Bowmanville, Ontario (6 July 2019) – Starting from pole position, TeamTGM fought to the finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) to bring home 12
th and 15
th on Saturday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.
Back in IMSA action for the second race weekend in a row, the No. 46 Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis (JKTG) Cancer Research Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Owen Trinkler and Hugh Plumb and the No. 4 JKTG Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Ted Giovanis and Guy Cosmo rejoined forces ahead of the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park race weekend.
Race day started on a high note with Trinkler taking the GS Motul pole award during Saturday morning qualifying. The pole marked Trinkler’s second this season, after nabbing his first in Sebring. Giovanis similarly had his best qualifying run of the season, driving to a 17
th place starting position after posting his fastest lap of the weekend when it mattered most.
Taking the green flag from the point, Trinkler got a strong run to maintain the lead. He took his No. 46 Mercedes-AMG to a 1.2-second advantage in the early stages of the race.
A lightening fast pit stop from the TeamTGM crew under yellow put Plumb in the car along with a full stop for fuel and tires brought the No. 46 up to second upon returning to the track.
The lap 25 full course caution worked to the No. 4 Mercedes’ advantage for Giovanis and Cosmo, who pitted on lap 29, keeping the car on the lead lap and back in contention.
Trying to maximize grip was the focus for the final stage of the race as track temperatures increased significantly. Cosmo was on a run through the field when a competitor made an inside move on him from behind, sending the No. 4
JKTGFoundation.org Mercedes-AMG spinning off course. Fortunately Cosmo was able to recover quickly and return to race action.
After 78 laps of racing, Plumb crossed the line 12
th while Cosmo finished 15
th.
The next IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race will be staged at Lime Rock Park, site of the team’s breakthrough victory in 2018 on the way to the IMSA championship.
TGM Team Quotes:
Kristina Giovanis, Director of Operations
“This weekend helped the team get its groove back. Seeing Owen get pole was a turning point especially for a tough season for the 46 car this year. Guy and Ted were on the way to another strong run as well, it was just unfortunate to have that off towards the end. Just to have both cars finish the race is a win in my book and this is good motivation heading to Lime Rock in a few weeks.”
Owen Trinkler, No. 46 JKTG Cancer Research Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG
"When we made our driver change, we made an adjustment in the back to try and tighten up the car. The car wasn't bad but a tad too much on the free side. The first ten laps were good - we had the pace to keep up but we dropped off and lost that pace. All that matters is that we finished the race and we also captured the pole this weekend. We will build momentum off of this. We move onto Lime Rock where we are defending race winners. We will put our heads down and look into our data to figure out what we need to do to make the car better on the long run. I still feel good about what we accomplished today.”
Hugh Plumb, No. 46 JKTG Cancer Research Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG
“On a positive note, Owen got the pole today and I got to finish my first race since Sebring. It’s been a real tough start to the season for us, but this team hasn’t given up confidence or any motivation and that showed today. I wish we could have had a better result but the car was starting to wear off in the end and we just dropped back. We have a strong car and I know the guys will bring that to Lime Rock.”
Ted Giovanis, No. 4 JKTG Cancer Research Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG
“I thought my stint went very well. We had a strong qualifying run and during the race I was running laps that were consistent with my qualifying times. It was unfortunate to have Cosmo turned around towards the end there, he was really on a great run. As a team, we got our second pole this season which gives everyone the boost of motivation that we needed.”
Guy Cosmo, No. 4 JKTG Cancer Research Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG
"With the track surface coming up and the heat increasing, everyone was slipping and sliding around. It is hard to gain an advantage. It is disappointing because we had such a quick car all weekend. Ted (Giovanis) had a great first stint and the yellow came out at the perfect time to help our strategy. We only have one pit crew for two cars so that will always be a disadvantage to our cars. The car was great and the team showed great speed. We can only be thankful that the car finished the race."
