe Policastro has found a pleasant way to acclimate to the Florida heat and 
humidity that are part of early season racing - he and his wife Pam spend the 
winter months in their Palm Beach home. Workouts are part of his daily routine.

"Training in the heat and humidity helps me to deal with the Florida heat," 
he explained. "Hydration is a very important part of conditioning. I also try 
to drop a few pounds to help my training and I adjust my nutrition 
requirements."

tech talk

The Classic Industries Porsche is sporting new wheels this weekend, produced 
by the team's sponsor Champion Motorsport, based in Pompano, Fla.

"This weekend, we're trying new one-piece, lightweight racing wheels," team 
owner Rodger Hawley reported. "They're made of magnesium, so they're stiffer 
and lighter. That means we can accelerate faster because there is less 
rotational weight."

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945