Hi All -

For any race fans in SoCal, this will be a great weekend to come check out the races at Fontana (California Speedway).

There will be the Rolex series with the blazing fast Daytona Prototypes and the GT class with all the Porsches trying to catch Team PTG's M3s. Bill Auberlen and Boris Said are only points apart for the driver championship.

Add to that the Grand Am Cup cars with the Turner Motorsports team of Will Turner and Don Salama holding a slim lead over an RX-8 team that will try to use the last race to pass them for the title.

And lastly, we'll be out there with the BMW Club Racers. :)

Hope to see some of you at the track.

Go Will and Don!
http://www.ppiclients.com/albums/219_13.jpg

Man chillin with Will 2 out of 3 weekends. I feel sorry for you. :stickoutt

Yes - It will be very nice indeed!! Should be fun racing in this type of environment!

Man chillin with Will 2 out of 3 weekends. I feel sorry for you. :stickoutt

Hehe, it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. :D


We did the Phoenix GAC race earlier in the year (one of only a couple LA teams that made the trip) and it was definitely a great environment. It's cool when people like Bill Auberlen and Justin Marks come hang out for a little bit at the club racers paddock. :buttrock

I wanted to go to this so bad this weekend, but couldn't convince the other half to go. Guess I'll have to watch it on TV. I am going to seca this weekend..the scca vintage race is going on. :)

It's Saturday night - just got back from the track at Fontana and HOLY HELL - wait until you guys hear the story on how TMS got jobbed! :mad

Friday was pretty tame, but today, between the GAC and the BMW Club Races, there are a lot of cars not running tomorrow that were running at the begining of today. :(

I can not believe how Will and Don got totally screwed by Lally!!!

What a complete A-hole. I understand you're racing but there was nothing at stake for Lexus and he f---ed it up for the #1 team who could have won both the drivers and manufacturers championship. F---ing player haters!!

Details?

Andy screwed someone? WTF happened?

I can not believe how Will and Don got totally screwed by Lally!!!

What a complete A-hole. I understand you're racing but there was nothing at stake for Lexus and he f---ed it up for the #1 team who could have won both the drivers and manufacturers championship. F---ing player haters!!

I was with dhabes and the TMS guys at a bar after the race and had a chance to talk to Don S. for a while. Apparently, Lally was really sorry about the whole thing and sounds like he was literally in tears for about 5 to 10 minutes apologizing. Obviously nothing intential, just a bad screw up on the braking zone.

But very dissapointing to say the least, to be the points leader almost all season, do every right up the last race, and then to be executing a perfect plan in the last race with 8 laps to go in the whole season and - Wham! Just awful luck. :(

I was with dhabes and the TMS guys at a bar after the race and had a chance to talk to Don S. for a while.

Not me Scott :nono ...remember I dont do GAC, and I only do a limited # of SWC races too.

I think you were thinkin of Daniel.

Not me Scott :nono ...remember I dont do GAC, and I only do a limited # of SWC races too.

I think you were thinkin of Daniel.

You're right - I did mention there was drinking involved :D

CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY, FONTANA, CA - November 3, 2004 - The Turner Motorsport Grand Am Cup team concluded their inaugural endurance season this past weekend with a tenth place result at California Speedway. The tenth place sealed second place in the overall ST class championship for Will Turner and Don Salama.

This was the first time Turner Motorsport has done a full season of professional endurance racing. Traditionally, the team has competed in 50-minute sprint races in the SPEED World Challenge Touring Car series, winning the 2003 and 2004 Driver’s and Manufacturer’s Championships.

A Turner Motorsport BMW was at the front of the Grand Am Cup standings since the third race of the season. Will Turner and Don Salama combined in the #95 Turner Motorsport BMW 330i for a top ten finish in every race and seven top five finishes. They ended the season just three points shy of winning the Driver’s Championship.

During this last round at the high-speed California Speedway outside Los Angeles, team-owner Will Turner put the 330i onto the pole, led at several points during the race, and scored the second-fastest lap. After driving for more than two hours, he handed the car over to Don Salama, a seasoned Grand Am Cup driver. Just a few laps from the end, a lapped car crashed into the back of Salama and caused major damage to the rear suspension. The Turner Motorsport crew attempted repairs of the car, and Salama valiantly tried to finish, but the damage was too severe.

Team owner and pilot, #95 Turner Motorsport BMW 330i:
“This was a tough pill to swallow. For the whole race we were right where we wanted to be. We didn’t even need to win the race to win the championship. But not everything goes your way and our first exposure to endurance racing was a tremendous success. We had an amazing year: the World Challenge Touring Car Championship, BMW won the Touring Car Manufacturer’s Championship, Touring Car Rookie of the Year, and second place in the Grand Am Cup ST Championship and second in the ST-class Manufacturer’s standings. I think that makes us one of the most successful BMW race teams for 2004. That’s quite an accomplishment!”

Tim Pappas, in an identical Turner Motorsport 330i, raced well during the season but had to sit out the last round due to car damage sustained in the previous race. The Turner Motorsport crew attempted to repair the #97 330i but the damage was too extensive. He finished the season in seventh place in the overall championship with one win, six top fives, and seven top ten results.