Brumos Racing Ready for Season’s Mid-Point Race at Mid-Ohio

Brumos Racing Ready for Season’s Mid-Point Race at Mid-Ohio

Jacksonville, FL: Things continue to heat up in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series as Brumos
Racing heads into the busiest months of the season with their #58 car in 5th place in the team points
standings, followed closely by their #59 teammates in 7th. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will once again
play host to the popular EMCO Gears Classic, marking the halfway point in Grand-Am’s 2009 calendar.
Last year’s mid-point race there saw Brumos Racing beginning to gain momentum following a difficult
first half. The Mid-Ohio race marked the first time in 2008 that both Brumos entries finished in the top
five, setting the stage for a string of second half successes that propelled them to their strongest season
in years. Things not only started well at that race, with #58 on the pole, they ended that way, too, as the
Brumos cars scored their best combined finish so far that season. A storm that produced heavy rainfall
during the race made for dangerous conditions and resulted in numerous cautions, but Brumos’ drivers
overcame those difficulties with great success.

David Donohue is looking forward to his return, and remembers that race well. “Mid-Ohio has been a
good racetrack for Brumos in the past. Last year I was able to qualify in pole position and Darren nearly
took the victory at the end with the changing weather conditions. Needless to say, we were really
pleased with our 2nd place finish. The heavy rain really played havoc and created major visibility
problems, but somehow, we seemed to do better in that type of condition. We wound up finishing the
race better in the wet compared to where we had been running in the dry. Of course, we can’t bank on
the weather, so Brumos will be there doing the best we can, just like our team always does, regardless of
the conditions.”

Brumos’ #58 car was not that race’s only success story, as the #59 drivers also overcame the challenges
of that day. Starting driver J.C. France faced the most severe of the weather in his stint, but kept the car
free from mishap, allowing Joao Barbosa to end the day in 5th place. Barbosa joined his teammate
Donohue in voicing optimism about this year’s return to Mid-Ohio. He fully expects to regain
momentum lost earlier this season and put #59 back on the podium. Acknowledging that weather is
impossible to predict, Barbosa said, “Regardless of what the conditions are, the game plan for Mid-Ohio
is just to keep working hard. At our last race we were able to do a bit of catching up after we were lost
in the two races previous to that. We are definitely on the right track, so hopefully, this year will be a
repeat of our success at this track last year.” He added, “Although maybe we should hope for some rain
again this time!”

As Barbosa and teammate Darren Law travel back from France after competing in the recent 24 Hours
of Le Mans, you can be sure that they will join the rest of the Brumos team in keeping a close eye on the
forecast. Regardless of what race day may have in store, you can bet on one thing - Brumos will be
ready, come rain or shine.
The EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, will be held on Saturday,
June 20th. The 250 mile/2.45 hour race will start at 5:00 PM ET and is scheduled for broadcast live on
SPEED TV.

Article posted on: 09-Jun-19