Guy Cosmo Mid-Ohio Wrap Up
For Immediate Release Contact: johnt@c2group.com Overheating Sidelines Cosmo and Limoges at Mid-Ohio Lexington, OH (27 June 2006)-- Guy Cosmo's reputation as "Mr. Mid- Ohio" was not enough to fight off the bad luck experienced by the Blackforest Motorsports Group No. 8 USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Mustang FR500C at Mid-Ohio this weekend. Grand Am moved the car to the back of the GS starting grid due to paperwork issues, but Valerie Limoges got a good start and was working her way forward. With the car's cockpit filling up with smoke, Limoges had to make a quick dash to the pits. The Blackforest crew discovered a small electrical fire in the car at which point Guy Cosmo strapped in and went back out to try and regain lost ground. "It's not the best feeling to jump into a car that has just been determined to be on fire," laughed Cosmo. "But we were confident the problem and been diagnosed and cured. Unfortunately the car had begun to overheat during the pit stop. As soon as I exited pit lane I did everything I could to bring the temperature down, but I could tell the motor had already been hurt." Despite Guy's effort to try to allow the engine to cool, the damage was done. Guy brought the car back to the garage and it was determined the motor problems were terminal. The loss was the second engine problem for the team this weekend. "It’s too bad the team experienced these mechanical issues here [Mid- Ohio]," said a disappointed Cosmo. "Blackforest Motorsports Group is a great team and the No. 8 USG Sheetrock/Ramset Tools Mustang FR500C is an excellent race car. Valerie has a lot of talent and seemed to be really getting up-to-speed with the track. I think we could have had an excellent finish." Sunday's race will be televised on SPEED Channel at 11:00 AM on July 9th. Cosmo will be back in action Thursday, June 29th in the Rolex Series Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona. The race will air live on SPEED at 7:00 PM ET. Immediately following Thursday's Grand Am race, Cosmo will head north to Lime Rock Park where he will join B-K Motorsports and teammate Jamie Bach for the American Le Mans Series New England Grand Prix. The New England Grand Prix, Round 4 of the American Le Mans Series, is set for July 1 at Lime Rock Park. The race is scheduled for a 3 p.m. EDT start. CBS Sports will televise the event from 4 to 6 p.m. EDT on July 2. MotorsTV will air the race from 2:30-5:30 p.m. CET on July 2. Live coverage will be available at www.americanlemans.com with American Le Mans Radio and IMSA Live Timing & Scoring. Guy Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top- level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles and major successes in many disciplines including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at www.guycosmo.com. Grand American Road Racing Association: The Grand American Road Racing Association was established in 1999 to return stability to major league sports car road racing in North America. As the organization begins its sixth season of competition in 2005, Grand American is universally regarded as one of the world’s fastest-growing motorsports organizations. American Le Mans Series: The American Le Mans Series is the premium brand of motorsport in North America, featuring high-tech sports cars from the most prestigious automobile manufacturers in the world. Its unique four classes of competition showcase exotic, open-top prototypes and sophisticated production-based GT cars, all competing on the track at the same time. The American Le Mans Series competes at the premier road racing tracks across North America and at selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets. With a television package that includes five network broadcasts on CBS and five broadcasts on SPEED Channel, plus live broadcasts across Europe, the series delivers a global marketing platform that is unmatched in motorsports. The series, founded in 1999 by Georgia entrepreneur Don Panoz, represents a mirror image to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's most famous and authentic automobile race. The American Le Mans Series features elite marques such as Audi, Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Aston Martin, Lexus and Panoz, and premium brands such as Michelin, Pirelli, Jean-Richard Swiss Watches and many others. ________________________________________________________ John Thawley ~ Creative Communications Group ~ 248.356.5699