Mexico City: Spirit of Daytona race report

Spirit of Daytona's Season Finale

The last race of the season for Spirit of Daytona was not a race for position or a team championship, it was a race for the Trueman Award. The Spirit of Daytona 09 Pontiac-powered Daytona Prototype (DP) battled the No. 3 BMW Riley driven by sportsman driver Darius Grala for laps and position. Both drivers, Goad and Grala were pushing hard to be the top sportsman for the 2005 season, Grala won the award by less than 10 points. It came down to the last lap of the race to determine the winner. The final results for the Spirit of Daytona was a finishing position of 18th overall.

Doug Goad started the race in the 09 Spirlaz/Speedcom/Chemcraft sponsored DP and turned fast and consistent laps. The DP was running fine and the team was looking for a yellow to pit Goad under. As the race continued to run yellow flag free, the team realized that they were going to pit the car on green flag conditions. There was not a single yellow throughout the entire 90-lap event. Goad pitted the car after turning 42 laps and French Canadian, Co-driver Marc-Antoine Camirand, jumped into the DP. Throughout his stint Camirand turned fast laps in the 09, but it was not enough to help Goad win the Trueman Award. Goad jumped back into the car in order gain more points for the award but his efforts were not rewarded.

The 09DP was having electrical issues and the car had to pit with three laps left. With the unexpected pit stop and an electrical mishap the 09DP finished too far behind the No. 3 Riley and Goad missed winning the Trueman Award by a handful of points.

When Goad and Camirand climbed out of the DP they didn't have any complaints about the car. The last race of the season was relatively problem free until the last few moments. Camirand remarked about the last minute pitfalls that the 09DP went through, "Racing is like this, it's not always a happy ending," Camirand will return to Quebec and start gearing up for the Challenge Sur Glace. The race is a six-heat event and it will take place on a 1.5mile road course which is comprised of three feet of ice.

Goad, disappointed with the season's finale, commented, "A season like this just tries your patience. We are a much better team than the results that we have had."

The Spirit of Daytona's season and race finish is a final close to an unfortunate 2005 season. The team will return to racing in the 2006 season and they will be looking for much deserved successes. Spirit of Daytona will announce their 2006 plans within the next few weeks.

-www.spiritofdaytona.com