PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Long Beach Race Report
Figge and Maroney earn a fifth place finish after a hard-fought effort in sunny Long Beach, CA.
April 16, 2011 Long Beach, CA -PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports endured another difficult race in sunny Southern California during the two-hour Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. Making his ALMS debut, Miles Maroney, of Topanga, CA, started the #52 Corsa Car Care/ Autosport Design Oreca FLM09 from P3 in the LMPC class. The series’ youngest racer on record would go on to complete a small majority of the race after engaging in an enthralling battle with the #63 car early on. While holding down P4 and staying comfortably on the lead lap for the majority of his stint, Maroney made a small error on lap 37 heading down into turn one and was forced to use the escape road to reenter the track. Once back out, Maroney completed his last few laps and handed the #52 over to his co-driver, Alex Figge of Boulder, CO, who rejoined the race in P5.
Immediately reporting a handling issue with the car, (a lack of on-exit grip), Figge nevertheless continued to battle for positions, moving back up into P4 with a podium finish still possible. However, on lap 67, a GT2 competitor hit Figge from behind, sending the #52 spinning in turn 11 Figge recovered and immediately drove to pit lane to allow the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports crew to have a look at the damage. After a few hits with a hammer, the rear fairings were worked clear of the exhausts and Figge returned to the race in P5 with a podium position even farther out of reach. When a full course caution was displayed with only ten minutes left in the event, the running order was essentially sealed, relegating PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports to fifth in class.
For Maroney, the day was filled with highs and lows.
“While it wasn’t the finish I knew we could have achieved, I still had an amazing time with PR1/Mathiasen today,” Maroney said. “Slipstreaming and pulling out to pass the GT cars at 180mph is something I will never forget. It’s an absolutely thrilling experience that’s difficult to put into words. The start of the race was intense as well as I wasn’t expecting everyone to brake so early into turn one. I got alongside for second, but I didn’t have the preferred line, so I had to drop back. From then, I just tried to limit my mistakes while driving as hard as I could. It all went by so quickly for me. I was watching my fuel get lower and lower and I couldn’t believe it when my stint was over. I really want to thank Maroney Company, Walsh Carter Insurance, Alpinestars, Corsa Car Care, Merchant Services LTD, and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports. They made today possible, and I hope to be back with all of them soon.”Despite not having the race finish he had worked for, Figge also enjoyed his time in the #52.
“I think that the rear tires and the track conditions were not what I needed today,” Figge explained. “That has a way of happening in motorsports, and not being able to get on throttle as early as I would have liked kept me from putting up the lap times we were running in practice and qualifying. It’s just a shame that these shorter races don’t give you enough time to recover from even the smallest amounts of bad luck. Still, it’s always great running with PR1/Mathiasen. They are always able to get the drivers and the car up to speed in such a short amount of time. Thank you Autosport Design, Kpax Racing and Volvo North America for letting us represent you out here today.”PR1/Mathiasen Team Principal, Bobby Oergel, recognizes the improvement throughout the team, despite today’s comparatively average finish.
“Long Beach is usually a race that is either feast or famine for teams,” Oergel said. “It’s not like a 12 hour race where you can come back from some truly awful luck early on to win your class. It’s a sprint race here and if you get bit by something, there’s not much you can do. I think that we had some very minor incidents today and a little handling problem, that given more time we could have easily recovered from. But with only two hours to race, and with a significant portion of that two hours ran under caution, fifth place is where we ended up. The silver lining for me is that the team has made a lot of operational changes recently, and the positive effects were very noticeable throughout the weekend. I believe that these positive effects, and the overall weekend’s performance shows that once the schedule returns to a more typical race length, we’ll be finishing in our more typical fashion; on the podium.”Round three of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park, will be held on Friday, April 15-Saturday, April 16, 2011.
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.
About Autosport Designs Inc.:
Autosport Designs Inc. 30,000 sq. ft. facility performs all mechanical services from basic maintenance and repairs to performance upgrades, modern improvements, mechanical rebuilds and restorations. Our in house body shop performs panel, sheet metal fabrication, chassis, collision and dent repairs plus partial and complete repaints and insurance repairs. We also perform all interior and trim work including leather and wood repairs, interior upgrades to complete interior re-upholstery. From start to finish, all work is performed under one roof. As a Registered Importer, Autosport Designs can import and conform (whether for Full Importation or Show and Display) unusual cars for USA compliance. Our storage facility offers secure & maintained storage for your vehicle. For more information, search out www.autosportdesigns.com or give us a call at (631) 425-1555.About Corsa Car Care:
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.About PR1 Motorsports:
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 and professional sports 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, also enjoy first-class trackside hospitality and comprehensive marketing support.PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team information can be found at:
www.PR1Motorsports.com
www.MathiasenMotorsports.com
For more information please contact PR1 Motorsports at (559) 277-1300 or pr1motorsports@aol.com.
Photo Credit: John Dagys
