Insight Racing Shows Strength in GRAND-AM Return at Mid-Ohio

Insight Racing Shows Strength in GRAND-AM Return at Mid-Ohio

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management

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Lexington, Ohio (17 September 2011) – Insight Racing scored its best GS class result of the season in the team’s return to GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race action as Tyler McQuarrie and Martin Jensen drove the No. 19 BMW M3 to a 12th place finish in the season finale at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Tyler McQuarrie opened the EMCO Gears Classic from the fourth row after qualifying the car seventh on the grid. The race saw seven caution periods as it was mired with numerous incidents among the 71-car combined class field. However, McQuarrie would keep the BMW clean throughout his stint and worked his way forward to run as high as second and challenge for the lead.

“It was kind of what I expected starting out,” said McQuarrie of the opening stint. “I knew it was going to be a struggle to keep people behind us going down the back straight because that’s really where our weak point is – the motor. The Insight crew gave me a great car. From Turns 4-9, I was being held up a lot even with some of the quick guys.

We stayed out and tried to do a one stop strategy and we got as high as second and came into the pits in third. Overall I was pretty happy with how the car was and how I drove. The first race back for the team, the first race back for the car and to qualify as well as we did just four tenths off the pole and then to run as high as second – we’re pretty happy with that.”

With the team opting to run a one-stop strategy, McQuarrie remained at the controls of the No. 19 BMW for 1 hour and 20 minutes before handing driving duties over to Martin Jensen who would finish out the race. Unfortunately, the team experienced some issues with the fueling system during the pit-stop which would drop the No. 19 down the order with Jensen re-entering the race in the 22nd position.

Jensen continued to match the steady pace previously set by McQuarrie and quickly began to cleanly maneuver his way through the field to make up 10 positions in the final hour of the race.

“We are progressing like we were at the start of the season,” said Jensen. “A lot of things kind of set us back but I think we showed by coming here and putting on a good show that we mean business about this. It has just been phenomenal the past months working with these guys. We are good racers and we are building a phenomenal organization and I think that showed today. I’m very happy for the team and for the guys. I’m glad to have Tyler (McQuarrie) in the car. He did an awesome job in the first stint keeping the car from any trouble. We are a happy group of people right now, and I think good things are yet to come.”

After not participating in the previous two races, Insight Racing was pleased to bring home solid 12th place finish in their home race in front of many friends and fans in attendance, but was also keeping an eye on the big picture further down the road in the future.

“I’m excited and so pleased because we came into the weekend with a plan and they executed it to a T,” said Team Principal Gil Lynagh. “Everybody on this team – they have all risen to the occasion. We’re going to leave here prepared with exactly what we want to do next year. We knew what was going on today and we knew where the car was. We just didn’t have the horsepower. The car performed well, the crew performed well, and the engineering group just really came together. We have the methodical, disciplined, structured approach which I’ve tried to build into the team from the beginning and we’re really beginning to see everything from the decisions to the execution to the evaluation – the whole process now has become what we’re looking for. I think we will be a championship contending team next year. I’m so proud of these guys – they fought throughout all the adversity this year and the challenges we had. They never gave up and always had a positive attitude. I couldn’t go away at the end of the year happier than I am right now.”

The event will air Sunday, September 25 at 1:00 PM (ET) on SPEED.

Additional information is available at: www.insightracing.com

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