Archive for August, 2009

Velox motorsport began its first ALMS race from the front row at Mid Ohio. Principal driver Gerry Vento started the race after co-driver Shane Lewis qualified on the front row in 2nd place.

As the race went green Vento did no more than a half a lap when the yellow flag flew as Ed Brown sustained contact with the wall in the turn three area. After a lengthy yellow period Vento still sitting in second ,was ready for the task at hand. As the field went green around the 25 minute mark it was decided that Vento would remain in the car until another yellow flag or until the #88 Porsche 997 ran low on fuel.

Vento was able to hold his own within the field fighting heavy traffic. At the 1 hour 30 minute mark Vento received a punt from behind setting him off the track in the turn 3 area just short of the gravel trap.

Vento was quick to gather the number 88 back together as these cars are very hard to start when they are hot. Unfortunately the leader was able to pass as Vento sat lifeless momentarily putting the 88 down one lap. Once back on track Vento resumed his regiment of consistent lap times. "Gerry has been extremely consistent in traffic. His lap times are really amazing considering this is his first ALMS event and the closing speeds of the prototypes. The team couldn't ask for more." commented the team manager.

At the one hour and 52 minute mark of the race Vento received an unfortunate "drop kick" from another competitor entering the carousel. The heavy contact on the passenger side of the car resulted in shearing off the right front valve stem giving Vento very little if any steering control. Unfortunately this occurred in the last corner resulting in the tire going down on the front straight. This left Vento to complete one full lap before being able to pit. "Gerry was able to keep his cool and limp the car around. We were concerned the tire would come apart and shred resulting in damage to the right front radiator. Although we lost another lap we were able to get him in here (pits), fill with fuel ,change all four tires and allow Shane to get in." commented mechanic Tom Allen.

Having almost maxed his legal allotted time in the car Vento was relieved by sports car ace Shane Lewis.

Lewis stepped into the #88 with 53 minutes remaining. About twelve minutes into Lewis' stint the full course yellow waved again. This gave Lewis a few minutes to gather his thoughts with the ill handling #88. "The contact that Gerry unfortunately suffered has knocked the alignment way out of whack on the front and rear making the car a bit of a puzzle to drive."

Lewis was left with the impossible task of making up two laps with only 25 minutes remaining. As the green flag fell again Shane Lewis gave the Velox entry 125 percent and put down some fantastic laps with an ill handling race car.

As the checkered fell the XO Cafe Patron entry found itself positioned fourth in class. We caught up with Shane Lewis after bringing the #88 safely home and asked him his thoughts as to how the race unfolded." The team did a fantastic job this weekend. The race ending results sheet really cannot show all of the hard work that went into our effort. Of course it is a very difficult thing to get into a car that is two laps down with unknown damage and still maintain your focus and drive. But I knew what it meant for the team when we qualified on the front row. I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to make up any positions possible no matter what. I drove my personal best in that stint and that's all you can give.

I feel really bad for Jerry. He was a pin ball out there from cars and drivers that had no business driving the way they did. I was impressed by Jerry's composure through it all. He also really showed his stamina by being in the car as long as he was. That's a great team mate to have."

We then caught up with the team manager and inquired about his thoughts concerning the weekend.

"It was a great effort by the whole team, we were very happy with qualifying on the front row. We knew we had a fast car for the race.

My hat comes off to Gerry Vento and Shane Lewis for a remarkable effort all weekend and to the Velox  crew for their stellar effort and penalty free pit stops."

Velox Motorsport would like to thank all the fans and everyone at Mid-Ohio for making our first ALMS eventsuccessful and enjoyable.

Velox on Facebook
Velox on Twitter

Forty minutes of pounding rain drenched Mid Ohio yesterday shortly before the track went hot. The storm left the track in a dangerous condition with ground water pooled in corners and the re-surfaced track pavement slick as ice.

After the down pour stopped, we took a rent-a-car out for a spin, and that's exactly what we did, spin, spin, spin- struggling to keep the car on the track.

Mr. Go-Shane-Go turned to me and said,  "Dude, I'm not going out here." 

Shane's advice of course was correct. He's had lots of experience here and said this was one of the more treacherous tracks in rain conditions.

We were not alone in that assessment. Out of the 4  LMP teams testing yesterday, one car went out only to immediately limp back to pit lane. In the morning hours there were more rent-a-cars than race cars on the track taking stock of the changing conditions.

However, with good track worker efforts and a few hours of sun, we were all ready to go before Noon.

I've never been to Mid-Ohio before. The track is very challenging with lots of elevation changes, banking, and tricky corners that rapidly drop off.

But the "OH NO" moments occur when you rocket thru a corner leading up a hill and go blind for a second until reaching the top only to find the track change direction. There is no substitute for experience at Mid-Ohio and that's why Shane's help is  crucial here. This is not a track you master in a few days. Having said that, we put down some competitive times in the afternoon. Our daily results will be confidential since we have fierce competition on Saturday with our peers in the GT3 class, many of whom have years of experience here.

This is my first time at Mid-Ohio and my "first" ALMS race with only two IMSA races under my belt since starting in March. 

In Saturday's race, we  share the track with much faster LMP and GT2 class entrants.

To all our supporters who have wished us well, we thank you. And to our new supporters, including the Turn 10 Crew, Shane Lewis Fan Club and Go-Shane- Go,  we welcome you strong support.

Stay Tuned.

Jerry