Utah Grand Prix Podium Finish for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports

 

Team celebrates a third place result in only their third American Le Mans Series Presented by Tequila Patrón race.

July 11, 2010

Tooele, UT -

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports achieved a team milestone today with their first podium finish in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón LMPC class. In only the Fresno, CA, based team's third start in the series, drivers Alex Figge, of Boulder, CO, and Max Hyatt, of San Jose, CA, finished P3 in class and P7 overall.

Starting from third position, Hyatt took the green flag for the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix. Driving the #52 Corsa Car Care Oreca FLM09, Hyatt rocketed his way past the #55 and #99 cars with an impressive inside pass in the first turn on the first lap. Hyatt would follow his impressive race start by leading the first few laps while also setting the early race fastest laps. Hyatt would continue to race for the lead for 28 laps until handing the #52 over to Figge, who re-joined the race in 2nd.

Mid-race, Figge would go on to set the #52's fastest time while trying to overhaul the #55's LMPC class lead. On lap 66, Figge would lap Miller Motorsports Park's 23-turn outer course in 1:44.742 before pitting one last time for fuel on lap 68 in second place. With services complete, the #52 suffered a disastrous engine starter failure, causing the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports crew to take emergency action to get the car restarted. The #52's V8 roared to life, but the nearly 30 second delay had cost the team one position with Figge rejoining the race in third.

With less than 20 minutes to go, Gunnar Jeannette in the #99 LMPC entry went off of the track allowing Figge to once again challenge for second place honors. Despite an exciting battle for position, race traffic and a filthy offline racing surface would keep the #52 in P3 all the way to the checkered flag.

Despite the troubles on and off the track, Figge was elated to capture the team's first American Le Mans Series podium finish.

"Everyone on the team is pretty happy with today's results," Figge exclaimed. "The starter issue in the pits, and some traffic kept us from getting to the top step today. After Gunnar went off, we had a great chance to get back around him. But the track was so dirty offline, that every time I passed a GT or a GTC car, the tires would get too much pickup on them to attack. Our goal was to finish strong and we're now looking to grow the program into something even better in the near future. It's great to be on the podium for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and Corsa Car Care today!"

Hyatt had studied the support series races to learn where he could find the grip needed to make the stunning lap one, turn one overtaking maneuver for the lead.

"I knew I needed to get past the #55 and the #99 as soon as possible," Hyatt explained. "So when I saw the opening on the inside, I went for it. I knew there was grip down there from watching the IMSA Lights and GT3 races. We studied those guys to see how the track worked for them, as we knew we had to get up front and build a gap early on. It was great to lead and if it wasn't for some pickup on the tires after the yellow, the #95 may not have gotten by us in turn six after the restart." 

"With the starter issues in pit lane, it makes today's finish somewhat bittersweet," Hyatt continued. "We could have easily gotten P2. Still, for my first American Le Mans Series race, it's absolutely fantastic to be standing on the podium with this caliber of competition. Thanks again to my family, Club Auto Sport, Borelli Motor Sports, Corsa Car Care and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports for giving me this opportunity." 

Bobby Oergel, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Team Principal, is proud of how his drivers and team performed under pressure this weekend.

"So far this year, our race weekends in the LMPC class have been about our dedication to overcome what we can't control," Oergel said. "From our electrical issues on Friday, to our starter problems today, this team has had to dig deep and push themselves to the limit. Both Alex and Max showed tremendous speed and race craft today, and the whole crew displayed outstanding professionalism by successfully overcoming adversity. Our first podium result is theirs to enjoy, and I'm sure that it will be the first of many."

LMPC qualifying for next round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park, begins on Friday, July 23, 2010 at 1:40pm PT. The two hour and forty-five minute main event starts on Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 11:05am PT with live coverage on SPEED.

Drivers and potential partners interested in the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón LMPC program can contact the team directly at pr1motorsports@aol.com or at (559) 277-1300.

Corsa Car Care manufactures professional grade automotive detailing products including cleaners, polishes and protective sealants for exterior finishes, interior leathers & textiles, glass, vinyl and rubber applications. As a division of Miracle Sealants Company, Corsa Car Care draws on over 25 years of knowledge and experience in advanced polymer chemistry. For more details, visit corsacarcare.com.

In paddocks packed with excellent teams and quality drivers, PR1 Motorsports has established itself as one of the top driver development programs. Based in Fresno, CA, PR1 Motorsports occupies an expansive facility housing a stable of F2000 Zetec, GRAND-AM Rolex Series, and American Le Mans Series race cars. Team drivers enjoy the benefits of a completely professional program including engineering support, state-of-the art data acquisition, and a race winning experienced crew. PR1 Motorsports drivers, and partners, enjoy first-class trackside hospitality and comprehensive marketing support.

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team information can be found at:

www.PR1Motorsports.com

www.MathiasenMotorsports.com

www.CorsaCarCare.com

www.MaxHyattRacing.com

For more information please contact PR1 Motorsports at (559) 277-1300 or pr1motorsports@aol.com