Team Sahlen KONI Challenge weekend at Watkins Glen got off to a very quick start, as the start of the KONI practice started within minutes of the time the team's rig was parked.

Thankfully, the Team Sahlen crew had done a fantastic job of pre-race preparation, as the #43 RX-8 rolled off the trailer ready to run.  And run it did, for the entire 2 hours of the 1^st practice session.  Joe Sahlen started the practice session, and then Will Nonnamaker jumped in and ran a very competitive 2:12.90

As the session drew to a close, Joe Sahlen got back in for what he thought would be few more laps.  Unfortunately, a Mustang had other ideas, as the Ford made contact with the Mazda at the exit of turn ___.  (Ironically, this very same Ford Mustang caused a huge wreck on the 3^rd turn of the 1^st lap of the race, and was forced to serve a penalty in the pits)

The damage to the Mazda was extensive to say the least: destroyed was the left and right front fenders, front bumper, hood, right front and rear doors, right mirror, radiator, bumper supports, air intake, both front oil coolers.   Thankfully, Team Sahlen had recently purchased a RX-8 from Roar Racing as a spare parts car and had it at the track.  But the chassis structure would require going to a frame shop.   Again, thankfully, the Team Sahlen crew from the Corning, NY area had an enclosed trailer and a nearby frame shop to take the Mazda.   

Working until 2 am, the crew did a fantastic job on the Mazda, and it arrived back at the track by 7 am.  The crew finished the RX-8 in time to finish the warm-up session.  Unfortunately, the session had been black flagged, so the #43 Mazda could not make it out on track.  So the 1^st laps for the RX-8 would be in qualifying.  The session went well, as the Mazda ran all the laps, with no reliability issues at hand.

"I am so proud of the crew, for the 2^nd straight race, their dedicated effort has been the key factor in getting the Mazda on track for the KONI race.  At Laguna it was an engine swap between warm up and the race, and here the wreck." - states crew chief Mike Thomas

At the start of the race, Joe Sahlen cleanly got through turn one in front of his home track crowd.  During the early lap Yellow Flag conditions, Team Sahlen played the strategy of toping off the fuel tank.  This strategy was a risky one, that ended up working out with the ability to have a very short mid race pit stop to change drivers and fuel up.  Will battled hard through the intermittent rain to secure a fine 12^th place finish out of 30 ST cars.

"It's fantastic to have this result at my home track.  The crew did a fantastic job getting a car on track that should have taken weeks to put back together. The Mazda is 85% right, so to achieve a 12^th place finish against this very tough ST KONI field is amazing." - states Joe Sahlen

Team Sahlen's finish was the highest by a Mazda in the KONI ST race.  This marks the 2^nd time in 5 races that Team Sahlen has achieved this mark. And with the next event being at Will Nonnamaker's home event of Mid-Ohio on June 21st, there is a very good chance this mark could go up.

The 2009 Team Sahlen KONI Challenge Series Campaign is support by HRPWorld.com, HAWK Performance, Cool Shirt, TheRaceSite.com,  Grassroots Motorsports, Holliday Canopies, CM Racing, Genesis Technologies, Endurance Karting and Mazdaspeed.