Bell and Sweedler to start sixth in GT at Laguna Seca

MONTEREY, Calif. - The Team West/Alex Job Racing/Boardwalk Ferrari with Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler will start the Le Mans Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from row three in GT.

#23 Team West/AJR/Boardwalk Ferrari Ferrari F458 Italia: Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell

Photo by: Jeff Davidson

In qualifying today, Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), turned a lap of 1:23.217 that will see him start from row three for the four race tomorrow afternoon. Sweedler (Westport, Conn.) also put in fast laps in the team's 458. "Practice was great," Bell said. "The car feels really good around here. Yokohama brought some improvements on the tire, that we are very thankful for and has resulted in a step forward.

The car is improved from Long Beach. That is a testament to the work that the Alex Job guys are putting into the program. We have a few new pieces that are helping as well. I gave it all I had in qualifying. We had a slight gearbox leak in practice. That give me a slightly different feel in qualifying. It has been a strong two days of practice as we continue our march toward the front of this competitive GT field."

Sweedler is also confident in the Ferrari:"The mid-engine 458 is a great car to have at Laguna Seca," Sweedler said. "The Alex Job guys really have a great balance on the car and it is a blast to drive around here this weekend. We had a great day of practice yesterday, going to bed number one on the timing sheet always makes for a good night of sleep. Townsend did a great job in qualifying. The crew and our partner Yokohama are making strides every race and session to make the car better. I am looking forward to a good four hours of racing tomorrow."

Team owner, Alex Job, has the Ferrari making waves in the ALMS paddock: "It was nice to be the fastest car in practice last night," Job said. "The Ferrari 458 is a new platform for us, so we will take those small victories at this point in the season. Yokohama has been working nonstop on improving the tires and we have a new batch this weekend. We have put some new parts on the car and all of our work together is resulting in a faster 458. We need to keep the development going and we, hopefully, can have a few big victories in our future."

The American Le Mans Grand Prix of Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca television broadcast will air May 12 at 4:00 pm EDT on ESPN 2. Live streaming can be viewed on May 11 starting at 6:15 pm EDT on ESPN 3.