Drayson Racing Looks to Continue Winning Performance at Mosport

25 August 2010

Drayson Racing Looks to Continue Winning Performance at Mosport

BOWMANVILLE, ONT, CANADA – Following its inaugural American Le Mans Series (ALMS) victory last Sunday at Road America, Drayson Racing now looks north to Mosport International Raceway to continue its winning performance. Drivers Paul Drayson (Gloucestershire, UK/London) and Jonny Cocker (Guisborough, Yorks, UK) dominated the most recent Le Mans Prototype (LMP) weekend behind the wheel of the No.8 Drayson Racing Lola Coupé with Judd Power earning the pole position, setting fastest race lap, winning the Michelin® Green X® Challenge and the overall race in dramatic, last lap style. Like Road America, the two-hour and 45-minute Grand Prix of Mosport is a custom fit for the programme to continue its impressive performance.

The 2.459-mile/3.95Km, 10-turn Mosport facility just north of Toronto has traditionally provided some of the most dramatic and harrowing sportscar racing in the past. Like Road America or the ALMS finale at Road Atlanta, this week’s penultimate race in the nine-event ALMS season is a driver’s circuit which suits the Drayson Racing team. Whilst approximately 2 miles/3.21Km shorter in distance than Road America, the Canadian circuit enjoys some of the quickest corners found anywhere in the world of motorsport. The speeds and g-loadings at Mosport are more closely related to a high-speed oval than an undulating road course designed into the hills and valleys of eastern Canada. Its long, flowing turns are only shocked into slow-speed transitions twice: the world-famous, tight-right-hand Moss Corner at the back of the circuit and the final right-hander onto the front straightaway.

The string of firsts at Road America was remarkable for the Dale White (Bozeman, MT, USA)-managed team. The Wisconsin track was not only the site of the premiere win for the team, but also the first win for second-generation, cellulosic E85 fuel in a major racing category anywhere in the world. This was a very important achievement for Drayson Racing which is committed to green racing. The fuel, made of waste product, is a key component in achieving the team’s third career (second in the ALMS) Michelin Green X Challenge trophy at Road America. The bio-ethanol fuel used to power the car was developed and produced by Iogen Corporation of Ottawa, Ontario. Shell Corporation, parent company of team partner Shell Racing Solutions, is a substantial shareholder in the Canadian biotechnology company.

Following the team’s victory at Road America, Drayson Racing remains fourth in the LMP Team Championship. Cocker is sixth in the Drivers Championship but having gained significantly. Paul Drayson had the greatest leap forward gaining four positions to take seventh in the title chase after his strong showing in Wisconsin. Team driver Emanuele Pirro (Rome) having started three events this year is ninth overall.

Live timing and scoring of all sessions can be found at www.americanlemans.com. The live radio call by Radio Le Mans can be heard at www.radiolemans.com and on Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242. Television coverage of Sunday’s feature can be seen on a one-hour delay in North America on SPEED at 4:00 pm (ET). UK and European viewers can view the broadcast on tape delay, 5 September on MotorsTV at 17:00 (UK)/18:00 (CET).

Quotes

Paul Drayson/Driver/Owner: “We have taken a huge boost from our win at Road America. We will arrive at Mosport with the knowledge that it is a seriously fast track, ideally suited to our Lola-Judd V10 and we have every chance of being at the front again.”

Jonny Cocker/Driver: “Mosport is a massive challenge as a circuit. Huge elevation change, superfast corners and it is relatively short too which makes for a busy track at all times! It's going to be another level in the P1 car but that only adds to the excitement. Personally, it's one of my favourites of the ALMS calendar. Mosport reminds me of my favourite track of all time; the Thruxton Circuit in the UK. We have the Lola-Judd working great now and I feel like I'm really on top of things too. We have dominated the last two weekends with pace and I'm really hoping we can carry that forward to this weekend at Mosport!”

Dale White/Team Manager: “The victory at Road America proved Drayson Racing has what it takes to win at the highest level of the sport. With that question out of our minds we just need to continue approaching every event just like always: to win. If we do that, we have the drivers, the car, the tyres and the crew to perform every week like we did at Road America. Mosport should be an ideal track for our team so I have high expectations for the weekend.”

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