8-29-08
-- For Immediate Release
Steiner has mixed results at Mosport
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TAVARES, Fla. - Alex Job Racing driver and co-championship point leader Dino Steiner had mixed results in last weekend's IMSA Challenge by Michelin Grand Prix of Mosport. Steiner finished second in the round nine race, while a broken transmission relegated Steiner to a 10th-place finish in round 10.
Steiner started the weekend well by setting a new qualifying lap record (1:22.838, 106.864 mph) en route to recording his second pole of the season. In fact, Steiner led the first 17 laps in his No. 15 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup while fighting an understeer condition. On lap 17, Steiner made a brief mistake which allowed Bob Faieta to pass him with only four laps remaining. As a result, Steiner could not recover and finished second. It was the sixth time that Steiner finished second this season.
"Dino did a great job driving in the first race," Kerry Foote, Alex Job Racing crew chief, said. "We would have liked to have won. But with Dino's second-place finish, he did what he needed to do to stay in the championship hunt. From that standpoint, he drove a smart race."
The round 10 field was set by the lap times recorded in round nine. With that in mind, Steiner started fourth (1:23.518, 105.994 mph) and hoped to add to his championship point lead with another podium finish. Unfortunately, a broken transmission on the first lap forced him to drop more than three seconds a lap. Despite mechanical issues, Steiner persevered and nursed the No. 15 machine to a solid 10th-place finish.
"We took the green flag, made it through turn one and then down one of the straightaways before he lost fourth gear," Foot said of the Steiner's round 10 start. "Immediately, he said, 'I lost the transmission.' Our hearts sank at that point. But, we told him to stay out because the car was not making a lot of noise. He only had gears one through four. Fifth and sixth gears were gone. So he had to drive the entire race with only four gears.
"But, all-in-all, he drove a pretty good race with what he had. As tight as the Driver's Championship is, we figured it was better to come away with some points, rather than no points at all."
On the season, Steiner has two wins and nine podium finishes. Currently, he and Faieta are tied in the IMSA Challenge by Michelin Driver's Championship point standings with 170 points.
IMSA Challenge by Michelin series rounds 11 and 12 are set for Oct. 2-3 at Road Atlanta, as part of the Petit Le Mans event weekend.
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| Now in its 20th season, Alex Job Racing is considered one of the top teams in sports car racing. The team currently campaigns a Porsche-powered Riley Daytona Prototype in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and it fields a two-car Porsche 911 GT3 Cup effort in the IMSA Challenge by Michelin. AJR consistently performs well on track and the results speak for themselves. AJR has captured four drivers' championships and three team championships. |
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