David Ostella Thunderhill 25H preview

Ostella will pilot a Norma M20F Honda for Green Alternative Motorsports.

Canadian formula car driver David Ostella will expand his repertoire this weekend when he takes his first stint of endurance driving in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. As one of four team drivers for Green Alternative Motorsports, Ostella is set for a number of firsts this weekend, and as always, he is ready, willing, and able.

"I am so excited about this weekend it's hard to find the words," he said before departing for California Thursday. "We had a picture of the car sent to us and it looks awesome! I can't wait to drive it, and when I sit and think, I realize that I will experience a lot this weekend too: I am going to have to drive at night, make pit stops, make driver changes... it will be hard, but also very exciting. We have a lot of time to practice, so I'll have no concerns when it comes time to race."

At least one thing won't be totally new for Ostella, and that's Thunderhill Raceway. He tested there in Formula BMW during his rookie season in 2008, and each of the team drivers this weekend will have extensive testing laps prior to going green. Ostella will join car owner Steve Zadig and Dennis Pavlina, along with Slovakian Miro Konopka, a veteran of eighteen 24-hour races including runs at LeMans, Daytona, and Spa. Nearly 75 teams will be looking to 'Survive the 25!' beginning at 11am Saturday.

Green Alternative Motorsports runs a Norma M20F that weighs 1190 pounds and runs on cellulosic ethanol. The green fuel boosts its Honda HP to near 270, and allows it to reach speeds of up to 150mph. The numbers are similar to Ostella's usual Star Mazda car, which weighs 1140 pounds and generates 240HP, but the similarity in the racing stops right there.

"I'll definitely be a little bit more cautious than in sprint racing, owing to the length of the race and the fact we will have a detailed strategy to consider," he said when asked to compare the two types of events. "We will be lapping a lot of other cars, and I'm just going to look to set things up properly and make the right decisions when I'm behind the wheel. It's going to be a great experience, and all I want to do is race. Whether it's on ovals, road courses, on endurance events, it's all just a dream come true. I'll go wherever I have to and drive anything to make it a career."

David will be racing in California this weekend with continued generous support from Global Precast Intercontinental, Alpinestars and RAW Integrated Ltd. The 25 Hours of Thunderhill is run by the National Auto Sport Association, and live timing is available at www.nasa25hour.com beginning December 4th.

-credit: www.davidostella.com