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Written by:
Marino Franchitti
Driver, Dyson Racing http://www.marinofranchitti.com
Driver, Dyson Racing http://www.marinofranchitti.com
08/27/2008 - 11:54 AM
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Marino's passion for Can-Am and the history of motorsport sets him apart from most drivers. » More Photos
Welcome to the tales from my Mosport ALMS weekend!
I really love a road trip, so I decided to fly into Detroit and drive up to Canada to make getting home easier after next week’s ALMS race in the city, and it was a really fun trip too with great tunes on the satellite radio all the way.
The first thing I did when I arrived at Mosport was go and see my friends at Mini Grid and pick up the two new Can-Am DVD’s that have just hit the market. I’ve been waiting patiently for them to come out and it was so great to finally get to see proper footage of my favorite car of all time, the Porsche 917/30. I’d love to try that flat-12 twin turbo motor in my RS Spyder! I’d been warming up for their arrival by reading my old Peter Lyons Can-Am book, someone really needs to put that back into print.
One really interesting part of the Speed Odyssey DVD (with narration by Sam Posey and Jim Hall) was Bruce McLaren giving a guide around Mosport in 1966 and it was great to see the circuit hadn’t really changed much!
Back to the modern day, and I guess the closest thing to a modern day Can-Am; the American Le Mans Series. It was great to be back at my favorite track and I think one of the things I love about it is that there is no margin for error, unlike many of these modern tracks with acres of tarmac run off. I’m not saying it’s easier to drive on these modern tracks, but it’s certainly easier to get to the limit and the consequences of over stepping it are certainly reduced.
Marino and team owner Rob Dyson chat in the Mosport paddock at the end of a practice session. (Photo: Dan R. Boyd) » More Photos
When you get to the limit at Mosport, you know you’ve really earned it and that any error will result in an almighty off. Not that I want to have one, but the satisfaction of getting on the limit is certainly heightened around there.
The speed of all the top LMP cars in qualifying was astounding and it was great being part of such a really fantastic session. It was so close!
I have to congratulate my friend Dindo [Capello] on a phenomenal lap. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the man is seriously under-rated.
It was a pretty strong qualifying for the two Dyson Porsche RS Spyders; only half a tenth would have moved me up from 7th to 4th in class, and we were only a second off the LMP1 Audi’s pole time.
It was a great crowd on Sunday and it was cool to meet so many Scottish fans (there were other nationalities too, but for some reason I notice the Scottish ones more!) and they were really supportive. All the fans were so knowledgeable and friendly,
The track conditions that greeted us on race day were different than we had experienced all weekend with overcast skies that threatened rain which of course cooled the track surface temperature, and humid, hot air. Thankfully for the fans, the rain stayed away.
The start of race was very uneventful and we settled down into the first stint. It was pretty lonely with no one right in front and no pressure from behind, but I had my hands full with an ill handling car and the first yellow caution was a relief.
We lost a lap during that yellow, which was a shame, but we did take the opportunity to visit the pits and a new set of tires with adjusted pressures really transformed the handling of the car.
Good fortune evaded Marino and teammate Butch Leitzinger in Mosport's final results, but the two pilots extracted the maximum from their Thetford/Norcold Porsche RS Spyder. (Photo: Dan R. Boyd) » More Photos
I spent the next part of the race battling with Sascha Maassen in the factory Penske Porsche RS Spyder, but unfortunately he was a lap ahead of us. It was a case of what might have been, but it was good to show the speed we had had all weekend in the Thetford/Norcold cars.
The second yellow of the race was frustrating, I guess Andretti Green Racing made a mistake and didn’t pit which not only ruined their race, but it also meant that we did not get back the lap we lost under the first yellow.
We changed drivers at this point and Butch did a sterling job for the remainder of the race, coming in 10th overall and 8th in class, not the result we would have hoped for, but we had good pace and only lost the lap through bad luck under yellow.
I was disappointed to see both the De Ferran and Penske cars run out of fuel as it allowed the #6 Penske car to finish 3rd in class which meant they gained further points on us in the battle for 3rd place in the Drivers’ Championship. There are still 3 races to go and we will keep fighting to get back into the top three in the final driver standings.
So, now it’s on to Detroit which hopefully will see us back up the front and battling for the podium places again.
I look forward to bringing you some good news next week by the magic of video, stay tuned!
~Marino
Learn more about Marino Franchitti at MarinoFranchitti.com and more about Dyson Racing at DysonRacing.com.
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