Mosport: BimmerWorld Racing preview

BimmerWorld Set for Back-to-Back Canadian Races
BimmerWorld/GearWrench team poised to lead the BMW charge at Mosport with two races in two days.

Rolling hills and race cars at Mosport
Rolling hills and BimmerWorld race cars at Mosport this weekend.

With the 2009 SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car season in full swing, BimmerWorld has their three BMW E90 cars loaded on the trailer, ready to take two shots at victory once activities get underway for this weekend's double-header at Mosport in Canada.

Located just outside of Toronto, the picturesque 2.5 mile, ten turn circuit demands the maximum from cars and drivers. Known for its rolling hills and long straights, Mosport places a premium on handling and traction -- two performance characteristics the BimmerWorld/GearWrench team has worked on heavily with their unique BMW E90 chassis.

Having just completed round two at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 2nd, the quick turnaround has kept the team's crew busy with three cars to prepare for rounds three and four at Mosport.

"We are busy, but things have been going like clockwork thanks to no real damage to repair and the excellent work of the guys in the BimmerWorld shop," said team owner/driver James Clay. "We are implementing changes to hopefully eliminate future driveline failures and our partners Diffsonline and RCV Performance worked with us to meet the demanding timelines to make this happen, which is a huge help."

Mosport ranks amongst the favorite tracks for all of the BimmerWorld drivers, and for BimmerWorld's 2009 Sebring race winner Seth Thomas, the daunting circuit always has his full attention.

"In 2006 we raced there in the rain in the E90s -- it was the first rain race for the E90s and wow that was an experience! Mosport has to be one of the hardest tracks to drive in the rain. It was the first race where I remember never knowing what the car was going to do on every lap. Just staying on the track was an accomplishment in those conditions. It was 50 minutes of terrifying fun, but let's hope it's dry this year!"

While most racing drivers are only worried about winning their next race, Thomas has a different concern on his mind heading into Mosport -- the pending birth of their first child.

"I'm at the hospital as we speak waiting for moment to come. We will know this week if we have a boy or a girl. This past week was spent preparing for the birth and for the race. I have already been running the laps in my mind so I am mentally ready to race as we speak. Let's just hope I get some sleep between now and then. It's going to be a big and exciting week for the Thomas Family!"

For BimmerWorld's Nick Esayian, the back-to-back races present a great opportunity to gather points and move up in the championship standings. "I love the track and assuming it doesn't rain, we have a great chance to pile up some points. It's been a while since we've done back-to-back races on the same weekend, so it's critical to not make any mistakes early in the weekend as even the smallest incident can put you out of the championship hunt. It really is a balance of being aggressive but smart to maximize points."

If the tight schedule between New Jersey and Mosport has been a flurry of activity for the BimmerWorld/GearWrench technicians, it's also been busy for James Clay. With the responsibilities of owning and running the business and then driving one of the race cars on the weekends, leaving the oversight of the team to his crew chief during each event has allowed the Virginia-native to focus solely on his role as a driver.

"It has been a growing process as we have built the team, but at this point, I function purely as a driver at the track and give some minimal input, mostly from that perspective. Jason Marks is responsible for the way the team functions on race weekends and I let him do his job. It has been a HUGE relief to get to this point, and certainly I am now better able to do the job I come to the track for."

With Marks about to take the reins again this weekend, Clay's hoping to make good on the promise he showed at the track in 2008. "Last year was a heartbreaker for me at Mosport coming off my first win at Road America and running a strong second place until I had a mechanical. Mosport is one of my favorite tracks and I am pumped to have not one, but two chances for redemption!"

-credit: www.BimmerWorldRacing.com.