nicole@Tri-Point
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TRI-POINT Motorsports
Tri-Point Starts 2008 Season Strong With Two Top-Five Finishes in Sebring.
CANOGA PARK, CA (March 20, 2008) The Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Presented by Fresh From Florida weekend marked the beginning of both the 2008 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car season as well as Tri-Points year-long quest to defend their 2007 championship titles. Charles Espenlaub, piloting the #73 MAZDA6, narrowly missed the podium in 4th place. Defending champion Jeff Altenburg crossed the line a half-second later to claim the 5th position. In his Touring Car debut 2007 MX-5 Cup Champion Jason Saini was the third Mazda to take the checkered flag in 9th place.
Thursdays 20-minute qualifying session mimicked the practice sessions earlier in the week Acura and BMW at the top of the time sheet, with Charles Espenlaub leading the trio of blue-and-white Tri-Point MAZDA6s with a 2-minute 22.679-second lap, netting him 6th position on the starting grid. Wed been struggling a little with the setup leading up to the race, but each session we were learning more, even during qualifying, remarked Charles. By the time the race started, we had made some significant improvements and were ready to go after the guys up front. Teammate Altenburg, wearing the #1 on his MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development MAZDA6, was first out in qualifying based on points earned last year. I left some on the table in qualifying,so I knew I would have some ground to make up in the race. Being first out, I didn't have a rabbit to chase, and bombing into turn 1 at qualifying speed is a small target to hit and I guess I just missed it, said Jeff, who would start 8th.
Jason Saini, piloting the third MAZDA6 in Tri-Points stable and chasing the Rookie of the Year title, was on track to start the race with his teammates until a late-lap spin ended his flying lap. Flat-spotted tires meant he would start from the rear of the grid in exchange for a fresh set.
When the start lights went out on Friday, Espenlaub and Altenburg quickly got by the MAZDA6 of Chip Herr and Nick Esayians BMW and set their sights on PD Cunninghams Acura TSX a short distance ahead. Once the field settled down from the opening lap shuffle, Charles and Jeff were able to keep pace with the train of Realtime Acuras cruising in formation ahead, but were only able to seriously challenge for the podium when Cunningham would bobble. Altenburg had an opportunity to have a look inside his teammate Espenlaub but stayed focused on the larger task at hand. I had one shot at a pass early on, but as I told Charles after the race, he's in a blue car now, so Im a little more considerate at times. After that, I just did what I could to stay with him and help chase down the Acuras and he left no other openings to pass, recalls Jeff. The footage of Charles from my Chase Cam should be fun to watch! Charles, only a couple of car-lengths ahead, echoed those sentiments. We were both working hard to stay close enough to draft the Acuras, but we just werent able to reel them in, said Charles of his and Jeffs efforts. We were a bit off earlier in the week and it was pretty clear from our race that we made up a lot of ground in the setup on our MAZDA6s, but we still have to find a little more to challenge them for a win at VIR.
While the action in the top 5 was limited to the occasional look to the inside, the rest of the field was battling fiercely for the remaining positions. Tri-Point newcomer and series rookie Jason Saini had his hands full right from the start to keep the #74 MAZDA6 advancing forward. Jason noted, Sebring isn't one of my strong tracks; that, coupled with a spin in qualifying and some setup chasing meant I had to start from the back. Eager to make up some positions lost in qualifying, Jason put his head down and concentrated on the start lights. Doing my first standing start was quite nerve-wracking. I had done some practice launches, but wasn't really happy with them. As it turns out, the race start was my best launch of the weekend, and I got past quite a few cars right away, said Jason. He came away from the season opener pleased with his fellow SPEED World Challenge drivers. I honestly didn't know what to expect from the competition during the race, but I'm glad to say that everyone raced clean and tight. I just hung in there and moved up as I could. Ultimately I got tangled up in too many battles to move up as far as I'd like."
Info
Round 1 of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship will be broadcast on SPEED Channel Friday, March 21 at 12 noon (EDT)
The Tri-Point squad looks ahead to their next SPEED World Challenge Touring Car battle as they head north to Virginia International Raceway, April 25-27, 2008. This racing season marks only the second time the series will visit the 3.27-mile circuit in the rolling hills of southern Virginia.
Sponsors
The Tri-Point team is proudly supported by the following sponsors whose involvement is critical to the teams 2008 efforts and continued success.
Mazda, MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Racing Hart, Comptech, ZF Sachs, Stop Tech, Sparco, Chase Cam, Crocotile, Quarter Master, Ron Davis Racing, Hawk, Pro Parts USA, mazdas247.com, and Race Sign Specialists.
Release Contact:
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Andris Laivins[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tri-Point Engineering[/FONT][/FONT]
