Alex Job Racing

TAVARES, Fla. - In just his rookie season, Alex Job Racing driver Mitch Pagerey, of Deerfield Beach, Fla., made an impression on the Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama series by finishing third in the Platinum Cup Driver's Championship.

This season, Pagerey recorded one win (Mosport), seven podiums, 11 top-fives, 12 top-10 finishes, two poles, and set three fastest race laps. These are impressive stats considering that five of the seven tracks the series visited this season were new tracks for Pagerey. His results showed he could learn, adapt and perform quickly on a new track.

"Mosport was my favorite track," Pagerey said. "The funny thing is that everyone who knows me told me I would do well there. Laguna and Road Atlanta seemed to be the hardest to master. Those two tracks require so much time. I'd like to go back and try those again. They are both similar in that with all the elevation changes, many of the corners are blind, plus you really need to drive with patience - which is not exactly my best driving quality."

While Pagerey's self-proclaimed lack of patience might be something to work on in the future, he had several other solid driving qualities that provided some memorable moments this season.

"My first pole at Road America was pretty memorable," Pagerey said. "It was special because we had been bullied two times in the same race and came back to capture the pole for the second race. Alex Job and Phil Pierce kept me focused and gave me a great car.

"My first win at Mosport was certainly a highlight. Alex helped prove that with the proper preparation I had what it took to win, and we did. We got the pole and led every lap.

"Without a doubt, one of the most memorable moments was clinching third place in series championship. We did it in the season finale and it felt like we won. Despite the problems we had, consistency paid off. The AJR team made it possible."

"The win at Mosport was a great and dominant win," Team Owner Alex Job said. "It was probably the most memorable moment this season. But, Mitch had a few others, like charging from the back to the front at Autobahn, where he worked his way through traffic to finish fifth. In the final two races at Laguna, Mitch had to run smart races to finish third in the Championship - which is exactly what he did. He did what experienced professional racers do. He concentrated on the big picture and took every advantage to finish third in the Championship.

"As a rookie, Mitch went up against two of the best racers in the series - Bob Faieta, who has won the series three years in a row, and Martin Snow, who is the most experienced driver in the Championship - and to finish third is pretty remarkable. This year was just the beginning and the foundation for great things to come for Mitch as a driver. I look forward to working with Mitch in the future."

Round One: Qualify 3(32), Finish 7
Round Two: Qualify 4, Finish 2
Sebring International Raceway

Pagerey's rookie season began at Sebring International Raceway, part of the 57th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring event weekend. Heading into Round One, Pagerey qualified third. But, following a post-qualifying technical inspection he was moved to 20th on the Platinum Cup grid and 32nd overall.

Despite the circumstances, Pagerey drove his way through the field and was in sixth, with the fourth and fifth place drivers within striking distance, before he spun. The spin cost him one spot, which is where he finished - seventh.

Pagerey started fourth in Round Two. Recording his first career win was going to be no easy task. He had veteran racers Snow, Russell Smith and Faieta, respectively, in front of him.

Early on, Pagerey battled Snow and Smith for position, while the pole winner Faieta drove away. Pagerey finally passed Snow and Smith and then set his sights on Faieta. Pagerey nearly caught Faieta for the win. But, he came up 0.385-second short and finished second. In the process of catching Faieta, Pagerey turned the fastest race lap with a 2:11.628 (101.194 mph).

Round Three: Qualify 7, Finish 5
Round Four: Qualify 3, Finish 5
Miller Motorsports Park

Nearly two months after the season opener at Sebring, the Patrón GT3 Challenge series headed west to Miller Motorsports Park - the longest track in North America. The track's full configuration is 4.486-miles, but the Patrón series ran a 3.048-mile configuration.

In Round Three, Pagerey qualified seventh on the Platinum Cup grid and ninth overall. It was a fairly uneventful race for Pagerey. He advanced two spots to finish fifth. In the process, he turned the third fastest race lap. This allowed him to start third in Round Four.

Pagerey had the pole winner Faieta and Snow in front of him. Early in the race, Pagerey passed Faieta for second - a position he held for several laps. Pagerey did everything he could to keep Faieta behind him, and despite Faieta's best attempts to pass Pagerey, the rookie continued to drive a smart race hitting his marks.

Pagerey was set to notch his second podium finish of the season when his Porsche GT3 Cup suddenly developed a misfire. This unfortunate mechanical gremlin forced Pagerey to fall from second to fifth, which is where he finished.

Round Five: Qualify 8, Finish 5
Round Six: Qualify 3, Finish 3
Autobahn Country Club

The Autobahn Country Club was the site of Rounds Five and Six. Pagerey's weekend got off to a slow start because he broke a gearbox in Round Five qualifying. He only turned two laps and posted a top time of 2:32.117 (84.251 mph), which put him 12th on the grid. His start from mid-pack meant he'd have a challenging run to the front.

Pagerey, like all good drivers, just put his head down, stayed consistent and got faster throughout the race. In fact, he turned his best lap 10 circuits into the 16-lap race, with a 2:28.517 (86.293 mph). In the end, his fluidity and consistency earned him the Yokohama Hard Charger award for advancing the most positions (seven) throughout the race - from 12th to finish fifth.

Driving the No. 23 Alex Job Racing Porsche GT3 Cup, Pagerey started third in Round Six. Early on, the polewinner Snow and Faieta put some distance between themselves and the rest of the field. And, while their lead continued to grow, Pagerey tried to run them down. Much like in the Round Five race, Pagerey got faster as the race wore on. On lap 13 of the 16-lap race, Pagerey set a new fast race lap record with 2:27.321 (86.994 mph). This was the fastest lap anyone had run all weekend.

With only a couple laps remaining, the caution came out. Pagerey needed this break to close the gap between himself and the leaders. Pagerey was now right behind Faieta and Snow, respectively; with a shot at the win. Unfortunately, the race finished under caution and Pagerey finished third.

Round Seven: Qualify 2, Finish 16
Round Eight: Qualify 1, Finish 14
Road America

Nearly halfway through the season, Pagerey went to Road America with high hopes of capturing his first career GT3 Challenge win. He had high hopes for good reason. Through the first six races he had two podiums, four top-fives and six top-10 finishes. It was now time to take his performance to the next level in Rounds Seven and Eight.

Pagerey did not waste any time putting the car on the front row in Round Seven qualifying. In fact, he just missed getting the pole by 0.006-second. On the race's first lap, Pagerey and Faieta went side-by-side through Turns One and Two. But, in Turn Three, Faieta made contact with Pagerey. The contact knocked Pagerey off course and he fell to sixth.

Undaunted by the contact, Pagerey drove back through the field and was challenging for second when Snow closed the door on him. Snow's move damaged Pagerey's right front wheel. For all intents and purposes, this move ended Pagerey's day. Pagerey finished one lap down.

Though Pagerey finished one lap down in Round Seven, he still managed to set a new fast race lap record (2:17.340, 106.107 mph). This new race lap record gave Pagerey his first career pole heading into Round Eight.

Early on, Pagerey looked in command. But, on lap three, the first caution came out and this bunched up the field. When the race went green, Pagerey was in the lead and made it to Canada corner before Amadeo Quiros' machine went off into the grass. Quiros passed everyone and when the car returned to the track it hooked right into the right front of Pagerey's Porsche. The contact put both drivers in the gravel trap - thus ending Pagerey's day. His finishes in Rounds Seven and Eight really hurt Pagerey's Driver's Championship aspirations.

Round Nine: Qualify 1, Finish 1
Round 10: Qualify 2, Finish 3
Mosport International Raceway

Coming off his two worst finishes of the season, Pagerey looked to reestablish himself as a top-tier Platinum Cup driver heading into Mosport. Pagerey knew he was fast. He knew he could win. He just needed to show it.

Heading into Round Nine, Pagerey felt pretty confident about his chances to win at Canada's largest motorsports complex. Pagerey had tested at Mosport in July. The testing paid immediate dividends because Pagerey was fast right out of the box. In fact, by the second practice, he was the fastest by more than half a second over the next quickest driver. From there, he parlayed his fast practice time into the pole-winning time of 1:37.099 (91.169 mph) under wet track conditions. It was Pagerey's first qualifying pole and second pole position overall in as many races.

In Round Nine, Pagerey jumped out to an early lead. But, with Faieta and Snow right behind him, Pagerey knew he could not afford to make any mistakes. And, he didn't. Pagerey beat Faieta by 1.143-seconds to record his first career Patrón GT3 Challenge win.

En route to the win, Pagerey turned the second fastest race lap with a 1:24.180 (105.160 mph). This lap time was good enough to put him on the front row, alongside polewinner Snow, for Round 10. With another front row start, Pagerey looked poised to sweep the weekend. But unfortunately, a miscue on the pace lap cost him several spots before he took the green flag.

When the race started, the outside temperature was fairly cool, which also meant the track was cold. Pagerey knew that if he was going to get a good start he would have to get some heat in his also cold tires. In an effort to warm the tires on a cold track, he was a little too aggressive and spun the car on the pace lap. He dropped several spots before the green. But again, the testing paid off because Pagerey was able to race his way to third, which is where he finished.

Round 11: Qualify 3, Finish 4
Round 12: Qualify 3, Finish 3
Road Atlanta

Nearly a month after Mosport, the Patrón GT3 Challenge returned to the States and Road Atlanta to be part of the 12th annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda 6 weekend.

In Round 11, Pagerey started third on the Platinum Cup grid. But, he got shuffled back a few spots at the start. Fortunately for Pagerey, he was able to recover from this early race setback and finished fourth.

Pagerey started third in Round 12. Early on, he held his ground despite an early-race caution. On the restart, Pagerey got a great jump and held onto third, but could not get past second-running Snow. Nineteen laps later, Pagerey brought it home in the same spot recording his fifth podium finish of the season.

Round 13: Qualify 4, Finish 3
Round 14: Qualify 3, Finish 2
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

To finish the 2009 season, the Patrón GT3 Challenge series headed west to the beautiful Monterey peninsula and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Heading into the penultimate round, Pagerey was fourth in the Platinum Cup Driver's Championship, with an outside shot at moving up a spot.

In Round 13, Pagerey started fourth (fifth overall) on the Platinum Cup grid. Pagerey quickly got by Bill Sweedler and Brian Wong to move up to third. At this point, Pagerey knew he had some work to do to catch the front-runners Faieta and Galen Bieker. Unfortunately, he could not get close enough to contend for the top two spots and finished third.

Unlike the previous 13 Rounds, which were 30 minute races, the season finale was an hour and 15 minute race. Again, Pagerey started fourth. In front of Pagerey were the polesitter Bieker, Faieta and Wong (Gold Cup driver).

Heading into the season finale, Pagerey (163 points) was 15 points behind Bieker (178 points) in the Platinum Cup Championship point standings for third place. With Bieker on the pole and the fact that he finished second in Round 13, it seemed unlikely that Pagerey could make up the 15 point deficit needed to tie for third in the Championship. It seemed more likely that Pagerey would have to defend his fourth place Championship aspirations from a hard-charging Darrell Carlisle (155 points), who was only eight points behind Pagerey, rather than to try to knock Bieker out of third.

The bottom line was Pagerey needed to finish at least third (to score 16 points) and Bieker needed to finish 16th or lower (scoring no points) for Pagerey to finish third in the Championship.

Five laps into the race, Pagerey passed Wong for third, while Bieker continued to lead. In fact, Bieker led the first 10 laps before Faieta passed him in Turn Three to take the lead. On lap 17, Bieker pulled off track, handing second place to Pagerey. This was good news for Pagerey on two fronts.

First, Pagerey now had a legitimate shot at moving up to third in the Championship point standings (which he did). Second, and more importantly, he had only one driver to beat if he wanted to win his second race of the season. At this point, Pagerey had 28 laps to catch Faieta. Pagerey pushed hard, but unfortunately, Faieta's lead was a bit too much for Pagerey to overcome.

Pagerey finished third in the Patrón GT3 Challenge Platinum Cup Championship point standings. Faieta won with 268 points, followed by Martin Snow (220), Pagerey (181), Bieker (178), and Carlisle (167).