MINI Podiums at The Glen
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3rd Gear
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MINI Podiums at The Glen
June 13, 2005
MINI Podiums at The Glen
Dear Corporate Partners, Friends, Family and Fans,
Nuzzo Motorsports brings the familiar number 20 MINI Cooper S home in Third place earning MINI it first professional podium!
The weekend started bad, very bad, and got worse as it went on. We lost all day Thursday when towing to the track, the tow hitch broke and we were stranded on the side of the road for around seven hours. We finally were able to get a tow truck that could get our trailer to the track. We get to the track about 10PM and they wouldn’t let us in until morning. Well, that wouldn’t work the tow truck wanted to drop the trailer there and leave and we had no way to move it. A lot of phone calls and a bunch of persuasion got us the GM of the track on the phone and the okay to get in.
Friday morning we were at the track early to get the cars prepped and through tech. We found a shop that could fix our truck so we had to send two crew to drop it off. Because of the distance and the road construction, they were gone for hours. We were now short handed by three crewmembers because one of the crew chiefs hadn’t arrived yet. I got a call the he was stuck on the road for hours because of a major truck accident the highway has been closed. He would arrive around 3PM in time to help before the second practice.
In the mean time, the rest of the crew had gotten both cars through tech and back to the paddock where we would continue to get the cars setup for the first practice. Everything was fine until we went out for the first practice. The 20 car was okay but the 02 car developed a problem. So, we’re short crew and now had to split the crew into hot pit duty for the on track car and mechanics trying to repair the 02 car. We couldn’t get the 02 fixed before the session ended. We brought the 20 car back and began working on setup changes and prepping for the next practice session.
The next practice we had both cars on track but the practice was stopped after just three laps because of severe lightning. By the time we got to the pits, it began to rain hard then harder. The crew took cover wherever they could and tried to protect the expensive computer equipment. We managed to get the cars back to the paddock and get them covered but we lost awnings because of the high winds. Most of our equipment was under a couple of inches of water or had floated or blown away. This lasted for about an hour. We spend the next couple of hours sorting equipment and drying tools. Empting water out of electric cords and tools. Everything was wet.
Saturday morning we were on track at 9AM so we were at it early. We made some setup changes and both cars seemed to be working better. Next, up is qualifying, Doug will qualify the 02 car, and Steve will qualify the 20 car. The cars are 3rd and 4th on the grid to have good track position for a good lap. While waiting to be let out on track smoke starts coming out from under the hood of the 02 car. We are not allowed to touch the cars at all during the qualifying session, but the official let us roll the car to our pit stall and take a look. It was steam from the coolant system not a good sign. We send Doug out and kept an eye on the temp gauge. The temperature came down so we left him out there. At the end of qualifying, we were well off the pace and qualified 27th & 28th in class out of 29 cars and 70th & 71st overall out of 73 cars.
We made some changes to both cars and went out to race. We had a good start and were moving up through the pack when the first full course caution came out, the leader had just gotten between the 02 and the 20 cars. This put the 02 down a lap to the overall leader. The 20 is ahead of the safety car and will get to catch the back of the pack and stay on the lead lap.
We bring in the 02 car for fuel only and send him back out. This will eliminate having to make the extra fuel stop later in the race. The third full course caution comes at lap 27 about and 1hour 10miniutes into the race so we bring the 02 car in and Gene Sigal get in while the crew changes tires and fuels the car.
On lap 30 about an hour and a half into the race, the forth-full course comes out. We bring in the 20 car and I get in and take over for Steve. Steve did a great job running the car to the front. He was running 6th when we made the stop. Our pit stops are flawless and this helps us maintain good track position. I get out and I’m running in 8th. I’m close enough to see the cars in front of me that I need to pass for position. We go green on lap 39 and are running good when lap 41 we go back to yellow. Lap 45 we’re green again. We’re running 3rd when we go full course caution again on lap 47. Lap 52 we’re back racing. Lap 53 another full course. Lap 55 the white flag is display signaling one lap to go. Lap 56 we take the checkered flag under yellow.
So, at the end of the day we had improved the 20 car from 27th to 3rd in class out of 29 cars and from 70th to 19th overall out of 73 cars. And the 02 car from 28th to 15th in class and 71st to 46th overall. In case you’re keeping score, we finished in front of ten BMW’s, ten Mazda’s, four Acura’s, one Chevy, and one Nissan
In ST, Andy Lally & Jim Holtom in the No. 00 Georgian Bay Motorsports Cobalt finish first. Tom Lepper & Bo Roach in the No. 32 Georgian Bay Motorsports Cobalt finish second and Tony Nuzzo & Steve Pattee in the No. 20 Mini Cooper finish third.
This was a particularly sweet finish for me on a personal note. Being from New York, The Glen is the closest track we have to calling a home track. I had invited my good friend Steve Pattee to drive with me at the Glen. We try to race together whenever we can get a chance. Last year we were having a good run at the Glen when a Porsche crashed us into the wall and ended our day. This year we were determined to have a good run.
Looks like we did.
I have to thank our crew for doing such an outstanding job in preparing the cars and for their flawless work during the pit stops. The entire team put forth a great effort this weekend.
Thanks also go out to all the MINI fans that stopped by and gave us their support.
Nuzzo Motorsports 2005 campaign would not be possible without the support of Grafik Dezine, MINI Financial Services, MINI USA, Habberstad MINI, Hoosier Racing Tire, Hawk Performance Brake Pads, The Driveshaft Shop, Bosch, North American Motoring, Moton Suspension Technology, BBS Wheels, Marren Fuel Injection, and Autosportimage.com.
We will not make the Mosport race June 18-19 due to financial constraints.
Our next race is July 29-30 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Watkins race will be broadcast on SPEEDTV Sunday, June 19 @5:00PM (Eastern Time) and again on Tuesday, June 21 @1:00PM. Please check your local listings for changes to the schedule.
For further details, please contact Tony Nuzzo at 516-972-3454
In addition, visit www.nuzzomotorsports.com for race news, photos, and video.
###
MINI Podiums at The Glen
Dear Corporate Partners, Friends, Family and Fans,
Nuzzo Motorsports brings the familiar number 20 MINI Cooper S home in Third place earning MINI it first professional podium!
The weekend started bad, very bad, and got worse as it went on. We lost all day Thursday when towing to the track, the tow hitch broke and we were stranded on the side of the road for around seven hours. We finally were able to get a tow truck that could get our trailer to the track. We get to the track about 10PM and they wouldn’t let us in until morning. Well, that wouldn’t work the tow truck wanted to drop the trailer there and leave and we had no way to move it. A lot of phone calls and a bunch of persuasion got us the GM of the track on the phone and the okay to get in.
Friday morning we were at the track early to get the cars prepped and through tech. We found a shop that could fix our truck so we had to send two crew to drop it off. Because of the distance and the road construction, they were gone for hours. We were now short handed by three crewmembers because one of the crew chiefs hadn’t arrived yet. I got a call the he was stuck on the road for hours because of a major truck accident the highway has been closed. He would arrive around 3PM in time to help before the second practice.
In the mean time, the rest of the crew had gotten both cars through tech and back to the paddock where we would continue to get the cars setup for the first practice. Everything was fine until we went out for the first practice. The 20 car was okay but the 02 car developed a problem. So, we’re short crew and now had to split the crew into hot pit duty for the on track car and mechanics trying to repair the 02 car. We couldn’t get the 02 fixed before the session ended. We brought the 20 car back and began working on setup changes and prepping for the next practice session.
The next practice we had both cars on track but the practice was stopped after just three laps because of severe lightning. By the time we got to the pits, it began to rain hard then harder. The crew took cover wherever they could and tried to protect the expensive computer equipment. We managed to get the cars back to the paddock and get them covered but we lost awnings because of the high winds. Most of our equipment was under a couple of inches of water or had floated or blown away. This lasted for about an hour. We spend the next couple of hours sorting equipment and drying tools. Empting water out of electric cords and tools. Everything was wet.
Saturday morning we were on track at 9AM so we were at it early. We made some setup changes and both cars seemed to be working better. Next, up is qualifying, Doug will qualify the 02 car, and Steve will qualify the 20 car. The cars are 3rd and 4th on the grid to have good track position for a good lap. While waiting to be let out on track smoke starts coming out from under the hood of the 02 car. We are not allowed to touch the cars at all during the qualifying session, but the official let us roll the car to our pit stall and take a look. It was steam from the coolant system not a good sign. We send Doug out and kept an eye on the temp gauge. The temperature came down so we left him out there. At the end of qualifying, we were well off the pace and qualified 27th & 28th in class out of 29 cars and 70th & 71st overall out of 73 cars.
We made some changes to both cars and went out to race. We had a good start and were moving up through the pack when the first full course caution came out, the leader had just gotten between the 02 and the 20 cars. This put the 02 down a lap to the overall leader. The 20 is ahead of the safety car and will get to catch the back of the pack and stay on the lead lap.
We bring in the 02 car for fuel only and send him back out. This will eliminate having to make the extra fuel stop later in the race. The third full course caution comes at lap 27 about and 1hour 10miniutes into the race so we bring the 02 car in and Gene Sigal get in while the crew changes tires and fuels the car.
On lap 30 about an hour and a half into the race, the forth-full course comes out. We bring in the 20 car and I get in and take over for Steve. Steve did a great job running the car to the front. He was running 6th when we made the stop. Our pit stops are flawless and this helps us maintain good track position. I get out and I’m running in 8th. I’m close enough to see the cars in front of me that I need to pass for position. We go green on lap 39 and are running good when lap 41 we go back to yellow. Lap 45 we’re green again. We’re running 3rd when we go full course caution again on lap 47. Lap 52 we’re back racing. Lap 53 another full course. Lap 55 the white flag is display signaling one lap to go. Lap 56 we take the checkered flag under yellow.
So, at the end of the day we had improved the 20 car from 27th to 3rd in class out of 29 cars and from 70th to 19th overall out of 73 cars. And the 02 car from 28th to 15th in class and 71st to 46th overall. In case you’re keeping score, we finished in front of ten BMW’s, ten Mazda’s, four Acura’s, one Chevy, and one Nissan
In ST, Andy Lally & Jim Holtom in the No. 00 Georgian Bay Motorsports Cobalt finish first. Tom Lepper & Bo Roach in the No. 32 Georgian Bay Motorsports Cobalt finish second and Tony Nuzzo & Steve Pattee in the No. 20 Mini Cooper finish third.
This was a particularly sweet finish for me on a personal note. Being from New York, The Glen is the closest track we have to calling a home track. I had invited my good friend Steve Pattee to drive with me at the Glen. We try to race together whenever we can get a chance. Last year we were having a good run at the Glen when a Porsche crashed us into the wall and ended our day. This year we were determined to have a good run.
Looks like we did.
I have to thank our crew for doing such an outstanding job in preparing the cars and for their flawless work during the pit stops. The entire team put forth a great effort this weekend.
Thanks also go out to all the MINI fans that stopped by and gave us their support.
Nuzzo Motorsports 2005 campaign would not be possible without the support of Grafik Dezine, MINI Financial Services, MINI USA, Habberstad MINI, Hoosier Racing Tire, Hawk Performance Brake Pads, The Driveshaft Shop, Bosch, North American Motoring, Moton Suspension Technology, BBS Wheels, Marren Fuel Injection, and Autosportimage.com.
We will not make the Mosport race June 18-19 due to financial constraints.
Our next race is July 29-30 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Watkins race will be broadcast on SPEEDTV Sunday, June 19 @5:00PM (Eastern Time) and again on Tuesday, June 21 @1:00PM. Please check your local listings for changes to the schedule.
For further details, please contact Tony Nuzzo at 516-972-3454
In addition, visit www.nuzzomotorsports.com for race news, photos, and video.
###
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster, PA
Tony:
My MINI got wrecked [totalled] by a SUV the Friday before, so I never made it to the track last weekend.
Sounds like I should have been there to help dry things out on Friday!
I did, however, listen to the whole race on the Grand Am Website.
(typical Glen weather - Sunday's race had the same problems. 
)
I will be at the Barber race in July - in a(nother) new MINI Cooper.
Steve D. from PA
My MINI got wrecked [totalled] by a SUV the Friday before, so I never made it to the track last weekend.
Sounds like I should have been there to help dry things out on Friday!I did, however, listen to the whole race on the Grand Am Website.
(typical Glen weather - Sunday's race had the same problems. )I will be at the Barber race in July - in a(nother) new MINI Cooper.
Steve D. from PA
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,957
Likes: 2
From: a canyon, south Bay Area
Wow, that explains so much! Especially considering all that was endured, this is a true achievement for you guys. Mosport will miss you guys, but heck, that's this weekend (not much time):
Next up, Barber:
Next up, Barber:
Coordinator :: Alabama Motoring Society
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 266
Likes: 0
From: Trussvegas
Looking forward to seeing the MINIs run again in Alabama. Hopefully you will have the support you need to be the top dog at Barber. The southern hand of hospitality is extended to you and the crew. Have a safe trip and Motor ON.
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,284
Likes: 1
From: Middle Earth
Well done Tony!!!!!!
Keep up the good work.
Keep up the good work.
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7th Gear Gal
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 36,087
Likes: 3
From: Weeblegabber West (aka WLA)
Tony, If I can get it together, I will be at Barber to cheer you on, once again! Watching you at the Inaugural in 2003 was one of the highlights of my cross-country roadtrip that year!
Congrats on your great showing. Despite all the pitfalls, you placed, and that is so awesome! Best wishes to you and your team! Really hope to see you soon!
Clover
Congrats on your great showing. Despite all the pitfalls, you placed, and that is so awesome! Best wishes to you and your team! Really hope to see you soon!
Clover
4th Gear
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 349
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster, PA
Originally Posted by MINIclo
Tony, If I can get it together, I will be at Barber to cheer you on, once again! Watching you at the Inaugural in 2003 was one of the highlights of my cross-country roadtrip that year!
Congrats on your great showing. Despite all the pitfalls, you placed, and that is so awesome! Best wishes to you and your team! Really hope to see you soon!
Clover
Congrats on your great showing. Despite all the pitfalls, you placed, and that is so awesome! Best wishes to you and your team! Really hope to see you soon!
Clover
3rd Gear
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 224
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas, NV
Just watched it on Speed Channel. They should have given Nuzzo a little more coverage, but did have a little before the end. They must have been paid off by Chevrolet, I got so sick of hearing about "the little hole" the Cobalts punch through the air. Go Nuzzo!
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