Autometrics Motorsports Closes 05 Grand-Am Season with High Marks
Mexico City, Mexico (November 5, 2005)- The two-car transporter
had a little extra hardware to haul
home
from sunny Mexico City as
Autometrics Motorsports
secured third place in the 2005 Grand American GT Team Championship with
Cory Friedman and Leh Keen, drivers of the No. 14 KeenCap / Toptul /
Autometrics Motorsports
Porsche GT3 Cup, tied for fifth place in the driver’s championship.
In the team’s first full season of Rolex competition, flawless
preparation and brilliant drives ensured that the No. 14 car would
finish in the top ten no less than eleven times, including five
top-fives and an exhilarating triumph at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the
Glen.
“These kinds of results are only possibly when consistently fast
cars are put in the in hands of consistently great pilots,” said
Gordon Friedman,
Autometrics Motorsports
’ owner and team-principle. “Everybody
on this team did an outstanding job and I think our results reflect
that.”
Faced with a demanding schedule, fierce on-track competition and
the on-going development of two brand-new racecars,
Autometrics Motorsports
nevertheless gave the racing world a glimpse of things to come at the
season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.
“After both qualifying sessions ended early and we never got a
clear lap in, the race really gave us the chance to show our speed,”
said Cory Friedman. “We
had the lap times to run up-front and, after a few laps, that’s just
where we were.”
Starting the Rolex 24 12th in a class of 33 cars, Leh
Keen drove the first stint passing four competitors in as many laps. And though the team would see contact with a prototype, untimely
yellow flags and a delaminated tire, a level-headed approach ensured a 6th place finish.
At the following month’s Grand Prix of Miami-Homestead, the No.
14 car overcame intense prototype traffic to finish 5th in a
class of 25. Clashes with
the faster DP cars, however, would prove the teams undoing at the
Ferrari Maserati 400 at California Speedway. After leaving the track at speed, a DP competitor broadsided
Friedman leaving the No. 14 badly damaged and in the pits for repairs.
“The DP driver admitted that the accident was his fault,” said
Cory Friedman, “but it
still meant that we would have to settle for 17th [out
of 24].”
Top ten finishes would be earned at both the eventful Road &
Track 250 at Laguna Seca (9th in a class of 28) and the
challenging 6 Heures du Circuit Mont Tremblant (9th in a
class of 21), in the lead-up to the team’s breakthrough win at Watkins
Glen.
“The Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen was nothing short of
spectacular,” said Gordon Friedman. “The crew did an incredible job. Though changing weather forced us to make several late pit-stops
for rain-tires, the crew was flawless- we never missed a beat.”
When combined with brilliant performances from Leh Keen, Cory
Friedman and guest-driver Wolf Henzler, the team’s pit-work kept the
No. 14 in the lead, on-track and headed for a class-victory in a field
of 27.
With the racecars fully sorted and a win under their belt, the
Autometrics Motorsports
team continued their front-running ways and asserted themselves as a
force to be reckoned with in Grand-American competition. After opening a commanding lead in the Brumos 250, some late race
drama meant that the No. 14 car would finish just off the podium in 4th
(out of 27). This was
quickly followed by a 9th at the Porsche 250 (out of 26), a 7th at the CompUSA 200 (out of 22) and a hard-fought 4th at the
EMCO Gears Classic (out of 23).
A return trip to Watkins Glen for the Crown Royal 250 promised an
equally impressive result, but failed rear-wheel studs in the closing
laps knocked the No. 14 car from a 4th place track position
to an 11th place
finish in a class of 18.
Two top-tens in the final two races of the year—a 5th place in the VIR 400 (out of 23) and a 6th at Mexico City
(out of 8)—guaranteed the
Autometrics Motorsports
team a 3rd place ranking in the 2005 Grand American GT Team
Championship. In addition to
the team’s podium finish, the strong, season-long performance also
garnered a 5th place
tie for drivers Leh Keen and Cory Friedman in the 2005 Grand American GT
Drivers Championship.
With a full season of Rolex competition in the books and
Porsche’s highly sought-after 2006 997 GT3 Cup headed to the
Autometrics Motorsports
stables, the coming season promises to be a successful one indeed.
Autometrics
Motorsports
is a Grand Am and
PCA competitor located in Charleston, SC. In addition to the in-house team, Gordon, Adam and Cory Friedman
build, engineer and campaign cars for private individuals. With eighteen years of experience they are one of the premier
Porsche race-prep facilities in the US. Follow their season at www.autometricsmotorsports.com
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