Alex Job Racing to Start Third, Eighth and Ninth in GTC at Miller

Tooele, UT, (July 10, 2010), Alex Job Racing (AJR) driver Luis Diaz headed the three car AJR GTC brigade in qualifying with a third place effort for tomorrow's running of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) presented by Tequila Patron Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix to be run at Miller Motorsports Park.   Job's other two entries driven by Romeo Kapudija and Butch Leitzinger posted times that will have them start from the eighth and ninth positions respectively.   

The team took the opportunity to come to the track located just west of Salt Lake City to do some testing that could not be done in the preseason.  For Luis Diaz and teammate Ricardo Gonzalez it was just what they needed to get comfortable in their No. 80 Car Amigo/Alex Job Racing/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.  Diaz posted a qualifying effort that will have the car starting on the second row with a time of 1:54.954.

"I am very happy with this result," Diaz said.  "It has been a long time coming and it just goes to show all the hard work that we´ve put into this project.  This has been a difficult year for Ricardo and me.  Driving the GTC Porsche has been quite a challenge.  Qualifying in the third position makes me very proud because now we know that we are right there at the top and that there is still a lot of potential to continue improving.  The race has definitely been our strong point so far.  We are confident that we can be fast and consistent tomorrow and fight for the win."

 "Luis did a great job today," Ricardo Gonzalez said.  "We´ve been working hard all week on getting the set-up right and today during practice we managed to make some big improvements.  This is the first time this year that we were able to test and it has really helped us step up our game.  Luis and I have had a strong pace all week and I think that we have a very good shot at winning the race tomorrow.  This race will be all about staying out of trouble and keeping a fast rhythm because of the lack of yellows, if we can do that we will be in good shape."

Romeo Kapudija had the controls of the No. 23 Battery Tender/Tequila Patron/Alex Job Racing/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry for qualifying.  Kapudija put in a time of 1:55.616, besting the cars fastest practice time by over a second.  Kapudija and Bill Sweedler will be looking to strengthen their second place GTC points position in tomorrow's two-hour-and-forty-five-minute race.

"We got here at the beginning of the week and did a lot of laps," Kapudija said.  "There was no rubber on the track so it was slow.  We worked through some different shock combinations and went right into setup for the race weekend.  We had a good car this last practice session.  The team did a great job to get the car right.  I would have had a really good lap, but I went off a little in one of the corners.  I could have improved my time a couple of tenths.  We found some good speed today.  Bill and I are ready for the race."

"We have a great car," Sweedler said.  "We are just a little short on speed right now.  We were much faster earlier in the week.  I am not sure if it is the heat or grease on the track, we are just off a little.  We will have to do it in the race."

Butch Leitzinger took a wounded No. 81 Mission Foods/Alex Job Racing/Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car out to qualify.  Just before the end of the previous practice the team diagnosed a blown seal in the right front shock.  With no time to fix it before qualifying, Leitzinger did two laps to post a time of 1:55.838 for a ninth place starting spot.  Leitzinger and Juan Gonzalez lead the GTC points standings on the strength of wins at Sebring, Long Beach and a third place at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

"The testing we have done has really paid off this week," Leitzinger said.  "We found some things with the car and for us as drivers.  Unfortunately right before qualifying we had a shock seal blow, which is a very rare occurrence.  We didn't have enough time to change it for qualifying.  So I went out and did a couple of laps to put in a time.  It is disappointing we could have done a lot better.  The key to the race here is that everything has to go perfect.  The drivers have to do their job and the pit stops have to be flawless.  This place is so long and wide-open that you don't get many yellows.  It will be important not to lose time with anything silly.  You won't be able to get it back under a yellow.  We need to go hard and fast with no mistakes."

"It has been a great week for us," Juan Gonzalez said.  "I have never been here before so the track time was really valuable.  I have had enough time to get familiar with the track and the car.  We were able to try some different set-up options.  I love the track.  So far I really like driving here.  It is too bad what happened for qualifying, but the crew will have the car 100% for the race tomorrow."

Alex Job, team owner, has put his team and drivers through a lot of work this week. 

"We have done a lot of work on the cars and the drivers this week," Job said.  "Our deals came together right before Sebring so we really didn't have time to test prior to the season opener.  We are a little disappointed with qualifying.  There is a strange amalgam of cars in this class, different combinations for different year cars and that is showing this weekend.  You deal with a lot at this track this time of year, the heat, the dirt being blown on the track, so it really challenges the drivers.  We will be ready for the race tomorrow with three strong cars and six strong drivers."

Round four of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron from Miller Motorsports Park will be televised live on the SPEED Channel starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.  The full race will be streamed live online at www.americanlemans.com in partnership with TodoCast.tv.

AJR 2010 GTC Season

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in ALMS history with 39 wins.  This record is supported by 46 pole positions and 80 podium finishes.   The team has won three championships (GT in 2002, 2003 and 2004) complimented by their two GT class wins at Le Mans.  The team also boasts seven Sebring 12 hour wins. 

The ALMS GTC category is specific to one of the most popular factory produced racing cars in the world, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.  Developed for Porsche's one-make series around the world, the new version of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is based on the road-going 911 GT3 RS. The power unit featured in the new 911 GT3 Cup is largely identical to the production engine of the 911 GT3 RS with the same output of 450 bhp and the same maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm. 

Mission Foods (81)
Mission Foods, headquartered in Irving (Dallas area), Texas and Gruma S.A.B. de C.V., a Mexican corporation, was founded in 1949, and is one of the largest tortilla manufacturers in the United States.  Gruma S.A.B. de C.V. is the parent company of Mission Foods (Gruma Corporation) and is a leading Mexican producer of corn masa flour and tortilla products.  It has operations in Mexico, the United States, Central and South America, Europe and Asia.  For more information, please visit www.missionmenus.com.

Battery Tender (23)
In 1999, Deltran introduced the Battery Tender Plus into the marketplace. The main reason was that many more AGM style lead acid batteries were being used in a variety of power sports engine start applications.  Each and every Deltran Battery Tender Battery Charger® regardless of its size is programmed with a microprocessor that will correctly charge a battery then automatically switch to a maintenance/float mode.  Refer to www.batterytender.com for more information. 

Patrón (23)
Simply Perfect in every way, Patrón tequila is an ultra-premium luxury white spirit that's delicious on the rocks, and mixes flawlessly into most any cocktail. From the highest-quality Weber Blue agave plants grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, to the centuries-old distillation process, to the signed, handcrafted glass bottles, Patrón is produced with unparalleled attention to detail. Imported and marketed by The Patrón Spirits Company, brands in the portfolio consist of Gran Patrón Burdeos, Gran Patrón Platinum, Patrón Silver, Patrón Reposado, Patrón Añejo, Patrón XO Cafe (tequila and coffee liqueur), and Patrón Citrónge (extra-fine orange liqueur), as well as Pyrat Caribbean rums, and Ultimat ultra-premium vodka. For more information, please visit www.patronspirits.com.

IDN Business Consulting (80)
IDN Business Consulting was born with the mission of designing and implementing fiscal strategies that allow companies a better development and resource management.  IDN is made up of a professional, highly capable crew, where innovation, pro-activity and service quality is the base of our competitive ideology.  At IDN Business Consulting the legal, fiscal safety and tranquility of our clients is guaranteed.  This is based upon the objective of searching the development of innovative solutions that bring measurable and real business results.  This has made IDN a market leader in Mexico.  IDN has an extensive portfolio of solutions that bring solid savings and benefits to your company.  IDN is the only fiscal law firm in Mexico that brings to you, wherever you are, whatever you do, these exclusive benefits. 

Car Amigo (80)
Car Amigo is a motorsport restoration and preparation business specializing in restoring racing, muscle and historic cars. This Dallas, Texas based company offers complete rebuilds and custom fabrication as well as consignment and sales of history's finest automobiles, www.caramigo.com.

Cooper Gay (80)
Cooper Gay is one of the world's largest privately owned Insurance and Reinsurance Brokering Groups, headquartered in the City of London.  Cooper Gay operates for clients in four broad segments: corporate organizations, retail brokers, professional reinsurance buyers and captive insurance companies. The Cooper Gay network extends from the Americas to Asia, Europe and Australasia. Offering a wealth of brokering talent and customer support in our chosen business sectors, this translates into specialist insurance and reinsurance solutions in every risk area.

Rainmaker Group (80)
The Rainmaker Group of independent companies has an international reach focused on providing integral measurement, preventive, and risk management solutions. "Integrity is Power".  Through this philosophy we lead our clients in the understanding and management of their risk needs.  Areas of expertise include - risk transfer mechanisms, actuary analysis, design of prevention plans, and management of international risk transfer programs.