Hopwood Back on GRAND-AM Podium at Lime Rock Park

September 29, 2012 Leave a comment

Hopwood Back on GRAND-AM Podium at Lime Rock Park

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
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(317) 908-2975-Mobile// www.twitter.com/sundaygroup

Lakeville, Conn. (29 September 2012) – It’s good to be back home.

As GRAND-AM staged the final race of the 2012 season, 2007 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Champions Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood were back in race action at their home track Lime Rock Park on Saturday.

Hopwood got the last-minute call to co-drive with Billy Johnson, and repaid team owner Karl Thomson’s offer as the duo scored a podium run with a third place finish in the No. 77 Honda Civic.

Burrows shared the No. 74 Honda Civic with Andrew Novich for the duo’s 10th start together in final round of the championship.

With rain falling nearly all day at the 1.53-mile Connecticut road course, the afternoon’s qualifying session was cancelled with the grid being set by championship point order. With Burrows and Novich sitting eighth in the team championship standings, Novich started from outside the fourth row while Hopwood, who ran a part-time effort with Compass360 this year, would start his push to the front from 17th on the ST-only grid.

The 2.5-hour race opened under wet, changing, and tricky conditions but didn’t phase Hopwood who immediately began a charge forward – improving eight positions in just four laps to run ninth despite not being able to see much of anything from behind the wheel.

Hopwood handed the car over to Johnson who moved to the front after a cycle of pit stops with the No. 77 pacing the field for a race-high 39 laps. With about 45-minutes remaining, Johnson relinquished the lead to the race-winning Mazda. After Johnson got a meaningful shove in turn one from Andy Lally (who was quick to apologize for the move after the race), he brought the car home in third as Hopwood celebrated his 10th career GRAND-AM podium.

“I love racing at Lime Rock Park and it was great to come back with Compass360 again this weekend,” said Hopwood. “It was tricky out there and I really couldn’t see a whole lot but the car was quick and I knew where we could make up ground. It was good working with Billy-we raced him for the championship in 2007 and this was my first time working with him–it’s always good to be back on the podium so thanks to Karl, Ray and all the Compass360 guys.”

Meanwhile, Burrows and Novich also looked poised for a strong finish as Novich overcame contact from a competitor early in the race to run ninth just prior to the team’s first pit stop. Novich handed the controls to Burrows during the race’s second full course caution and Burrows returned to the track 12th in the order. With the rain still falling, his Lime Rock experience showed when he drove a stellar stint to run as high as sixth.

Unfortunately that forward movement was halted when an electrical issue on the No. 74 thwarted his upward mobility.

Burrows returned to pit lane and the crew went to work quickly replacing electronic componantry. However, the quick 1.53-mile course which sees the cars lap in just over one minute, saw the field pass by three times before Burrows could return to the track. He returned to the track with full power, but had one more issue to battle after he lost the crucial 4th gear and had to work to drive around the issue as best as he could on his way to hanging tough for a 21st place finish.

“We were hoping to end out the year on more of a high, and we certainly had the pace to do it today,” said Burrows. “But we just weren’t able to escape a little bad mechanical luck and it really cost us. Andrew has made so much progress this year and drove another strong stint–in some really challenging conditions. It’s been a great opportunity to work with him and to race with this team and I just want to say thanks to Compass360 because these guys are top notch, and they never give up.”

PR inquiries about Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood should be directed to Matt Cleary at Sunday Group Management; 317.908.2975 (mobile) or media@ sundaymanagement.com

For additional information: www.trevorhopwood.com / www.sundaymanagement.com
www.adamburrowsmotorsport.com