GT3 Cup: Porsche Utah race one, two notes

ROOKIE SCARDINA WINS SECOND STRAIGHT RACE LEADS IMSA GT3 CUP CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY MICHELIN

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- May 18 -- Charlie Scardina continued his amazing rookie run winning the second professional race of his short career today in the second round of the 2007 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Scardina, 18, driving for Metro Racing Systems Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, also ran the fastest lap which put him on the pole for tomorrow's third round of the series, his second pole of the young season.

"This is awesome," said the Delray Beach, Fla., native whose high school graduation is next Friday. "Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize it's real."

Scardina, starting from the second position, was comfortably in third place going into the sixth lap when race leaders Dino Loles and Bob Faieta tangled. Faieta recovered from the incident to finish 10th, while Loles dropped to an eventual 25th, finishing in the pits.

"After the caution, I just focused on my driving, got into a rhythm and got comfortable," explained Scardina.

Dino Steiner drove a steady race finishing second from his fourth position on the starting grid in his Kinetic Motorsports Porsche. Third went to hard-charging Tom Pank in a Farnbacher Loles GT3. Pank, who had qualified third, was banished to the back of the field due to a suspension violation.

The challenging 4.5-mile, 24-turn course, North America's longest, will play host Saturday to the third round of the GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin, another 30-minute contest. Joining Scardina on the front row will be Faieta.

***

FAIETA WINS THIRD ROUND OF IMSA GT3 CUP CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY MICHELIN SATURDAY

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- May 19 -- Crew chief, mechanic and driver of CareLevel Racing's second car Bob Faieta took the lead on the second lap and never looked back today en route to his first win of the 2007 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin on Saturday during the Larry H Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele.

This was the second race in two days for the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. The summary of Friday's race is above, with complete results from both races on www.imsaracing.net.

Faieta's win, which came during his third major race start, moved him from seventh to fourth place in the series standings.

"Now I don't have to drive the truck home to Tujunga (Calif.)," said Faieta, 40. "I had told the crew that if I lost the podium position (he had started from the second spot on the grid), I would drive the truck and they could fly."

A small amount of club racing and three years in shifter go karts provided Faieta's racing experience prior to this season. "I've always wanted to race, but never had the opportunity," he said. "Steve (Goldman, driver of the other CareLevel Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car) bought the second car for me to drive, and here I am. I work on his cars during the week and get to race on the weekends!"

Series leader Charlie Scardina of Delray Beach, Fla., starting from his second pole of the season, led the first lap and then maintained a solid position behind Faieta to finish second. The 18-year-old rookie extended his championship points lead to 20 over Tom Pank of Walkersville, Md., who drives a Farnbacher Loles Porsche.

According to Scardina, who had won the series' previous two races, finishing well was his strategy. "It was a good race. I just wanted to get into a solid rhythm and bring it home on the podium. Points are the key in this series."

Faieta's turned the fastest lap of the 4.5-mile, 24-turn course at 90.57 miles per hour and finished 3.207 seconds ahead of Scardina and 5.581 ahead of Dino Loles who piloted his Farnbacher Loles Porsche to third.

The fourth and fifth rounds of the GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin will be June 16th and 17th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a support race for the United States Grand Prix.

-credit: porsche motorsports