June 12, 2008

Racers Edge gets the advantage of Piloti shoes!

Beginning with the Mid Ohio round of the Rolex Series, Racers Edge crew members and drivers will be sporting Piloti footwear. The over the wall crew will be able to exhibit great style while taking advantage of the light weight yet durable “Prototipo” model to keep them fast and agile as they facilitate tire changes.

The team’s drivers will get the latest professional driving shoes to help them better perform their orchestration of the pedals to extract maximum performance from the team’s bright red Mazda RX-8

Racers Edge team owner, Jon Mirachi, was once again pleased to have the benefit of another technical advantage for his team. “Piloti shoes’ performance is second to none and they’ve blazed a new path of form, function and style. We’re pleased to add yet another advantage to our program and we’ll look great while we’re at it!”

Piloti shoes exhibit a passion for driving and are innovative, stylish and comfortable. They are worn by great drivers around the world as well as enthusiasts who desire the best most innovative driving footwear. Piloti shoes are available through race shops, automotive specialty catalogs along with other retail outlets and specialty stores.

To learn more about Piloti and see their full line of footwear and accessories, visit their website at www.piloti.com

June 10, 2008

Racers Edge Motorsport’s new base of operations, which is being built near our existing shop at the DeLand, Florida municipal airport, is now under construction.

Jacobsen Contracting, the General Contractor in charge of the project, has broken ground and begun to erect our new home. The new building will offer a permanent base building of 12,000 square feet with modifiable interior spaces which will initially be divided into three separate units.

Unit 1 will be 5,000 square feet and will house the Racers Edge Motorsports team. Unit 2 will also be 5,000 square feet and house our colleagues from the Inspire Motorsports race team and finally, Unit 3 is a 2,000 square foot space that is currently contracted for private storage.

Units 1 and 2 will also include a second floor offering functional flexibility for use as office space, lunchroom and meeting facilities, as well as general storage. The new facility offers Racers Edge a substantial increase in space over its current location and more importantly an opportunity - for the first time in 17 years - for the team to custom design the space to suit their particular needs.

"A brand new work space with new and improved amenities and custom designed to our is a dream come true!" says team owner Jon Mirachi. "It's been a very long and stressful process getting all the permitting and planning done but now that construction has finally started I am really excited. I can't wait to move in!"

The team anticipates moving into their new digs around October 1st, just after the last race of the 2008 Rolex Series season

June 2, 2008

Jon Mirachi’s Racers Edge Motorsports team will be one of several teams employing a third driver for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, as Atlantic Series star Jonathan Bomarito will run in Saturday’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 race, the second of three endurance races on the circuit.

Bomarito, who hails from Monterey, Calif., and competes for Mathiasen Motorsports in Atlantic Series competition, joins fulltime driver Craig Stone and part-timer Jameson Riley in the No. 30 Mazda RX-8, as the team seeks its first victory in Rolex Series competition.

Bomarito has competed in Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series competition before, but is making his first start in the Rolex Series. In KONI Challenge competition, he earned a victory at Trois-Rivieres and second at Virginia International Raceway in 2002, and backed that up with a pole and fourth-place finish at VIR in 2002.

The Californian is currently running in his fourth full season on the Atlantic schedule. Interestingly, he’s spent several of those seasons with PR1 Motorsports, which made the jump to the Rolex Series this season. Mike Forest and Thomas Merrill will drive the No. 32 PR1 Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R.

Bomarito joins Racers Edge whom he raced against in open wheel competition earlier in the decade. “Jonathan was at the promotions event we had for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as one of the local drivers, and it was obviously good to see him,” Mirachi said. “We had a good conversation, kept in touch, and were able to put together a deal for this race.” It’s great to finally have him on our team!”

Bomarito, Stone and Riley will tackle the six-hour race Saturday, which starts at 11:15 p.m. SPEED TV will broadcast the race live in two parts – the first starting at 11 a.m. and the second from 2:30 p.m. to the checkered flag.

April 7, 2008

Racers Edge Motorsports has signed a new driver for the upcoming Grand Am Rolex Series races at Mexico City and Virginia International Raceway.

Jameson Riley, a young, highly talented, yet experienced GT driver will join regular team driver Craig Stone behind the wheel of the team’s red #30 Mazda RX-8. The new recruit, who hails from Connecticut, has tested and raced with the team before, so he is imminently familiar with team members and the team’s program.

Jameson was anxious to express his initial thoughts - "I'm really looking forward to driving for Racers Edge Motorsports again, especially in their new Mazda RX-8. It's a great environment, working with Jon Mirachi and the rest of his crew, along with my new teammate, Craig Stone.”
Team owner Jon Mirachi was quite pleased to work with Jameson again. “When we needed to find a driver to partner Craig for the upcoming races, I sat down and made a list of the attributes we needed – like speed, consistency, maturity and the ability to adapt to a new car and tracks quickly. Jameson rose right to the top of my list immediately. I contacted him, outlined my thinking and he agreed to join us right away, so needless to say, I was pleased!”

Jameson who is 22 years old, started racing Karts when he was only 10, subsequently gathering lots of racing experience and ultimately driving race cars professionally before he was 20. His family owns two car dealerships in the Stamford, Connecticut area, including a Mazda store – Riley Mazda. When not racing he works as sales manager in the family’s dealership.

With two strong drivers at the controls, Racers Edge is looking to have a successful run in both Mexico and Virginia. Be sure to follow the team’s efforts by watching the races on SPEED TV or via the series website at www.grand-am.com/rolex/. You can learn more about new driving recruit Jameson Riley at www.rileyracing.com

March 18, 2008

Racers Edge Motorsports is proud to announce the support of a strong, new technical partner, the largest lubricant supplier in Japan......Idemitsu.

Idemitsu supplies a large portion of the lubricant needs for the leading Japanese automotive brands and has developed a full line of superior quality synthetic oils for racing and the high performance street market. Among these products is an oil that was designed in conjunction with Mazda engineers specifically for the rotary engine like the 3-rotor power plant found under the hood of the Racers Edge team’s bright red Mazda RX-8.

For over twenty years Idemitsu has supplied the Japanese automaker’s plants in the US with the lubricants for the automobiles they manufacture here. However, the Idemitsu line of lubricants has only recently become available to the general public in the US. The Grand Am Rolex Series with its endurance racing format provides an ideal venue for Idemitsu to demonstrate the superior protection and performance of their lubricants. Racers Edge team owner Jon Mirachi was particularly pleased with their new oil supplier considering the quality of the products and their proven history – like victory at the 24 hours of LeMans.

“We’re a very technically oriented team and when we found out that Idemitsu was now marketing their products here in the US, we researched the product’s specifications and proven effectiveness and were undeniably impressed by what we found. The rotary engine places some unique demands on its oil and to be able to take advantage of an oil designed and developed specifically for this unique engine is a real benefit to our program”.

The Miami Grand Prix on March 29th will see the debut of the Idemitsu branding on the #30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8. The race can be seen on SPEED TV so be sure to follow the team’s efforts to win the race and pursue the GT class championship.

For more information about Idemitsu, please visit their website at www.idemitsu-usa.com

March 4, 2008

Racers Edge Motorsports has added one of the most important pieces to its puzzle - the addition of a fulltime driver in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Team owner Jon Mirachi said Tuesday the team has signed Craig Stone through the remainder of the 2008 season. Stone was one of four drivers to take part in the team's Rolex 24 At Daytona effort.

"We are really excited to have signed Craig for the season," Mirachi said. "Not only is he a tremendous driver who can help us win races, his motivation and personality are a great fit for our team. Craig, his dad and I originally met in December, we hit it off immediately and I think we all knew right from the start that together we could achieve great results on the track and have a lot of fun, too."

The signing is only one of the recent highlights for the team. Mirachi said last week's test for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway gave the team new grounds for which to value its new Mazda RX-8. Previously, the team had only been able to test and compete at Daytona.

"We were extremely pleased to be able to participate in the Homestead test," Mirachi said. "Up to now, we had only been able to run our car at Daytona, which is such a big and fast racetrack, so it was great to get to a different venue and see how the car would respond at a smaller, tighter track. We learned a lot about the set up and we're looking forward to putting it all to use at the race event!"

The team is still working on finalizing a deal for the second seat for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami and beyond.

DAYTONA 24 RACE REPORT

The first race for the Racers Edge Motorsports Team’s new Mazda RX-8 was the most challenging race on the Grand Am Rolex Series circuit – the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The team had enlisted the talents of four drivers for the event, with Robert Thorne, Drew Staveley, Craig Stone and Ken Dobson sharing the driving duties. Less than two months after taking delivery of the new car, the team was thoroughly prepared and ready to get the season underway.

After qualifying eighth out of a field of forty entered GT cars, the start was clean for the red #30 and starting driver Robert Thorne settled into a steady pace, with a harmless quick spin his only incident. The race continued on and each of the drivers got a chance to spend some time behind the wheel as Saturday afternoon turned into Saturday night. Rain had begun to show up intermittently, challenging the team’s tire staff to the limit as they worked to keep up with the alternating need for dry tires and then rain tires and then back again. The tire crew did a great job to ensure the tires were always there and the team’s drivers kept the car in the top ten

Robert Thorne had another quick spin, but this time the back of the car impacted the tire wall, causing minor cosmetic damage and a broken tail light. He was able to continue on and things returned to normal as the night wore on.

During one of the night’s numerous full course cautions with Drew Staveley driving, the car suddenly, without warning lost power and died out near the chicane on the backstretch. The Grand Am officials dispatched their emergency staff to tow in the stalled car. Valuable time was lost, but the #30 was eventually brought to the garage area and the team was able to get the car going again and back onto the race track. Once running the car was back running a solid pace, unfortunately the incident cost the team 12 laps and dropped them well out of the top ten.

As night turned into day, a steady pace and excellent pit stops had allowed the team to steadily work their way back up the scoreboard, not only back into the top ten, but all the way up to sixth place. At this point the team’s strategy was to push as hard as possible and work up into the top five. It wasn’t to be however, as a secured hood latch failed, causing the hood to fly open while the car was at top speed on the famous Daytona high banks. The car returned to the pits where the crew applied emergency repairs and after losing another three laps to the incident, was back in action in tenth place.

The last few hours were uneventful, the car circled for lap after lap, still running a strong pace. The team was proud that their hard work had paid off with the car not only still running flawlessly after 24 grueling hours, when the checkered flag finally flew, their reward was a tenth place finish.

Racers Edge Motorsports team owner Jon Mirachi expressed his admiration for the performance of the entire team and the effort they all put into the event. “It is amazing to work with such motivated, dedicated people and to see the results that their hard work produces” he said. “Although we’re all thoroughly exhausted, I’m certain that after a few days to recover and time to reflect on the event a little bit, we’ll be looking to come back here again and get the win”.

In the meantime, the rest of the 2008 season lies ahead and you can bet the team will be doing their best to win races and challenge for the Rolex GT championship.

Racers Edge Motorsports participated in the official test days at Daytona International Speedway as a prelude to their attempt to win the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona endurance race.

This was the first public appearance of the team’s new car and after three days of hard work getting the chassis and engine performing at their peak, the team emerged from the test by setting the fastest lap time and a new track record for GT class cars! All four of the team’s drivers participated in the test with each one getting a chance to turn some laps and get comfortable in the car.

Team driver Robert Thorne was behind the wheel when the new lap record was set. By the end of the test the entire team was extremely satisfied and looking forward to the race event. Team sponsors for the Rolex 24 hour race include Waiora, Guardian Edge Technologies, Amquip and Eastern Auto Parts Warehouse.

Racers Edge Motorsports announces that for the 2008 racing season they will again challenge for the Grand American Rolex GT Series championship, but this year with a brand new Mazda RX8.

In 2007, the first year team showed great promise leading three races and scoring three top five finishes with their #30 Pontiac GXP.R. Then after careful consideration during the off-season, the team decided that their best opportunity to win races and go after the GT class championship lie in switching from the Pontiac to the extremely impressive Mazda rotary engine powered machine.

After taking delivery on December 4th and an initial shakedown run at Moroso Motorsports Park, the Florida based team then began serious developmental testing with their new racer at Daytona International Speedway on December 10th and 11th. By the end of the first day, the car was already setting times that would have it running right at the front of the GT class field. By the end of the second day of testing, the car was able to run competitive times with great consistency, setting the stage for an exciting season campaign.

The team’s drivers for the Daytona 24 hour race, the first event on the 2008 season calendar, have been announced; Ken Dobson, Robert Thorne, Craig Stone and Drew Staveley will shoulder the responsibility for piloting the Mazda in the grueling twice around the clock race. Which two drivers will be with the team for the entire series campaign will be announced soon, once contract details can be finalized.

Team sponsors for the initial race include Guardian Edge Technologies, Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts, Eastern Auto Parts Warehouse and Philadelphia Style Magazine. The team’s season long sponsors are also to be announced as soon as those details can be finalized.