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SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will enjoy local support during the nine-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Sept. 2. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins of Toronto and Rob Bell of Northampton, England, will race the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with a boost from employees and suppliers of Barrick Gold Corporation – the biggest gold-mining company in the world – based in nearby Salt
Lake City. Wilkins is chief executive officer of Barrick, so, he noted,
"In some respects for me, this is a home race."
Although the guests will be entertained by the race action, they will
also gain an inside perspective of the business of racing, with an
emphasis on safety.
"Safety is paramount in our company," Wilkins said. "Of course, there's
always the concern that racing is a dangerous thing to do, but
industry's also a dangerous thing to do. Really, it's all about
mitigating the risks, making people aware and having a high focus on
safety. This is going to be a really good way for us to debunk a few
myths with respect to racing and show how you can take on something
that has some risks associated with it and negate those risks so that
it's a safe thing to do."
turn by turn
The SAMAX/ Doncaster drivers are rookies on the new Miller Motorsports
Park circuit. They recognize the challenge of learning the 4.5-mile,
24-turn road course, but they are looking forward to their first laps.
Team owner Peter Baron provided in-car video and briefing notes to help
them get up to speed quickly.
"I think the Miller facility is an indication of the growth of
motorsports in North America. From what I've heard, the facilities are
awesome and the track is really something else. I heard it takes two
days to learn," Lacey noted.
"I'm looking forward to getting back together with SAMAX and driving
with Dave and Greg; we should be competitive," Rob Bell said. "I've
heard a lot about the Miller Park circuit – Peter told me there are 24
corners, not sure I'll be able to remember them all!"
endurance points
The SAMAX/ Doncaster car is fourth in the Rolex Series GT championship
standings, with only the Miller race remaining this season. Dave Lacey
hopes to hold the position with a strong performance in the nine-hour
endurance event.
"It really plays to our strategy, which is consistency and staying out
of trouble," he said. "There are some really, really competitive
professionals here. Greg and I are not professionals in a pure sense of
the word, so our ability to run consistent lap times over a long period
of time is what we can do, versus a single blindingly quick lap."
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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