SCC: Homestead: Kinetic Motorsports preview

Kinetic Motorsports Looking for Redemption at Homestead

March 11, 2009 - BUFORD, GA - After a rocky start to the season, Kinetic Motorsports returns to Koni Sports Car Challenge racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend with familiar driver lineups looking to improve upon their Daytona results. Glenn Bocchino and Todd Lamb will return in the #32 GS Cybernation/Traqmate BMW M3, Lee Davis and Russell Smith will co-drive the #33 GS Kinetic/Luna-C BMW M3, while Lance Willsey and John McMullen will share the new #80 GS Exelixis e92 BMW M3.

Kinetic's new e92 BMW M3 that was nearly totaled on the first lap of the race at Daytona is being repaired and will return to action later in the season, but in the meantime Willsey and McMullen will debut another new V8 BMW at Homestead, sponsored by Exelixis Inc.. The car has gone through a thorough transformation at Kinetic Motorsports in Buford, GA over the last 3 weeks, and is ready for the high banks of Homestead. Willsey finished 11th in his first race with Kinetic in the e46 BMW, and hopes to top that finish in the e92.

Lance Willsey: "We had a great run at Daytona. The e46 was a very fun car to drive, so John and I are looking forward to running this new e92 with V8 power. I've always been interested in life sciences, so representing Exelixis, a drug research company, is a significant opportunity for us."

Davis and Smith will return in their e46 BMW M3, but with a new number and an exciting new sponsor. The pair ran the #33 in the ST class in 2008, and finally have the opportunity to return to the same number in the GS class after their 15th place finish at Daytona. Davis is introducing his new apparel line, Luna-C, at Homestead. Luna-C is a racing inspired clothing line that will appeal to gearheads around the globe.

Lee Davis: "Russell and I are enjoying the competition in our first full GS season, and we're looking forward to a top ten finish this weekend. I spend a lot of time in the Miami area, so having the series return to Homestead-Miami while I am introducing Luna-C apparel is a nice coincidence. I saw the opportunity for a clothing line that met the stylish needs of racers, and after doing extensive research in the fashion industry I launched Luna-C to meet those needs."

Kinetic Pit Stop

Bocchino and Lamb kicked off their championship run with a disappointing race at Daytona. After a strong start by Bocchino in the Cybernation/Traqmate #32 BMW, an electrical problem caused severe engine failure which put the car out of the running at the halfway point. With a long break between the two Florida events, the Kinetic crew pulled the entire wiring harness from the car and did extensive testing, only to find several wiring issues related to the engine controllers. In addition, a brand new Kinetic-Sunbelt inline-six replaces what was left of the melted-down powerplant. Traqmate, a data acquisition company, joins Cybernation and Cobalt Friction as sponsors on the #32.

Todd Lamb: "Glenn and I are running for a championship this year, and despite the bad result at Daytona we know every team is going to have an off weekend so we're not overly concerned. We just need to focus on getting solid finishes for the rest of the season, and our new partnership with Traqmate will help us with that goal. They have a great data acquisition system with synchronized video that I have been using in club racing for several years, and now they are bringing that technology to pro racing."

-credit: km