Laguna Seca: Johnny Mowlem preview

MOWLEM, CORSA TEAM GO WEST FOR FINAL RACE OF ALMS SEASON

MONTEREY, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2009) -- Johnny Mowlem and his Corsa Motorsports teammates will be on American's West Coast this weekend for the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the final race of the 2009 American Le Mans Series season.

Mowlem and co-driver Stefan Johansson will pilot the revolutionary Ginetta Zytek 09HS, with hybrid engine power, against the most powerful sports cars in the world in Saturday's four-hour race.

"It's a track that I love" says Mowlem. "Not just because of the circuit itself, but because of the whole area of Monterey, California where the circuit is located. It's also where I took my first ALMS win, and I think that out of the 9 times I've raced there, I've been on the podium 6 or 7 times, so it has been very kind to me. Plus the circuit is run by Gill Campbell, who is one of my favourite people in motorsport!"

The team's development work on the car and its Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) package has attracted worldwide attention to the potential of hybrid engines. Having said that, the process of developing the system and the car during the racing season with little testing, means that progress has been difficult and arduous at times.

"This year has been tough, albeit also very fulfilling " Mowlem said. "Fortunately people the world over understand what we are trying to achieve. We're plowing a muddy furrow right now, but at least we're leading where I know others will follow, and the American Le Mans Series has been incredibly supportive to our position. I know that the whole Corsa Motorsports team will be going to the racetrack with the objective of continuing to move this program forward and we will definitely be aiming to repeat our Lime Rock result, and make it two podiums for the first ever hybrid sports car in an international sports car series."

-credit: johnnymowlem.com.