Díaz, González Finish Second for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports at Mid-Ohio: Result marks third consecutive podium for California based team.
August 7, 2010
Lexington, OH -
For the third race in a row, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports scores a podium finish in the increasingly competitive LMPC class today in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Team drivers Ricardo González, of Monterrey, MX, and Luis Díaz, of Mexico City, MX, brought the #52 IDN Business Consulting/ Corsa Car Care/ Cooper Gay Oreca FLM09 home in second place in their LMPC debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge.

Starting P2 in class, González took the green flag and kept the #52 in contention in the top-3 for the first half of his inaugural prototype race. On lap 36, a full course caution period allowed González to pit from third, handing the wheel over to Díaz for the remainder of the event. The PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports pit crew sent him back out to the race in third without losing any positions on pit road.
Shortly after the restart, Díaz would find himself embattled with fellow LMPC competitors Gunnar Jeannette, Christophe Bouchut and Andy Wallace. Running mere tenths apart, the four drivers put on an amazing show, with positions changing hands seemingly at every corner.
Jeannette would eventually take the lead, but it was to be short-lived, as his #99 became stuck in the sand trap following a spin in turn 1. This helped promote Díaz and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports into second place, ready to challenge for the victory until a full course caution was shown once again. This allowed the #55 to get the wave around, essentially putting Díaz one lap down. With only 30 minutes of green flag racing remaining, Díaz was unable to overhaul this deficit despite posting significantly faster lap times. The #52 would go on to finish in second giving PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports two consecutive runner-up finishes and three podium finishes in a row.
Following today’s performance, González is full of optimism for the remaining races this season.
“It was a great race for us," González said. "We wanted to win but luck just didn’t fall our way today. I started the race and felt pretty comfortable right away, but I got stuck behind slower traffic and that hurt us a bit. The #55 car was blocking like crazy and I just couldn’t get around him, so I had to just sit there behind him knowing that we were faster. But it was early in the race and there was no point in making crazy moves. The PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports team did a great job today, the pit stops were good, the car was fast, everything is great and we are excited about the rest of the season.”
Díaz shares his co-driver’s sentiments and is confident with their chances at victory this season.

“Overall a very good weekend for us," Díaz exclaimed. "Considering that this was our debut in the LMPC category I think everybody did a great job. We are still learning and we have a lot of things that we need to improve on, so finishing second is great because it means we can only get better from here and win a race. We definitely had the car to win today but it really all ended when we got stuck behind the pace car and the leader got cycled around to the back of the field. It’s a shame because we were quicker than them but that just put them too far away. It’s really frustrating but that’s just racing. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. But the good thing is we proved we are very competitive and I have no doubt we’ll win a race this year.”
Bobby Oergel, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Team Principal, knows that his team’s podium streak is indicative of the future victories he believes are increasingly possible.
“We’ve had something to be proud of every race this season,” Oergel explained. “We led practice sessions in Long Beach, got the pole at Laguna Seca, and earned podium finishes at Miller, Lime Rock and now Mid-Ohio. This team is showing that we’re a threat to win every race and with three rounds left this season, I believe that we have everything we need to get Ricardo and Luis into victory lane.”

Tape-delayed coverage of today’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge will be shown on CBS Sports on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 9:30am PT.
LMPC qualifying for the next round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, the American Le Mans Series powered by eStar at Road America, begins on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 1:40pm PT. The two hour and forty-five minute main event starts on Sunday, August 22, 2010 at 12:05pm 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.

IDN Business Consulting was born with the mission of designing and implementing fiscal strategies that allow companies a better development and resource management. IDN is made up of a professional, highly capable crew, where innovation, pro-activity and service quality is the base of our competitive ideology. At IDN Business Consulting the legal, fiscal safety and tranquility of our clients is guaranteed. This is based upon the objective of searching the development of innovative solutions that bring measurable and real business results. This has made IDN a market leader in Mexico. IDN has an extensive portfolio of solutions that bring solid savings and benefits to your company. IDN is the only fiscal law firm in Mexico that brings to you, wherever you are, whatever you do, these exclusive benefits.

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.
Cooper Gay is one of the world’s largest privately owned Insurance and Reinsurance Broking Groups, headquartered in the City of London. Cooper Gay operates for clients in four broad segments: corporate organizations, retail brokers, professional reinsurance buyers and captive insurance companies. The Cooper Gay network extends from the Americas to Asia, Europe and Australasia. Offering a wealth of broking talent and customer support in our chosen business sectors, this translates into specialist insurance and reinsurance solutions in every risk area.

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.