Orbit Racing - Phoenix race

Orbit Racing still leads the Rolex Sports Car Series GT driver and team 
championships, despite a tough race at Phoenix International Raceway. Joe 
Policastro started the No. 44 Classic Industries Porsche 911 GT3 RS ninth on the GT 
grid. He was hit from behind by a prototype car just 12 minutes into the two-hour 
45-minute race, forcing an early pitstop. Jay Policastro started his stint at 
18m, but encountered trouble when another car dropped oil and spun directly 
in front of him, resulting in contact that broke the Orbit car's left-front 
suspension. The crew replaced it in 24 minutes and he returned to the back of the 
field at 1h, eighth in class. He moved up one position and was poised to 
regain a lap with a 'wave-by' the race leader during a caution period at 1h45. 
Expecting a restart, he pitted just as the caution was extended and the delayed 
wave-by implemented, losing the opportunity. Mike Fitzgerald started the final 
stint at 1h52 and steadily gained track position to hold seventh in class and 
maintain first place in the Rolex Series GT driver standings.

Mike Fitzgerald

"We had a tough day today. We had some bad luck with yellows and bad luck 
with incidents that Joe and Jay couldn't do anything about. But the Orbit guys, 
as usual, hung in there and got the car back on track quickly. We had a chance 
at the end of the race to get a decent finish, but the officials called for 
one lap to go, then reversed their decision after I got in the car and did a 
wave-by. So we lost the wave-by, and that would have given us fifth place instead 
of seventh. But we still have the points lead going into the next race."

Jay Policastro

"We started out pretty good and hung in there through a ton of yellows. About 
15 laps into my stint I came into NASCAR turn 3 and somebody had laid oil 
down pretty bad and the 57 car just lost it. It looked like his car was going to 
go down to the apron, but he came right back up. I was up against the wall to 
try to miss him, but he hit my left front and broke the upright. The guys did 
an outstanding job of changing it. After that, it was really good. Given the 
circumstances, for our first time here, it was a good outing. If we could have 
erased the 25 laps we lost fixing the suspension, we would have had a really 
good finish here."

Joe Policastro

"We had a really strong car and Mike and Jay did a heck of a job. I got hit 
right at the beginning - a Daytona Prototype tried to get underneath me, hit 
the tire barrier and threw the tires into me, spun me out and we lost two laps. 
But the crew did an outstanding job! After Jay got hit, they put a whole new 
suspension on the left side and we turned some of the fastest times after that."

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Sylvia Proudfoot
spur07@cs.com
403 287 3945