Grand-Am

Michael McDowell Homestead test notes

A Milestone for McDowell A Milestone for McDowell December 6, 2004 - Charlotte, North Carolina - Michael McDowell reached a milestone in his career last week. This with the first test in the car that will serve as proof that he has made it to a ...

Published: Dec 11, 2004, 4:12 PM

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A Milestone for McDowell

December 6, 2004 - Charlotte, North Carolina - Michael McDowell reached a milestone in his career last week. This with the first test in the car that will serve as proof that he has made it to a level as a racecar driver that most only dream of; that of a paid contracted driver. He tested a brand new Dinan BMW powered Riley Daytona Prototype car that his team - Ten Motorsports, which he was instrumental in the creation of - took delivery of only days ago. The test was an official Grand-Am series test at Florida's Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Michael McDowell, now nineteen years old, started racing go-karts at age eight in Phoenix, AZ. with the full support of his family. However, after the first few years of his racing the family support at his disposal was largely moral. McDowell had to find ways to advance his career without having the money to buy rides. He arranged to trade his time to teams in exchange for his rides. Every contact he made he thought of as a potential partner in his future, and treated as such. In short he has worked hard with one goal in mind. With this test and the year ahead all of this has paid off, he is a professional racecar driver.

This achievement was possible because of one contact in particular. Over a year ago McDowell met Rob Finlay, a very successful businessman and motorsports enthusiast. McDowell did what he is known for, he treated Finlay as a friend and potential partner. Finlay saw in McDowell what many before have, personality, drive, and talent. Finlay and McDowell have been working closely ever since to put together a program to help further both of their interests. Finlay is now the team owner of Ten Motorsports, a subsidiary of Finlay Motorsports, and employer of Michael McDowell. McDowell and Finlay will also share the seat in a Grand-Am Cup GS BMW M3 in 2005.

The test lasted three days, most of which was spent with McDowell and his established teammate Memo Gidley behind the wheel. "We're pretty happy. We had both Michael and Memo pretty good speed-wise," said team manager Steve Cameron. A good portion of day three was also dedicated to testing drivers to determine the people to hold the final seats in the Daytona 24 Hour event. Among the drivers tested were Guy Cosmo, Dan DiLeo, Leonardo Maia, Mark Plummer, Jonathan Bomarito, and Michael Valiente, all of who lived up to the team's expectations.

-www.mmcdowell.com

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