Otto’s Motorsport claims first endurance victory with factory racecar.



The Otto’s MINI sponsored team captured a stirring win in a four hour night race at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia. Driving a factory supplied 2002 MINI Cooper, Otto’s Motorsport executed a flawless race strategy resulting in a class win and a second place overall finishing position. Built for SCCA’s unmodified stock class, the MINI proved its durability throughout the event where reliability and fuel economy were essential for the team to win.

Team manager Gerry Walsh and Sean Christie, both veterans of front wheel drive racing, piloted the car. Walsh started the race at 3:30 pm and tried to hammer out as many fast laps as possible before darkness fell on the track.
Crew chief Steve Snow was aiming for a one-stop race strategy in order to maximize on track time, “We knew if the fuel would last until the half way point
we would gain an advantage over our competition by only making one stop”.
The strategy paid off as Walsh brought the car in just after dark for the driver change. “The crew made the victory possible,” stated Walsh. “We made just one pit stop and it was flawless.” After a blistering 3-minute pit stop, Christie took to the track under the cover of darkness. Track conditions deteriorated as drivers misjudged corners and brought dirt and debris onto the racing line, but Sean stayed level headed and churned out fast, reliable laps to bring the MINI in for the victory.

This race provides the foundation for an all out assault on the 2004 endurance racing season highlighted by the 12 hours at the Point in June. The combination of fuel economy, reliability, and ease of drivability make the MINI Cooper ideal for endurance racing.

Special thanks go out to race engineer Bud Wilson, crew chief Steve Snow, spotter Maureen Conner and the rest of the crew; Gerry Bird, Ben Fischetti, Pat Wilson, Bob Trader, and Ginny Snow.

 

Congratulations! Getting two hours on one tank of fuel, what kind of mileage is that?

Summit Point looks like a challenging circuit to keep it together on for four hours - congrats again..

 

When in June 2004??