Team MGR Racing-WOT Performance Gets Its First Win at Willow Springs
Phoenix, AZ, March 26, 2007. The new partnership between Team MGR Racing and WOT Performance couldn’t have started in a more successful way. The WOT Performance sponsored #27 Ford Taurus with Manuel Gil del Real at the wheel took the overall ASC Racing win at Willow Springs on Sunday during SCCA’s Cal Club Double Regional event.
But that wasn’t the only WOT Performance racecar at the event. The weekend started with Pete Andreas driving the #11 Chevy Montecarlo around the 2.5 mile Willow Springs track. Despite having flu like symptoms all day and being the first time that Pete took his own racecar for a test, he showed great driving ability with lap times just 7 seconds or around 5% off the other ASC competitors’ pace. Pete plans to continue getting as much valuable seat time as possible with the goal of entering a few races in the second half of the season.
On Saturday morning it was Manuel Gil del Real’s turn to get behind the wheel and test the Ford Taurus for the race weekend. In only his fourth practice lap and with old practice tires turned a lap in the 1:27 range, about two seconds faster than most ASC lap times from Friday’s tests. The Cal Club event had a great turn out which resulted in more than 30 racecars trying to qualify in a short 15 minute window.
Traffic prevented Gil del Real from getting a clean lap and as a result, he started Saturday’s race in twelfth place. The WOT Performance Ford had no trouble working its way through traffic once the race started. By the fifth lap, Gil del Real had already moved to fifth place overall. “At that point, I started to push it as much as I could. My left front tire was down to the cords and I had the 62 (David Arnheiter) right at my bumper, but I really wanted to get a podium finish for me and for Pete (Andreas, owner of WOT Performance),” said Gil del Real after the race. Although Gil del Real crossed the checkered flag in fourth place, a later disqualification of Michael Arnheiter when his car didn’t pass post race weight, moved the #27 WOT Performance Ford to third place in ASC and First place in the ASC Unlimited class.
Manuel had a better run on Sunday’s qualifying session and qualified his car in fourth place overall. The start of the race was relatively clean with the top four cars opening a significant gap over the rest of the field behind them. On lap 6, Robert Davis who had just turned the fastest ASC lap of the weekend, span while approaching turn three. That allowed Manuel to move up to third place behind a Super Production Dodge Viper and Kevin O’Connell’s ASC car. O’Connell’s tires started to go away from mid race on and on lap 17, he went off track while exiting the off camber left hander turn five.
“I was just cruising along not even thinking that I could catch the 59, however, when I saw him going off, I knew his tires would have collected a lot of dirt and I had to try and get ahead of him as quickly as possible,” said Gil del Real. O’Connell was able to recover and get back on track just ahead of the MGR Racing-WOT Performance Ford. The two went side-by-side through the majority of turn eight and into turn nine. Gil del Real came out of nine and into the main straight just behind O’Connell and drafted behind him until the last 100 feet, when he pulled along side and braked hard into turn one to take the lead. From that point on, O’Connell’s worn out tires prevented him from matching Gil del Real’s pace.
In the end, the #27 MGR Racing-WOT Performance Ford Taurus stayed ahead the last five laps to take the overall ASC win and add Willow Springs to their winning resume. “This was a great race and overall weekend for our newly formed partnership. This is the first time a WOT Performance car has been in Victory Lane since we joined ASC Racing last year… and for sure I’m confident that it will just be the first one of many more to come!” said an exuberant Pete Andreas.
The team’s next race will be at Altamont Motorsports Park on May 4-5, 2007. For more information, please visit http://www.mgrracing.net/ and http://www.wotperformance.com/.
But that wasn’t the only WOT Performance racecar at the event. The weekend started with Pete Andreas driving the #11 Chevy Montecarlo around the 2.5 mile Willow Springs track. Despite having flu like symptoms all day and being the first time that Pete took his own racecar for a test, he showed great driving ability with lap times just 7 seconds or around 5% off the other ASC competitors’ pace. Pete plans to continue getting as much valuable seat time as possible with the goal of entering a few races in the second half of the season.
On Saturday morning it was Manuel Gil del Real’s turn to get behind the wheel and test the Ford Taurus for the race weekend. In only his fourth practice lap and with old practice tires turned a lap in the 1:27 range, about two seconds faster than most ASC lap times from Friday’s tests. The Cal Club event had a great turn out which resulted in more than 30 racecars trying to qualify in a short 15 minute window.
Traffic prevented Gil del Real from getting a clean lap and as a result, he started Saturday’s race in twelfth place. The WOT Performance Ford had no trouble working its way through traffic once the race started. By the fifth lap, Gil del Real had already moved to fifth place overall. “At that point, I started to push it as much as I could. My left front tire was down to the cords and I had the 62 (David Arnheiter) right at my bumper, but I really wanted to get a podium finish for me and for Pete (Andreas, owner of WOT Performance),” said Gil del Real after the race. Although Gil del Real crossed the checkered flag in fourth place, a later disqualification of Michael Arnheiter when his car didn’t pass post race weight, moved the #27 WOT Performance Ford to third place in ASC and First place in the ASC Unlimited class.
Manuel had a better run on Sunday’s qualifying session and qualified his car in fourth place overall. The start of the race was relatively clean with the top four cars opening a significant gap over the rest of the field behind them. On lap 6, Robert Davis who had just turned the fastest ASC lap of the weekend, span while approaching turn three. That allowed Manuel to move up to third place behind a Super Production Dodge Viper and Kevin O’Connell’s ASC car. O’Connell’s tires started to go away from mid race on and on lap 17, he went off track while exiting the off camber left hander turn five.
“I was just cruising along not even thinking that I could catch the 59, however, when I saw him going off, I knew his tires would have collected a lot of dirt and I had to try and get ahead of him as quickly as possible,” said Gil del Real. O’Connell was able to recover and get back on track just ahead of the MGR Racing-WOT Performance Ford. The two went side-by-side through the majority of turn eight and into turn nine. Gil del Real came out of nine and into the main straight just behind O’Connell and drafted behind him until the last 100 feet, when he pulled along side and braked hard into turn one to take the lead. From that point on, O’Connell’s worn out tires prevented him from matching Gil del Real’s pace.
In the end, the #27 MGR Racing-WOT Performance Ford Taurus stayed ahead the last five laps to take the overall ASC win and add Willow Springs to their winning resume. “This was a great race and overall weekend for our newly formed partnership. This is the first time a WOT Performance car has been in Victory Lane since we joined ASC Racing last year… and for sure I’m confident that it will just be the first one of many more to come!” said an exuberant Pete Andreas.
The team’s next race will be at Altamont Motorsports Park on May 4-5, 2007. For more information, please visit http://www.mgrracing.net/ and http://www.wotperformance.com/.
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