Posted (09/03/2012) -
Team Sahlen is coming off a fantastic 3rd place at the recent ROLEX Sports Car Series Event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Additionally, Team Sahlen also secured a fine 10th place finish in GT. Compiled with the 3 Top Ten finishes at the prior event at Watkins Glen, Team Sahlen is on a streak of 5 Top Ten’s in 2 races. This brings the team’s 2012 total to 13 Top Ten’s. This is the most in ROLEX GT competition to date in 2012.
Pairing in the #43 Mazda RX-8 will be the “Wayne & Dane Show” of Wayne Nonnamaker & Dane Cameron. The duo currently sit in 6th place in the GT Driver Standings.
Team Sahlen’s Dane Cameron is very familiar with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – “Growing up in Northern California Mazda Raceway is always a special weekend for me. It is always fun to have extra friends and family come out to see the race, especially now that I live in Atlanta it's great to catch up with everyone. I think we should be very competitive at MRLS, it is a handling and momentum track and that plays to the strength of our Sahlen's Mazda RX-8 which has be driving great lately.”
Wayne Nonnamaker will again be pulling double duty at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where in addition to his duties as starter for the #43 and finisher for Joe Nonnamaker in the #42 - “I always enjoy Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The track seems to suit our RX-8s, and a personally enjoy the rolling terrain of the track. We qualified 2nd here last year, and a freak mechanical issue put us back in the race. Hopefully we can find some redemption here this year.”
For the event this weekend, Team Sahlen will be entering the #49 “Soccer Ball” Mazda RX-8 for Joe Sahlen and Will Nonnamaker. Although not a full time entrant in the 2012 season, for the 2012 season the #49 will have entered 6 events. After a one race hiatus, Joe Sahlen makes a return to ROLEX competition – “I always look forward to racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. My business schedule does not allow me to attend every race during the calendar year, but I always make it a point to put this event on my races to run. The Murphy’s Law that was Team Sahlen’s race here last year struck our #49 RX-8. After a great 9th place finish recently at Watkins Glen, I feel that momentum is on our side in the #49, and hope to secure another Top 10 this weekend.”
Currently in the Points Standings, Team Sahlen continues to make improvements. Wayne Nonnamaker’s 3rd place finish at Montreal pushed him into 2nd place in the Bob Akin Sportsman Award Standings, behind Emil Assentato. Additionally, both the #42 (7th) and the #43 (9th) are comfortably in the Top Ten in the GT points standings.
The September 9th event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will be 2 hour and 45 minutes long. The race will air live at 3 pm ET.
The 2012 Team Sahlen campaign in the
GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is supported by:
Mazda, Mazdaspeed, SimXperience, Alcon, Racetech, NGK, Cool Shirt, Racing Print Media, Mothers Polish, TheRaceSite.com, Western New York Flash, Grassroots Motorsports, ASC Industries, Iannetti Design Ideas, CM Racing, Quarter Master, BBS Wheels, MSI Racing Products, Endurance Karting and Akron Aeros