AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology Teams Score Multiple Podium Finishes
MONTEREY, California (May 3, 2015) - The AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology teams competing at the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca were exceptionally strong this past weekend. The No. 60 Honda Performance Development Ligier JS P2 of Michael Shank Racing piloted by John Pew and Ozz Negri finished third for the Prototype class. In the GTLM class, the BMW Team RLL snagged the top two podium spots, with drivers John Edwards and Lucas Luhr accepting the win in the No. 24 Z4 GTLM, and Long Beach winners Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner finishing in second in the No. 25 car.
Ozz Negri and John Pew, shining in their AERO™ Liquid Metal™ livery, showed tremendous pace around the 2.24 mile circuit in practice and qualifying. During a restart in the middle of the race, Ozz Negri took a hard impact from the No. 31 Corvette DP car. Nonetheless, with a bent steering column a poor handling car, and constant traffic Negri captured fastest lap (1:19.303) and the team finished third overall. The extreme durability of AERO™ film-based paint appliques helped keep the carbon fiber bodywork together after the collision.
“I’m very happy with the progress we made and extremely proud of John’s [Pew] pace,” Negri stated after the race. “We’re going to keep working harder from here on out and make it happen.” AERO™ will continue providing Negri and Pew with the durable, lightweight paint solution they need to help shave seconds off their laptimes, and take the car to a first place finish.
In the GTLM class, the pair of BMW Team RLL Z4 GTLMs continued their dominance, with AERO™ Alpine White and Satin Black liveries. Unofficially, the one-two finish puts BMW into first place in manufacturers’ points. The two cars suffered very little drama during the race, and showed both competitive pace on-track, and intelligence in pit-strategy.
Team Principal, Bobby Rahal, stated “It was a good day” for the team. “The car was very reliable.” The team’s strong gap following a restart meant that team had to maintain a good pace and remain flawless in the pits, according to Rahal. BMW celebrates its 40th anniversary in sports car racing in North America.
“The dominance of AERO teams this past weekend at Laguna Seca further proves that the answer is in more durable, lighter weight solutions,” AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology president and CEO, Jim McGuire, stated. “Not only will AERO last throughout the entire season, but it will help take weight off the top of the car, which is crucial at a circuit like Laguna Seca.” McGuire pilots the No. 74 Compass360 Racing Audi S3 in the ST class of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge.
