Monza Podium For CRS

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / Uncategorised / news / No Comments

The International GT Open returned to Italy this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2010 series. After racing at Imola in May, the circuit of choice this time was Monza, the home of the Italian Grand Prix and the spiritual home of Ferrari’s loyal fans.

CRS Racing’s Adam Christodoulou had a lot on his shoulders this weekend: racing a Ferrari for the first time and at Monza, also for the first time. The young Briton excelled himself though and, along with Tim Mullen, bagged a podium finish in Sunday afternoon’s race.

The weekend got off to a damp start as both of Friday’s free practice sessions were run in wet conditions. With no dry running under their belts the teams went into Saturday’s sunny qualifying sessions blind but Adam did a great job, matching the seventh place that Tim took for race one.

The first race took place on Saturday afternoon. Tim took the start in the No.91 CRS Ferrari in 8th and did his usual good job, despite struggling a little with the car’s handling. Adam then jumped in and brought the Ferrari home in eighth place.

The start of race two today was down to Adam in the No.91 car. Adam started from 7th on the grid and he had a great run, all the way up to 4th place by lap 5, handing over to Tim mid race and finishing 3rd taking the fourth podium finish of 2010 for the No.91 CRS Ferrari.

“It was a better weekend than Brands Hatch, that’s for sure,” said CRS MD, Mark Busfield. “Adam adapted very quickly to the team and to the car and got up to the level he needed to be at very quickly indeed. I’m very pleased to see Tim and Adam on the podium here.”

„It’s been a great opportunity to be working with the CRS team again,“ said Adam. „It was a tough start to the weekend not getting any dry running before qualifying, and I was defiantly thrown in the deep end, but the whole team worked extremely hard during the weekend and after race one on Saturday evening. The hard work and commitment from the team has shown in race two, every time I jumped in the car it felt better and I drove faster, and to walk away with a podium on my first experience back with the team is fantastic.“

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2010 Season Finale – Miller Motorsport Park

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / Uncategorised / news / No Comments

After a season full of highs and lows, we finally arrived at the season finale; a successful end to our 2010 season and my first year in Grand AM racing.

I was feeling confident about the weekend’s racing, especially after my experience here at Miller Motorsports Park last year. On that occasion I had been both pace setter and race winner in the Star Mazda class. But this year, things were very different. With no aerodynamic downforce, greater power and more weight, it was going to be a challenge to get my head around how to tackle the high speed corners sitting in this new car – a Grand AM Mazda RX8.

During the start of the weekend I was quite surprised at how cold it was during the mornings. I’m sure it was warmer in England before I left (a rare experience!), and I ended up wearing a coat on both mornings whilst watching John in practice. During these sessions the other manufacturers seemed to be able to achieve better performances at the lower temperatures, but as the day warmed up, the Mazda’s got into their groove and steadily showed progress.

Qualifying was on Friday night, and I was at the wheel. We were feeling a little unsure on what our performance was going to be like as we hadn’t been able to simulate a lap on new tyres beforehand. I was one of the first out of the pit lane, and quickly brought the tyres up to temperature so I could get started on my fast lap. Unfortunately, everyone had to pit almost immediately due to a car getting stuck in a dangerous position on one of the corners. The track soon went green again though, and I made sure I left a big enough gap for myself to have clear laps all throughout qualifying.

With just seven minutes left, we were only going to get three more laps in, perhaps four if we were lucky. My 3rd lap felt good. The car seemed to have transformed since the test sessions, and it felt hooked up. I was able to brake later than in any of my earlier sessions, could turn the car faster and get on power earlier. I went over the line and that got us into P2.

We had time for one more, and it became obvious this lap was going to be even quicker when I noticed the predicted times. I had half a lap to go when I found myself behind two other racers, and unfortunately I caught them up a lot faster than I had expected. With four corners to go I was being slowed down so I aborted the lap to see if I could get in for one final spin, but the chequered flag was already out.

No one else had managed to go any faster than me on that last lap, so my time remained fast enough to give me second place on the grid. I also had generated the fastest time of all the racing Mazdas. As happy as I was with this and our race position, I was still a little annoyed that traffic had interfered with what might have been the ultimate grid position. But, a front row spot is still a great place to be, and last time we started on second (at Limerock) we won, and that really fuelled my optimism.

Sunday arrived, and it was an even colder still, now blowing quite a breeze. I hoped the weather would improve as I knew our car would be perform at it’s best in the warmth.

The lights went green, and I went into the first corner on the outside. I was boxed out, so opted to go all the way around the outside, which put the car into 3rd position. I slid out mid-corner, nearly colliding into the car next to me and had to take evasive action which made me lose further positions. I was now in 5th, but I managed to battle my way into 3rd and stayed there until our first pitstop, 45 minutes into the race.

The #68 SpeedSource guys completed a faultless stop, getting on new tyres and filling up with a full tank of fuel. I got back out on track and the new tyres gripped straight away. As I shot down the start/finish straight, the leading #57 Camero came out the pits ahead of me. I tried to get past him into turns 2 and 3 but he defended his position well. I tried again at the hairpin, but one of the Prototype cars caught up and went for a move on me which put a halt on my overtaking manoeuvre. Our car was noticeably quicker around the corners, but the Camero’s engine was just too fast on the straights.

The #57 Camero pulled away further once the track was clear, but at this halfway stage of the race, our lap times were well matched and it still looked positive. With an hour and twenty to go, the safety car was deployed for debris on the track, and cars started to pit. We stayed out on track for one more lap during this time, were given the drive by, and took the advantage.

I was flat out all the way around the next lap and came into the pits. We went for a driver change, and John took the car off me with a set of new tyres and more fuel. Another faultless driver change had meant we had jumped ahead of the #57 Camero and moved up to 4th as other cars pitted.

#57 squeezed past just as one of the Prototype cars overtook us on a difficult part of the track, but a further two cars pitted and we’d moved back up into 3rd. Now looking strong, we knew our car would be fast in the final stages of the race. Our only concern was fuel; would there be enough to last until the chequered flag? Each car runs on roughly an hours-worth, and most other people had pitted with just over sixty minutes remaining.

Everything was running smoothly until car #31 span on one of the blind sections of the track – the two leading cars had already cleared that part of the track, but John hadn’t past it when suddenly the #31 car moved right into his line. Everyone on the pit cart shouted out with fear and it was a close escape. John had just been able to shift around the car, closely avoiding contact and what almost certainly would have been a huge crash.

Another safety car was deployed whilst debris on the track was cleared, but by the time we got the green flag again, there were just under 20 minutes remaining. It was nail-bitingly close at the end and everyone was battling for position. With the two Cameros ahead of John defending their position, it was hard for him to get alongside especially with their straightline speed. As the final lap came up, John tried everything he could and went for an overtake on the very last corner, but the #57 was prepared and defended well. We crossed the finish line in 3rd, just fractions of a second behind the Cameros.

Miller was a great place to end the season. We’d finished with a podium and as the top finishing Mazda on the day. I still can’t quite believe that we’ve already had our final race for this season. It’s been an emotional year of racing, and a fantastic experience for both myself and John in our rookie year racing in sports cars.

We’ve has a huge amount of support from Mazda and all of the SpeedSource team over the past few months, and it goes without saying that we would not have been able to achieve half of what we have done with any other manufacturer and without their unfaltering enthusiasm. Despite missing the season opener at Daytona, we still managed to finish 5th overall in the championship – a positive start, and I look forward to next year to be in contention for the 2011 Championship win.

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Montreal, Canada

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / Uncategorised / news / No Comments

This weekend saw the Grand AM series take to the Legendary Streets of Montreal Circuit, Gilles Villeneuve.

On the evening that I arrived to the hotel I had already been impressed by the Montreal area. The taxi driver had shown me a few places, including the track and a few other local attractions. I was told we would be catching the underground train to the track and I was intrigued to find out that all the land removed to build the Metro system was the base of the man-made island that holds the Montreal Circuit.

This weekend was another NASCAR / Grand AM weekend, and thousands of Canadian fans surrounded the track for the race. We first set foot on the track on Friday, and John Edwards was first out in the car. However, he only managed to complete a single out lap as one of out competitors had laid down a slick of oil from turn 2 until 9 where they eventually stopped.

This took a chunk out of testing while the marshals put down sand to soak up the mess. Eventually the track was reopened, and I was able to complete a few laps, although there was a lack of grip the whole way around. I’m sure the oil had something to do with it, but the track hadn’t been used since the F1 Grand Prix earlier in the year, and this also was likely to be a factor.

Throughout the day the track improved. We pretty much a whole day of testing before qualifying in the early evening.

I was one of the first out the pits, but the track temperature was down from earlier. It took a few laps to get the tyres up to heat, and I started pushing when the start of the lap felt good. That was until I reached turn 9 under the bridge which lay in the shade – I couldn’t slow the car down quickly enough – and I took a quick detour across the grass.

I made my way back to the pit lane just for a quick once over to make sure there was no damage, then got back to the business of qualifying, Marcus my engineer radioed-in to tell me that we had 4 minutes to go. I hadn’t even completed a fast lap yet and was currently second from last. I knew I only had one more lap, maybe two, and the pressure was on.

On my last lap I jumped up the standing and straight in to 4th position where I would start Sunday’s race. I was happy with the qualifying position, also being the top Mazda, but I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed about my mistake earlier in the session.

On Sunday the race started at 2pm. It was probably the warmest it was going to get all day, and I was starting on the outside for turn one. Off the line it went well on whole; I was side by side with another car but they had a better exit out from turn 3 allowing them to power past before the next corner. Immediately as the second lap began there was a big crash heading into the hairpin, as two Prototype cars must have collided, and one had ended up in the wall bouncing them back across the track, throwing debris everywhere. The safety car was out.

During the safety car period we used the advantage to pit and put a splash of fuel in. We jumped up into 4th position while everyone else came in to do the same. The 68 SpeedSource crew did another faultless stop. The race went green, but quickly there was further contact between Prototype cars at turn 2, with cars blocking the whole track the focus became avoiding contact with the debris. Some cars opted across the grass but I managed to stay on the tarmac, holding my position. Straight away there were two more safety cars for separate incidents, and it meant pretty much the whole of my stint behind the wheel had been behind the safety car. We were at the half way stage now and decided to pit to use the safety car as time for a driver change. I was in 3rd position as I handed the controls over to John Edwards.

John took us back into the race, trying to hold our position. The Mazda 69 car managed to get past, but there was a huge gap to the cars behind – we were over three-quarters of a lap ahead due to the safety car – but it wasn’t that way for long as another safety car was needed. This time a Prototype had laid down oil all the way down the back straight.

This was bad news. John was holding his ground as the race restarted, and we knew our car would be good towards the end, but suddenly the number 31 car made a dart for us and attempted to make an overtaking manoeuvre, but crashed straight into the back of us spinning us right around and left us facing the wrong direction. We couldn’t believe it. With only 15 minutes to go in this 2-hour race, our chances now looked battered. John managed to continue on with just minor body work damage, and we just hoped for another safety car and time to pit, but that opportunity never came. We were down in 9th until number 31 served their drive-through penalty for the earlier contact, and we ended up finishing 8th.

It was a disappointing result for us, but some good did come of the weekend. Mazda superbly secured the Manufacturers championship with only one race to go, so big congratulations to them and all the Mazda Teams for their efforts and hard work that have helped to secure the title.

Our next and final race for this season is at Miller Motorpark in Salt Lake city. I’m feeling confident and looking forward to it – last year I was the pace setter and race winner there – so we should be in with a fighting chance of a good result.

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Watkins Glen

Posted By Adam Christodoulou / Uncategorised / news / No Comments

Watkins Glen drew a huge crowd this weekend as the NASCAR series combined with the Grand AM series for another great race event.

My team mate, John Edwards, managed to take our #68 MazdaSpeed Motorsports Development Mazda RX-8 into 5th during qualification, and the start of our race went well.

John quickly found himself in 4th, then 3rd, before winding up hot on the tail of the second place #57 car. Although he had the run into penultimate corner, there wasn’t enough time to pull off the overtake, however it wasn’t long before opportunity struck again, and as #57 moved over to the left and onto the racing line, he made contact with a Prototype car in the final corner, and this allowed John to overtake into turn one. Unfortunately for us, the officials ruled it as a contact advantage and we were penalised with a drive through, which dropped us back to 8th or 9th. From what I witnessed, I felt it was a little harsh, but the officials decision was final and we had to get on with our race.

Just as we passed the 45 minute mark, John handed the car over to me. Our the pitstop was seriously quick, and with no faults or delays, I had a set of fresh tyres and immediately felt confident with our setup and race pace. It took a few laps to warm the tyres but I was able to hold position.

Once the tyres had some heat in them, the car was on rails. I was chipping my way through the grid and gaining positions. Halfway through my stint I collected the fastest lap of the race, and as I started to catch up with the leaders, cars started pitting for fuel and tyres. I was now in the top three when the team radioed-in telling me to pit on my next lap when suddenly the safety car was deployed half way around the lap.

It had happened again! The safety timing of the safety car had taken away our advantage and we had to change our race strategy. Half a lap ahead and I would have been able to pit before the safety car and consolidate my top three position, but unfortunately the events meant our only choice now was to come in the pits at after the safety car period, fuel for the end of the race and ultimately that meant we’d lose position. The net result was that we dropped back to near 10th place.

With just 20 minutes to go, our prospects looked tough. On the restart after the safety car, there was a crash between two Prototype cars, which immediately caused another safety car, and frustrated our progress further as it ate the little time I had left for overtaking. The track was cleared up with 5 minutes to go and I was fighting battles left, right and centre for positions.

I was side by side with another Mazda going into the bus stop but wasn’t able to pull off the move, which slowed my mid-corner speed down. Suddenly the #07 car gave me a bump from behind and it allowed him past. I eventually made my way into 7th by the time we reached the last lap. I had the run on #40 car going into NASCAR corner, pulled out to the inside and braked half a car length later, putting me into 6th – but his left front wheel clipped my right rear tyre going into the left hander and it bounced me up into the air and gave me a puncture. I was put into a spin. I completed a full 360 degrees on the run off tarmac, dropped it down a gear and aided the car around the last corner and over the finish line, luckily retaining our 6th position.

I couldn’t believe our general poor luck this weekend. We had a strong car, team and super fast pit stops, but the appearances of the safety car destroyed our original strategy. But such is racing. Half a lap would have made a whole lot of difference.

Even so, we can leave knowing it was a good race for our points tally, and it leaves us only 6 points behind the 4th team in the team rankings, and similarly, just 6 points behind 6th place in the drivers‘ championship. It’s going to be tight with just two events to go, and I’m now focusing our next race which is in Canada, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

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