Grand-Am

SCC: Iowa: Bryan Ortiz preview

Iowa Up Next For Speedy Ortiz Bryan Ortiz and co-driver Don Salama put together another Top-10 finish in Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. While the result wasn't quite what the duo had as their ultimate goal, it still was a very solid ...

Edited: Dec 21, 2009, 5:26 AM

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Iowa Up Next For Speedy Ortiz

Bryan Ortiz and co-driver Don Salama put together another Top-10 finish in Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. While the result wasn't quite what the duo had as their ultimate goal, it still was a very solid finish that the entire team could be proud of. Bryan explains a bit further: "Barber is not a track that I would feel quite as confident to win, as it seems to be a track that is very difficult to completely figure out. I knew though, that with the help of Turner Motorsports and the whole team, it still had a lot of potential to be a very good race for me."

The team struggled to find a setup that would suit the track perfectly, but they finally came up with a car that they felt confident could still challenge at the top of the field. The #97 BMW M3 Coupe qualified in 7th, and both Bryan and Don Salama were chomping at the bit. "When the race started it's of course all about being as fast as you can." says Bryan. "The thing is that you also always have to stay conservative enough to give your teammate the best possible car to finish with."

The race stared smoothly, but the energy quickly ramped up. Bryan gives us an inside look. "20 minutes into the race the car really started to come to me and I closed up with the 4th and 5th place cars pretty fast. In order to pass the cars in front of me I had to stay settled and wait for the right opportunity. I was primed to make a move, but every time I began to close up closely behind another car the engine went sky high hot! That of course made it very difficult; trying to be as close as possible but having to have another line so the car could take a little more air."

Bryan fought hard against all issues thrown his way, and turned the car over to teammate Don Salama in great position for a Top-10 finish, which was taken full advantage of. "Turner Motorsports did a great job on pits so and Don Salama too, he did an awesome job to to stay in position and we finished the race in 7th position. The next race in Iowa I feel is going to be a very good one, and is a track that I did great last year. The biggest unknowns to watch out for will be what happens when you combine us with all the very competitive ST cars out there on such a small track. It is certainly going to be exciting!"

It will not only be a packed track, but also a packed day of activities for the Grand Am KONI Challenge Series, as this Sunday, August 10, 2008 will see both qualifying and the race on the same day. The 250-mile KONI Challenge Series race takes place at 6pm EST on Sunday. Look for a full recap of Bryan's race weekend from P1 Groupe following the race weekend.

-credit: boPR

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