Michael Marsal Targets Strong Run at Watkins Glen
June 27, 2012 Leave a comment
Michael Marsal Targets Strong Run at Watkins Glen
Michael Marsal Media Contact: Matt Cleary
Media
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Watkins Glen, NY (27 June 2012) – After a promising run was cut short by some inexplicable driving by a competitor, Michael Marsal is ready to rebound this weekend as the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series travels to upstate New York for the Continental Tire 150 and Round 7 of the 10-race championship at historic Watkins Glen International.
Marsal is hoping for a strong run at the prestigious New York facility after he faced a frustrating result only days ago in the previous round of Mid-Ohio in which he was knocked out of contention just 10 laps into the race when another competitor hit the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 from behind. The car sustained race-ending damage and the result was all the more disappointing for Marsal as he had earned his GRAND-AM career-best start of seventh and was set for a strong finish at the front before his day ended early.
Having teamed with Ben Clucas at Mid-Ohio, who was subbing for Marsal’s regular teammate Boris Said who was competing in the Sonoma NASCAR Sprint Cup event, Marsal and Said will again team up in the No. 97 BMW at the legendary New York road course as the Turner duo look for a solid showing.
Marsal stood on the podium in his Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge debut at the track when he and co-driver Joey Hand drove to the runner-up spot in the 2010 event. He would like nothing more than to make a rebound from his Mid-Ohio misfortune with a return trip to the Watkins Glen podium on Saturday.
“I was really bummed about what happened at Mid-Ohio,” said Marsal. “Not just because we didn’t get to finish, but also because we had a great car from Turner once again, but didn’t get the chance to really even race it. Hopefully we can turn our luck around this weekend at the Glen. We tested at the track at the end of May and it was really successful. The car was really strong and super consistent throughout the stints. We unlocked some speed in the car at that test, and it’s showed the last few races even though the results don’t reflect it. The Turner guys have worked hard to get the BMW back in prime condition in the very short time between races this week, so hopefully all that work they put in will come back with a big finish this weekend.”
The weekend kicks off with a promoter test day on Thursday followed by official practice and qualifying on Friday. The Continental Tire 150 is set for a 3:00 PM (ET) green flag on Saturday.
Live timing and scoring can be followed at www.grand-am.com. SPEED will televise the event Saturday, July 14 at 1:00 PM (ET).
Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
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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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