Miller Results Sorry to report that we missed the "three-peat"... We did place second in the 198, getting edged by the 91 APR Volkswagon GTI by a little more than a second. It was a huge battle but in the end, the turbo power of the VW won out. No complaints about second! The 198 now has 2 wins, a second, and a third this this year. I would speculate that this particular car has the most road racing wins of any Mini in history. It started life as a new '04 Cooper S. It won three consecutive Mini Challenge titles in Arizona before it's conversion to a Grand Am ST racer. The other two cars finished 13 and 14 after both cars had some bad luck. More to follow... Randy
I checked in on the live timing quite a few times during the race. By the end it seemed something like 20-25% was run under full course yellow. I've seen that in short sprint races but this one was two and a half hours! The last caution period went so long I wondered if there'd be any time left for racing. From what I could see it looked like that last post-yellow sprint to the flag was two groups...Baas and Trinkler driving away, and then everybody else. The VW's turbo power may have won out in the end (as Randy said) but no one else in ST could hang with Owen and the 198. Can't wait to see the race Saturday on Speed. Here's hoping for good coverage of ST.
RSR Motorsports Ends Season with Third Consecutive Podium; Cattaneo and Trinkler Second at Miller TOOELE, Utah--Sarah Cattaneo and Owen Trinkler gave RSR Motorsports their third consecutive podium in the Street Tuner class during Saturday's GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge finale at Miller Motorsports Park. The duo drove the No. 198 RSR Motorsports MINI Cooper S to second place. The podium caps a phenomenal end to the 2010 season, coming on the heels of back-to-back wins at New Jersey Motorsports Park and Trois-Rivieres. The team also earned third place at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March, giving them a total of four podiums. Cattaneo qualified fourth in the No. 198 RSR MINI Cooper S and held down that spot during her stint. Trinkler took over, and with half an hour remaining in the 2.5-hour race, he worked his way to second. He remained there until the checkered flag. "What a way to build momentum for 2011," says Trinkler. "We gave it everything we had and at the end we had our work cut out for us. To come home second is the momentum we want before we fight for the championship next year." The finish is Cattaneo's first podium in the series. "It feels like a first," enthuses Cattaneo. "What a way to end the year! The team worked so hard to get us here, and I have to also thank my dad, my family, and my sponsor Global Jet." MINI USA Vice President Jim McDowell was on hand for the race, and he was equally enthusiastic about seeing an RSR MINI Cooper S on the podium. "I'm just thrilled to see the team get on the podium for the third time in a row," he says. "Sarah and Owen gave it their all and made us proud." Smalley and BJ Zacharias finished 13th in the No. 196 MINI Cooper S. Smalley was hit by a competitor early in the race, but the crew quickly repaired the right front damage and sent Zacharias out to continue the charge. "BJ drove the wheels off that car even after all that happened," says Smalley. "We couldn't ask for a better finish to our season for this team. We're so excited about next year." "The guys did a great job getting the car back out," adds Zacharias. "It handled really well, which is a testament to our engineer, Jim Haaser, and the rest of the crew. This team wins and loses together, and it was great to share in their podium finish today." VJ Mirzayan and Dicky Riegel co-drove the No. 197 RSR Motorsports MINI Cooper S to 14th. Riegel, who had never visited Miller Motorsports Park prior to the race, was full of praise for both his co-driver and team. "I had a very steep learning curve but the team, especially VJ, brought me up that curve so quickly," he says. "Any organization is about its people and RSR has the best people in the business. These results don't come without incredible people. Special thanks to Randy for building such an ideal organization." "The team finished on a high note, and it's great to see how reliable the cars have become," says Mirzayan. "Thanks to the team, crew, and Randy for a wonderful season. I'm really happy for the team and hope to be back next year." -source: rsr motorsports
Nice way to finish the year . Seems like you have figured out what was holding you back . You should be off and running for next season. randy