Trois-Rivières Again Unkind To Cosmo And Plumb

No. 127 Fountain Motorsports BMW Takes A Hit - Championship Hopes Dashed

After qualifying second for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Guy Cosmo and co-driver Matt Plumb couldn’t buy a break during the 10th round of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series race. Guy Cosmo went into the event sitting sixth in the Series’ championship points, just 32 points out of the lead. But luck was not on his side.

Cosmo saw his streak of eight straight top-10 finishes, come to a screeching halt on the fourth lap of the race. Matt Plumb had qualified the car 2nd, and though he was off to a great start, on lap four another car making an ill-advised pass made contact and cut down the left rear tire on the No. 127 Fountain Motorsports BMW. By time Matt got in and out of the pits, he was nearly a lap down, just in front of the leaders.

Eventually getting passed by the leader and dropping a lap down, Plumb did a great job of staying with the second place car and managed to stay in 13th place. As Matt was about to complete his stint and turn the car over to Cosmo, something in the motor let go.  Cosmo proceeded to climb in the car and buckle up, but it was all for naught. The No. 127 Fountain Motorsports BMW was done for the day.

"This place just hasn't been nice to me lately,” expressed a frustrated Cosmo.  “This makes it two years in a row that I never even got in the car during the race.  It's extra disappointing since the Fountain Motorsports team prepared such a strong car for the weekend. Matt Plumb did an excellent job qualifying on the front row and had a terrific start in the race. “
“Trois-Rivieres is such a great city to host this event,” added Cosmo. “I really enjoy street circuits.  It's a shame we couldn't bring home the result we've been working towards.. I'm sure we would have been in the fight at the end."

Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top-level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles and major success in many disciplines including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at www.guycosmo.com.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2007 Rolex Series schedule and the 12-race KONI Challenge Series calendar will deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America. All 2007 Rolex Series events will be televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.

Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Heads To Trois-Rivières - Cosmo Aiming For A Win

No. 127 Fountain Motorsports BMW Driver Guy Cosmo Teams With Matt Plumb

Heading into the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in Quebec,  for the 10th of 12 rounds of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, Iowa Speedway winner Guy Cosmo resides sixth in the championship points, and only 32 points out of the lead.
With eight straight top-10 finishes, Cosmo has every reason to be optimistic about his chances going into the weekend. Guy will be joined in the No. 127 Fountain Motorsports Ironclad/Hawk Brakes BMW 330i  by Matt Plumb. Matt co-drove to a second place finish at Trois-Rivières last season.

“I’m really pleased that Matt Plumb will join me in the No. 127 BMW this weekend,” expressed Guy.  “Matt's a great driver, he's very fast and smart behind the wheel. I'm sure he'll qualify the car up front and hand it over in a position for me to charge for the win.  I'm really looking forward to the pairing.”

Official practice on the legendary Candian circuit begins Friday for both divisions, with ST qualifying at 9:15 a.m. local time Saturday and GS qualifying scheduled for 9:45 a.m. The two-hour ST race will start at 1:30 p.m. local time Saturday, while the GS race will start at 3 p.m. local time Sunday.

"The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres is always such an exciting event,” Guy added. “I absolutely love racing here. My first experience at the track was in 2001, when I raced in the Toyota Atlantic Championship for Duesenberg Brothers Racing. The fans are incredibly enthusiastic and the track is extremely challenging.”

Last year,  the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres was the site of Guy’s debut with Fountain Motorsports. Unfortunately, it was a short afternoon.

“My only other visit at the track was last year,” Guy recalled. “It was my first event with Fountain Motorsports. My teammate Paul Stoddart qualified and started the car. As luck would have it, Paul got trapped in a huge pile-up on lap three,  and so I never saw any green-flag action.  Considering the great promise we showed in practice, though, I feel we've got some unfinished business at Trois-Rivieres.”

Guy hasn’t been resting during the KONI Challenge Series break. A full schedule has been keeping Cosmo very busy.

“I have been in so many different Daytona Prototypes with so many different teams and co-drivers this season,“ laughed Guy. “variety is never missing in my schedule! So, it’s nice to climb back in the KONI Challenge car this week and focus only on that program. My Fountain Motorsports BMW 330i slips on like an Ironclad Driving Glove - it's a perfect fit every time.”

Cosmo's extensive background with open-wheel formula cars and sports prototypes has earned him a reputation as one of the most successful and versatile young racing drivers in North America. The 2005 American Le Mans Series Rookie of the Year ranks among the top-level road racers in the world. He has earned overall racing titles and major success in many disciplines including karting, Formula Ford, Formula 2000, Star Mazda, Toyota Atlantic, Grand American and American Le Mans. You can learn more about Guy Cosmo at www.guycosmo.com.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2007 Rolex Series schedule and the 12-race KONI Challenge Series calendar will deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America. All 2007 Rolex Series events will be televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.