Michael Marsal Leads BMW Brigade at Road America with Best-Ever Qualifying Result

Michael Marsal Leads BMW Brigade at Road America with Best-Ever Qualifying Result

Michael Marsal Media Contact: Matt Cleary
Media@sundaymanagement.com
317.908.2975 (m)

http://www.marsalracing.com/

Photo courtesy Griffin Gamcsik-Uly

Elkhart Lake, Wis. (22 June 2012) – Michael Marsal will start the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 from seventh on the GRAND-AM 200 grid at Road America on Friday after the young racer set a fast lap time of 2:24.934-seconds in qualifying on the legendary 4.048-mile natural terrain road course in Wisconsin. The result is the best of Marsal’s GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series career to date and marked the best time of any BMW entered in the 60-car combined-class field.

When the 15-minute morning session went green, Marsal took to the circuit looking to find his own set of real estate on the track. Despite the long straights and wide open spaces at Road America, traffic can still play havoc with a fast lap. So keeping that in mind, Marsal found a gap and made the most of it, posting the fifth fastest time of the session before running was halted for a black flag.

The timing could not have been worse, as the black flag meant that his next lap didn’t count despite the fact that it was comfortably faster than his P5 time.

After a five minute delay to clear the track, the field once again returned for one flying lap before the checkered flag. Despite once again looking to make space, Marsal’s final run for a time was slowed by a balky and inconsiderate runner.

Despite the disappointment on the final lap, Marsal has a positive outlook for Friday’s race as GRAND-AM races through a busy schedule of events through the summer season.

“The car is really good, and I’m really looking forward to the race tonight,” said Marsal, who made his first-ever race start at the track as he opened his racing pursuits. “I am not sure what the Camaro was thinking on the last lap. I slowed to get a gap and they passed me, only to be slow the whole lap, and they didn’t even take the checkered flag! But this is a very good car and I’m happy to have a really competitive start to the day on such an amazing track.”

Marsal qualified fifth at the track in 2011, but the time was disallowed for a technical update and he was forced to start from the back.

Live timing and scoring can be followed at www.grand-am.com. The race will be televised on SPEED Sunday, July 8 at 12:00 PM (ET).

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
mediawww.sundaymanagement.com
youtube.com/sundaymanagement
317.908.2975 (m)

Sunday Group Management is a leading motorsports management and communications consulting firm. Clients include Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger, Rolex 24 at Daytona Champions Michael Shank Racing, Riley Technologies, Continental Tire, and several teams and drivers in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition.

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