CORE autosport 1-2 at Mosport, looking forward to Mid-Ohio

CORE autosport is ready to build upon its team records in the Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) class and enhance its driver and team points lead in this weekend’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge American Le Mans Series (ALMS) event.

The team comes off of a roller-coaster race at Mosport International Raceway where the team finished one-two in class – with the #06 Excel Consultants / Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 of Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette in first, followed by the sister #05 Bayshore Recycling / Composite Resources car driven by team founder Jon Bennett and Frankie Montecalvo.

With the Mosport finish, CORE autosport scored another ALMS record as the first LMPC team to finish one-two in the history of the class.  This is the second record for the team, as they were the first LMPC team to score a multiple-team podium finish at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2011.

Both Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette scored podium results in the LMPC class at the corresponding event last year – Gonzalez finishing second on his class debut with Luis Diaz while Jeannette was third with Elton Julian. Frankie Montecalvo also made his LMPC class debut at Mid-Ohio in 2010.

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a 2.258-mile 13-turn track known for its epic battles in many disciplines, including IndyCars and motorcycles.  The Lexington, Ohio race course features multiple elevation changes, challenging corner combinations and limited passing zones.

Qualifying for the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge will be aired live on ESPN3.com on Friday, August 5 at 2:20 p.m. EST, with live race coverage on ESPN3.com on Saturday, August 6 at 3:15 p.m. EST.  ESPN2 will televise a tape-delayed highlight of the event on Sunday, August 7 at 10 p.m. EST.

International viewers can see the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport live on MotorsTV, Fox Sports Middle East and Fox Latin America Networks.  Live radio broadcasts are available at www.americanlemans.com.

Gunnar Jeannette
“Coming off of Mosport, I must say that it went pretty well – we may have been lacking a little bit in ultimate pace for the weekend but we ran a good and clean race.  It’s all about staying out of trouble with all of the classes on the track at the same time.  I’d rather be lucky than good any day and that race was a combination of both.
“Mid-Ohio is a very fun track to drive, very challenging especially in ALMS because of the multi-class racing out there.  It’s going to be different than Mosport because it is a bit slower, but Mid-Ohio is a rollercoaster track.  It’s constant elevation and direction changes.  You crest a hill when turning and don’t have an ability to see where you’re going, heading downhill while turning and the car is loaded up.  One corner leads to another which leads to another.
“With so many directional changes that have to happen at once, combined with multi-class racing it’s going to be quite a challenge out there.
“Comfort and adaptability will be key at Mid-Ohio, and we’re approaching it with a good, solid car and effort.”

Ricardo Gonzalez
“I'm very excited to go back to Mid-Ohio.
"That's where I had my first LMPC race last year and finished second, so I'm really looking forward to going back and standing one step higher in the podium. 
“The track at Mid-Ohio is very challenging, the elevation changes and all the different types of corners make it a very technical and physical track, but we are very prepared and I know we'll have a good car as always.
“Coming off a one-two finish at Mosport, obviously the momentum of CORE autosport is very high right now.
"Everybody is doing a great job and things only get better and better. 
“Our priority is the championship and we need to keep focusing on being consistent and scoring points, but obviously we wouldn't mind winning a bunch more of these races either!”

Jon Bennett
"Mid-Ohio is an important race for us to continue our chase for the championship in the LMPC class. 
“We're looking forward to building upon our success from Mosport. That was an amazing result which was a great surprise because the troubles we found ourselves in early in the race
"The team is really excited to try to extend our streak of podium finishes for both cars.
"Frankie and I are ready to challenge for the top step of the podium for the first time this season.
"Gunnar and Ricardo are doing a great job leading the driver's championship and I'm thrilled for the team to be back in front in the team's title as well. The competition out there is very strong and we know we have to keep working extremely hard."

Frankie Montecalvo
“Our previous race at Mosport was wild and unexpected – when Jon came in for an unscheduled stop I didn’t even have my helmet on for a driver change.  But we drove as hard as we could and thanks to some luck and a great car we ended up on the podium.
“Mid-Ohio was the first track I ever raced in an LMPC car (2010).  It’s actually a track I really like because it’s so technical.  It’s not a high speed track like Mosport, but it’s one of the most challenging tracks due to the elevation changes which can unsettle the car.  It’s a lot of fun.
“What’s also a lot of fun with the LMPC class is that every team is now stepping up to the plate.  It’s a very tight class with close competition because the cars are pretty much the same.  It’s all about the driver and the exact setup of the cars.  We’re still learning as a team but we’ll do well.”