AT-A-GLANCE • At Road America last weekend, No. 197 Honda driver and series rookie Corey Fergus earned his second ST pole in only three races. • After a dramatic Road America race, the RSR Motorsports crew is in their own race to get the cars repaired and prepped for Watkins Glen in less than one week. • RSR Motorsports will have a three-car lineup at Watkins Glen: The No. 196 and 197 Hondas and the No. 195 MINI Cooper S. WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.—Last weekend’s GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Road America didn’t go according to plan for RSR Motorsports. What that means is that the RSR crew has a monumental task as they repair and prep the cars in less than a week for round seven at Watkins Glen. The Road America event started on a high note when Corey Fergus earned his second Street Tuner pole in only three races. The GRAND-AM rookie set a new track record for the class with his 2:31.102 in the No. 197 Honda Civic Si. “I think most of it is due to the team’s preparation,†Fergus says of his pole. “The car they give me each race is phenomenal. Without the team’s hard work, I wouldn’t be able to put it on pole. Coming into a race weekend mentally prepared makes a big difference, too. I think about the track every time I go out, and there’s always something that can be improved.†Fergus led for a while and was holding down a solid second when he pitted to hand the No. 197 to Owen Trinkler. As the 2.5-hour race wound down, Trinkler was in third place when a problem with the motor brought him into the pits. It was a disappointing finish after such a strong start. Kyle Gimple and Randall Smalley scored the highest finish for RSR Motorsports, taking 18th in the No. 198 MINI Cooper S despite an extra pit stop following an off-track excursion. The No. 195 MINI Cooper S of Chris Puskar and Dicky Riegel also had a setback when contact with another car caused some damage. After quick repairs by the crew, the car re-entered the race and finished 29th. The No. 196 US LED Honda Civic Si was fast in practice and qualifying, but Ron Farmer and Jason Hart found themselves on the sidelines after only six laps, when an oil fitting failed. The challenges at Road America are now a challenge for the RSR Motorsports crew, who are in their own race to get the cars ready for Watkins Glen on Saturday. Puskar is looking forward to making his racing debut at Watkins Glen after doing driver coaching there. He will be teaming up with Gimple in the No. 195 MINI. Puskar says, “I think we should be competitive there. We’ll have to be patient and make wise passes. Watkins Glen became one of my favorite tracks after driving it: I never realized how much the elevation changes. I know now why it’s such a renowned track and why so many people love it.†“I’m excited about going to Watkins Glen,†adds Trinkler. “I don’t think there’s another track on the schedule where we won’t be fast. We can be competitive everywhere we go. It’s Corey’s first visit to Watkins Glen, but we proved with New Jersey that new tracks aren’t a problem for him.†The Continental Tire 150 at Watkins Glen will be held on Saturday, June 30, at 3:00p.m. Fans who want to catch RSR Motorsports on SPEED can watch the Road America broadcast on Saturday, July 8, at noon ET or the Watkins Glen broadcast on Saturday, July 14, at 1:00p.m. Keep up with RSR Motorsports online at RSR Motorsport / RSR Racing. RSR Motorsports is sponsored by Cruise America, Thor Motor Coach, US LED, MINI USA, Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers, CaseTech, OS Giken Racing Clutches and Limited Slip Differentials, Eibach Springs, Performance Racing Oils/Millers Oils, Midway Ford Truck Sales, DBA USA, MINI North Scottsdale, Team RaceWorks, Performance Speed Tech, and Carbotech Pads.
Only the 195 MINI was scheduled to run -with the two Hondas. But ... the 196 Honda lost a (brand new) engine in practice and DNS. :cryin: The 198 MINI took its place. Both the 197 Honda and the 198 MINI were CRASHED out (by others) during the race and the 195 had a clutch issue. :mad5: VERY LITTLE time to repair cars prior to the INDY test scheduled for this Thursday - Saturday. :frown5: