SCC: Laguna Seca: TRG preview

TRG at the KONI Challenge at Homestead
TRG looking for Podiums in both races this weekend at Laguna Seca.

Petaluma, Ca. (May 14, 2007) -TRG returns to the track "where it all began" and will be launching a massive 8 car effort for this weekend's US Sportscar Invitational at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

"This is our original home track and really where it all started for TRG," commented team owner, Kevin Buckler. "We started our company in those hills across the street from the circuit & we lived here until 1995. Debra and I got married in Monterey and my earliest racing was here at Laguna Seca. I have some REALLY fond memories of this place and we all like coming here."

The New Koni Challenge Porsches AND the Rolex GT cars will be competing at this coming weekend's event. The races run separately with the Rolex GT machines competing on Saturday and the Koni Challenge race on Sunday. After a solid run at the last several races and a severe testing schedule over the last month, the team is now looking for its first victory for the 2007 season.

Buckler continues, "We have put together a formidable effort for this weekend's US Sportscar Invitational. All 4 of our Koni Challenge Cars as well as the 4 Rolex GT machines will be competing. We have been prepping for weeks and our racing facility here in Petaluma is like a production line. It's really kind of cool because with this size effort, we are able to do things that many of the other teams are not. Access to parts and spares, shock development, engineering resources, fabrication, transportation & logistics is all shared by the team. We gather a ton of data off of each car & then try to perfect it quickly for all the cars for the race & fill in if there is a problem with one car or a program. The guys have all been working really hard, we have a FANTASTIC group of drivers for this weekend & I think we are ready."

The team ran strong here last year finishing 1-2 for the qualifying race & finishing 2nd for the endurance event. They expect similar results this time.

2006 Grand-Am Driver Champion Andy Lally adds, "I'm excited to go back to Laguna, not just because I like the track but because the team has been really hustling and we got a decent amount of testing miles in since the last event and I was pretty happy with the outcome. We had good success last year here with a second place finish and it would be nice to take one more step up the podium this coming weekend."

TRG's 4 Rolex GT entries will take the green flag hungry for a win on Saturday. Jim Pace and Dr. Jim Lowe will be back behind the wheel of the JLowe Racing/SRS/CheapCaribbean.com/ American Cancer Society/20Nine.com car #64. Two young stars, multiple championship winner and Pro Mazda standout Ross Smith and his Canadian professional co-driver Dan Dileo, are back together in the Maxwell Paper products car #65. Veterans, R.J. Valentine and Andy Lally will pilot the CRG/Maxter/ Rotax/MBA/ NFP/F1Air car #66, and long-time TRG driver Bob Heniff will join Spencer Pumpelly in the Heniff Transportation car #67.

TRG, with sponsor Carlsen Porsche, will also field 4 Porsches in the Koni Challenge GS class on Sunday. The impressive lineup begins with Duncan Ende and Grant Maiman's return in the #39 Adam's Polishes/Digitrust Porsche. Scott Schroeder and John Bibbo will be back in the #40 CDI/Carrera Designs/Apex Graphics/Cohen Financial/TRG Porsche. Andy Lally and Ted Ballou will team together again in the #41 Mitchell Global/TRG Porsche, and Serge Glazunov Jr. and Matt Harris round out the TRG/Carlsen Porsche entries in the #42 machine.

Speed Channel will air the tape delayed Rolex Series GT race on May 26, 2007 at 8:00pm ET.

-credit: trg