SAMAX - Utah preview

SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will enjoy local support during the nine-hour Rolex
Sports Car Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Sept.
2. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins of Toronto and Rob Bell of Northampton,
England, will race the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with a boost from
employees and suppliers of Barrick Gold Corporation – the biggest
gold-mining company in the world – based in nearby Salt Lake City. Wilkins
is chief executive officer of Barrick, so, he noted, "In some respects for
me, this is a home race."

 

Although the guests will be entertained by the race action, they will also
gain an inside perspective of the business of racing, with an emphasis on
safety.

 

"Safety is paramount in our company," Wilkins said. "Of course, there's
always the concern that racing is a dangerous thing to do, but industry's
also a dangerous thing to do. Really, it's all about mitigating the risks,
making people aware and having a high focus on safety. This is going to be a
really good way for us to debunk a few myths with respect to racing and show
how you can take on something that has some risks associated with it and
negate those risks so that it's a safe thing to do."

 

turn by turn

 

The SAMAX/ Doncaster drivers are rookies on the new Miller Motorsports Park
circuit. They recognize the challenge of learning the 4.5-mile, 24-turn road
course, but they are looking forward to their first laps. Team owner Peter
Baron provided in-car video and briefing notes to help them get up to speed
quickly.

 

"I think the Miller facility is an indication of the growth of motorsports
in North America. From what I've heard, the facilities are awesome and the
track is really something else. I heard it takes two days to learn," Lacey
noted.

 

"I'm looking forward to getting back together with SAMAX and driving with
Dave and Greg; we should be competitive," Rob Bell said. "I've heard a lot
about the Miller Park circuit – Peter told me there are 24 corners, not sure
I'll be able to remember them all!"

 

endurance points

 

The SAMAX/ Doncaster car is fourth in the Rolex Series GT championship
standings, with only the Miller race remaining this season. Dave Lacey hopes
to hold the position with a strong performance in the nine-hour endurance
event.

 

"It really plays to our strategy, which is consistency and staying out of
trouble," he said. "There are some really, really competitive professionals
here. Greg and I are not professionals in a pure sense of the word, so our
ability to run consistent lap times over a long period of time is what we
can do, versus a single blindingly quick lap."

 

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Sylvia Proudfoot
HYPERLINK "mailto:sylvia@spurcom.ca"sylvia@spurcom.ca
403 287 3945