Photo by: Darren Pierson
Charging Back From Two Laps Down, Cosmo Grabs A Top-10 At Long Beach
As if the rain didn't dampen spirits enough, a tough start for the #02 Extreme Speed Motorsports Patron Ferrari 458GT had Guy Cosmo charging from the back of the pack at Saturday's American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron 2012 Long Beach Grand Prix.
Due to Friday's inclement weather, practice was limited and qualifying was suspended. IMSA officials were forced to set the grid based on current points standings. Given the #02 Ferrari's tough luck at Sebring, the team started deep in the field.
"The weekend was really a let-down," said Guy Cosmo. "I get so excited coming to Long Beach. I'm so pumped up for the event and do a lot of additional preparation. This year the weather put a big damper on the only scheduled test session. Although we did drive a few laps in the wet, our qualifying session was canceled. This meant we had to start the race according to championship points. A bummer for sure, though it was the same for everyone else."
When Cosmo took the wheel about half-way into the race, the #02 Patron Ferrari was two laps down. At that point, Guy began picking off other cars in an attempt to pick up positions.
"As expected," noted Cosmo, "the #02 ESM/Patrón Ferrari was quick - really quick. I was running times just as fast, and faster than the lead GT cars. I know we would have had been in the mix. Had it not been for the rough start, I could have raced for a podium finish. But, not this time. It was just a disappointing weekend all around. All you can do is put it behind you and get prepared for the next race. I know we've got a good car and we've got a fresh start."
With Laguna in just a few weeks, the team can prepare knowing they've got a good car, a good team and they'll race on a track made for quality racing.
"Putting my personal disappointment aside," said Guy, "I'm very happy for the guys on the #01 team. They ran strong the whole race, led a bunch of laps and took the third step on the podium. The teams first podium of the 2012 season. ESM is strong and we're only going to get stronger. On to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca!"
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