Burtin Racing returns to competition at Watkins Glen

FOAMETIX®/Burtin Racing with Goldcrest Motorsports Returns To GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Competition At The Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen

#17 Burtin Racing Porsche GT3: Claudio Burtin, Martin Ragginger

Photo by: Adriano Manocchia

No. 17 FOAMETIX/Burtin Racing Porsche GT3 team competing in North American Endurance Championship presented by VISITFLORIDA.com with Claudio Burtin and Martin Ragginger

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 29, 2012) – The No. 17 FOAMETIX®/Burtin Racing with Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche GT3 team is back in action in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series this weekend with lead drivers Claudio Burtin and Martin Ragginger at Watkins Glen International as a contender in the inaugural North American Endurance Championship (NAEC) presented by VISITFLORIDA.com.

Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen is Round 2 of the unique NAEC “championship in a championship” that began at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. The three-race NAEC battle will conclude next month in the inaugural GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 27.

Both team owner/driver Burtin and Ragginger are making their first starts at Watkins Glen this weekend. They took full advantage of Friday’s three full practice sessions on the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen circuit. The FOAMETIX® team improved in each practice and, after consistently close lap times, ended the day with their fastest lap of 1:53.530 (107.813 mph) in the third and final session.

“Our day was OK, we’re still finding our way around here and looking for the right set of circumstances and combinations,” Burtin said. “Every day we’re getting a little faster, so hopefully by qualifying time we’ll find the ultimate speed she is capable of. Our car is a little down on power since we have the 2007 3.8-liter engine instead of the 4 liter. Running with all these newer Fillies out there is causing her a little discomfort, but come race day we’ll be OK.”

As was FOAMETIX®/Burtin Racing’s Rolex 24 effort, this weekend’s race is being run in partnership with Goldcrest Motorsports.

“The car is very well prepared,” Burtin said. “I really have to thank the crew at Goldcrest Motorsports for giving us as good a car as we have right now. This is the first time at Watkins Glen for me and my co-driver Martin. We never did a lap until we got here so we are some serious rookies. I’ve been baptized at some other serious tracks in this country. It would be cool to get baptized here the right way.”

Ragginger, a top European driving talent from Austria, is enjoying his first visit to Watkins Glen.

“This is a nice track, I really love it,” Ragginger said. “Generally, the American tracks I love. In Europe we have the F1 tracks and they are made for safety and here in America you have ‘real’ race tracks. This is a pretty quick track and it’s nice to drive here. Our times were OK, we had some issues today, but now in the end we solved them. We didn’t run new tires like the others so that is why we are a little bit in the back of the list, but I think for tomorrow we are pretty good and sorted out. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Source: Burtin Racing