Saini Leads MX-5 Cup Practice at Mosport

BOWMANVILLE, Ont. (June 17, 2006) - Before unusually warm and muggy
conditions settled into the area Saturday afternoon, Jason Saini, of
Fort Worth, Texas, took advantage of a pristine morning and set the
combined practice fast time of 1:37.632 (90.671 mph) during the first
session in his No. 28 Team MER/specmiata.com/Autobarn Mazda Mazda MX-5
in advance of Sunday's SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5
Cup Presented by Hankook race, part of the Clarington 200 Mosport
Father's Day weekend at Mosport International Raceway.

 

Carlos Garcia, of Miami, Fla., topped the second session in his No. 60
BSI Racing/Miami Dade Health Mazda MX-5, and was second overall with a
1:37.699, while second-round race winner Jim Daniels, of Germantown,
Tenn., was third (1:37.719 - 90.590 mph) in his No. 76
specmiata.com/Team MER MX-5

 

Though fastest among the MX-5 field, the day did not go as smoothly for
Saini as he may have hoped.  

 

Just a few laps after turning his time, Saini dropped a wheel at the
exit of the first turn, causing him to drive into the tire wall.  The
damage was mostly cosmetic, and Saini took part in the afternoon
session.

 

"I got in there little deep and tried to hold on to it," Saini said.
"It dropped a tire into the dirt, and anyone who has driven Mosport
knows that it is a bad thing to do.  I was just trying to find the
limit, and I went a little too far.

 

"I think the car is okay.  I was just trying to take it easy in the last
session, make sure the car still drove straight, and it did.  Team MER
always gives me a great car, and even after today, it's in good shape.
The guys do an amazing job."

 

Temperatures bolted to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit by the second session,
which may have helped to slow times across the board by one or
two-tenths of a second.  The heat, Saini said, was something that could
play a part in Sunday's race, which is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.

 

"Cool air, cool track," Saini said, when asked what he'd like to have
for qualifying, which will take place at 9 a.m.  "It seems like the cars
get a little slippery when it gets this hot, so it should make for an
interesting race.  If it gets this hot tomorrow, it will definitely come
down to tire management. So we will have to do a good job of managing
them if we want to be there at the end."

 

Veteran driver Payton Wilson, of Chantilly, Va., was fourth in practice
overall with a 1:37.727 (90.583 mph) in the No. 59 King RAT
Motorsports/BSI Racing Mazda MX-5, and Todd Buras, of Melbourne, Fla.,
was fifth after turning a 1:37.946 (90.380 mph) in his No. 56 BSI
Racing/supportthem.com Mazda MX-5.

 

To follow qualifying and race action from Mosport live via live timing,
visit www.mx-5cup.com <http://www.mx-5cup.com/>  and click on the
Mosport event page link.

 

For more information about the SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by Hankook, including schedule, entry list and
event coverage, visit www.mx-5cup.com <http://www.mx-5cup.com/> .

 

-30-

 

Photo Credit: Juha Lievonen (c) 2006

Photo Caption: Jason Saini (front) leads teammate Jim Daniels during
practice Saturday at Mosport International Raceway.  

 

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario - Combined practice results for Sunday's SCCA Pro
Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Round 3 race, part of the Mosport Father's Day 200
Weekend at Mosport International Raceway, with position, car number in
parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles
per hour.

 

1,(28), Jason Saini, Fort Worth, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:37.632, 90.671.

2,(60), Carlos Garcia, Miami, Fla., Mazda MX-5, 1:37.699, 90.609.

3,(76), Jim Daniels, Germantown, Tenn., Mazda MX-5, 1:37.719, 90.590.

4,(59), Payton Wilson, Chantilly, Va., Mazda MX-5, 1:37.727, 90.583.

5,(56), Todd Buras, Melbourne, Fla., Mazda MX-5, 1:37.946, 90.380.

6,(97), Erik Stearns, Van Buren, Ohio, Mazda MX-5, 1:38.035, 90.298

7,(58), Russ Bond, Uxbridge, Ontario, Mazda MX-5, 1:38.189, 90.156.

8,(57), Mike Gatto, Atlanta, Ga., Mazda MX-5, 1:38.209, 90.138.

9,(23), Deborah Loth, Fort Worth, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:38.357, 90.002.

10,(3), Dan Herrington, Winston-Salem, N.C., Mazda MX-5, 1:38.723,
89.669.

11,(55), Todd Lamb, Covington, Ga., Mazda MX-5, 1:38.918, 89.492.

12,(88), Pratt Cole, Salt Lake City, Utah, Mazda MX-5, 1:39.082, 89.344.

13,(09), John Kuitwaard, Wantagh, N.Y., Mazda MX-5, 1:39.185, 89.251.

14,(40), Ben Hohn, Wantagh, N.Y., Mazda MX-5, 1:39.251, 89.192.

15,(11), Ara Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:39.586, 88.892.

16,(19), Larry Webster, Ann Arbor, Mich., Mazda MX-5, 1:39.865, 88.643.

17,(26), Tim Probert, Houston, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:39.885, 88.626.

18,(00), Harrison Williams, Houston, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:39.961,
88.558.

19,(10), Ben McCrackin, Corpus Christi, Texas, Mazda MX-5, 1:40.341,
88.223.