 Acura News : RealTime RSX Team Singing in the Rain
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 13 @ 12:56:44 EDT
May 26, 2003
Pierre Kleinubing took over
the Driver's Championship points lead in the SCCA Speed World Challenge
Touring Car series at Lime Rock Park today with his second win in three
races, driving the RealTime Racing Acura RSX.
Kleinubing qualified fourth fastest in a 51-car field crowded onto a rainy
1.53-mile circuit, moved to second place on the first lap, into the lead
on the third lap, and was never challenged after that.
The three-time series champion won by 16.663 seconds. It was his fourth
Lime Rock Park win and the 18th of his career, all in Acuras prepared by
RealTime.
The win gave Acura the lead for the Manufacturer's Championship going into
the fourth of 10 rounds this season, June 27-29 at Road Atlanta.
"Winning this race wasn't about horsepower," Kleinubing said. "It was about
my crew chief, Jerome Zimmermann, and our crew using their
experience to pick the right suspension settings for rainy conditions, and
about driving smart. I had a ten-second lead by the seventh lap, so there
was no real urgency. What I needed to do was drive my own race, and hope
all the backmarkers I was about to lap were watching their mirrors. Thankfully,
they did."
RealTime Racing's contenders for the Rookie of the Year award, Zac
Mazzotta, of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Kevin McKee,
of San Francisco, finished 12th and 30th respectively.
Mazzotta qualified 13th, and was running in 10th, when an off-course excursion
in his RealTime Acura RSX dropped him to 20th, forcing him to work his way
back through the field. It was Mazzotta's best finish in his young career.
His fastest race lap was only :00.795 sec. slower than the veteran Kleinubing's.
McKee started 33rd in his Acura Integra, also had a spin, and climbed back
to 30th place to improve on his Mosport finish two weeks ago.
"We only had one dry practice session all weekend to see where we stood
against the competition, and that was Friday," added Zimmermann. "Five cars
were below the old record set last year in a RealTime Acura Integra, and
Pierre was a scant :00.089 off the fastest time." The top seven qualifiers
represented the BMW, Mazda, Acura and Nissan brands.
Monday's race win is number 48 for RealTime drivers since 1993.
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