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2008 Review
SPEED Touring Car • Round Nine • Mosport
Galati Runs Away With Mosport SPEED TC
CANADA (Aug. 24, 2008) – Michael Galati, of Olmsted, Ohio, took his second SCCA Pro Racing
SPEED World Challenge Touring Car win of 2008 in the Mosport SPEED Touring Car Race Presented
by Toyo Tires at the Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. After some last-corner Mosport
International Raceway fireworks, Jason Saini, of Fort Worth, Texas, finished second, and
Milwaukee’s Peter Cunningham completed the
podium, clinching the Manufacturers’
Championship for Acura.
Galati started his No. 95 Mazda North
America/Tindol Motorsports MAZDA6 second to
teammate Chip Herr, but was third by the time
he got to Turn One behind Herr and the BMW of
James Clay, who earned the Racing Electronics
Holeshot Award for picking up two spots on the
first lap. Clay took several looks at Herr’s No.
97 Mazdaspeed/Tindol Motorsports MAZDA6,
but could never quite get ahead. Then, on lap
10, the BMW broke a half shaft exiting Turn
Five. Clay’s departure made it a Tindol
Motorsports one-two. It was not long before
Galati recovered from a poor st art to take home the
Mosport win. WC/Weber photo
Galati was on Herr’s bumper, making a pass for the lead into Turn Eight the next lap. From there,
Galati sped away to a 6.773-second victory, averaging a record 96.410 mph.
“For some reason, I don’t get away too well in the front-wheel drive,” Galati said. “Once I got that
sorted out, one of the BMWs got by me. Then I had a good race with James. I was just waiting for
the right time, but I think he broke on the back straight. I caught Chip [Herr] and he was pretty
nice to me and let me by. After that I put my head down and never looked back.”
In the closing laps, a determined Seth Thomas, who had already turned the race’s fastest lap at
1:31.000 (96.279 mph) in his No. 38 BimmerWorld BMW 325i, was all over Herr for second place.
On the final lap, Thomas dove for the apex at Turn 10, sliding into Herr’s Mazda. Thomas got the
worst of it, spinning backwards and into the wall, ending his day 40 yards from the finish line.
Saini’s No. 74 Mazdaspeed/Stoptech/Racinghart MAZDA6 led the next group through the final corner
chaos to grab the runner-up position, his best finish since winning in Utah in May. The 2007 SCCA
Pro Racing MX-5 Cup Champion clinched the Rookie of the Year honor.
Cunningham started ninth in his No. 42 Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura TSX, but steadily
improved to finish third, clinching Acura’s record seventh SCCA SPEED Touring Car Manufacturers’
Championship Presented by RACER. Cunningham also took the Drivers’ Championship point lead
with one race remaining. He leads teammate Kuno Wittmer, who finished fourth in his No. 44
Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura TSX, by four points.
Herr finished fifth. Pierre Kleinubing (Acura TSX), Dino Crescentini (Acura TSX), Charlie Putman
(MAZDA6), Nick Esayian (BMW 325i) and Charles Espenlaub (MAZDA6) completed the top 10.
Kleinubing saw his title hopes take a hit when he served a stop-and-go penalty for movement prior
to the standing start from fifth place. Without the benefit of a full-course caution, he was mired 15
seconds behind the race leader throughout the event.
Cunningham finds himself atop the standings, with 854 heading into the finale. Wittmer is just four
points behind, while Kleinubing sits third, with 838.
With only 10 points available for a Manufacturer at each event, Acura’s 13-point advantage (74 to
61) over Mazda is insurmountable. It is American Honda’s 12th Manufacturers’ Championship in
World Challenge competition since the series inception in 1990.
88 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Media Guide
Fn. St. Car Laps During Race
Ps. Ps. No. Driver/Hometown, State Sponsor/Car Pts. Purse Cmp Status Fast Lap Speed
1 2 95 Michael Galati/ Olmsted/OH Mazda North America/Tindol MAZDA6 120 15500 28 1:31.051 97.224
2 3 74 Jason Saini(R)/ Fort Worth/TX Mazdaspeed/Stoptech/Racinghart MAZDA6 106 9200 28 -6.773 1:31.343 96.913
3 9 42 Peter Cunningham/ Milwaukee/WI Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura TSX 92 7600 28 -7.154 1:31.087 97.186
4 8 44 Kuno Wittmer/ Montreal/QU Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura TSX 85 5200 28 -7.429 1:31.236 97.027
5 1 97 Chip Herr/ Lititz/PA Mazdaspeed/Tindol Motorsports MAZDA6 91 5000 28 -8.473 1:31.541 96.704
6 5 43 Pierre Kleinubing/ Coconut Creek/FL Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura TSX 78 3800 28 -16.538 1:31.309 96.950
7 11 46 Dino Crescentini/ Mahattan Beach/CA Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura TSX 72 3200 28 -21.854 1:31.576 96.667
8 10 96 Charlie Putman/ Mills/WY Pesco/Tindol Motorsports MAZDA6 68 3100 28 -22.293 1:31.671 96.567
9 13 34 Nick Esayian/ San Diego/CA BimmerWorld BMW 325i 64 1000 28 -22.802 1:31.813 96.417
10 14 73 Charles Espenlaub/ Lutz/FL Mazdaspeed/Stoptech/Racinghart MAZDA6 60 1900 28 -26.862 1:31.667 96.571
11 12 45 Patrick Lindsey(R)/ Santa Barbara/CA Acura/RealTime/Eibach/Red Line Acura RSX 57 800 28 -29.269 1:31.409 96.843
12 6 38 Seth Thomas/ Cumming/GA BimmerWorld BMW 325i 54 700 27 Crash 1:31.000 97.279
13 4 36 James Clay/ Blacksburg/VA BimmerWorld BMW 325i 55 750 9 Mech. 1:31.577 96.666
DQ 7 75 Jim Daniels(R)/ Germantown/TN Mazdaspeed/Stoptech/Racinghart MAZDA6 28 -14.423 1:31.528 96.718
** - Faster than previous record
Purse includes contingency awards
SPEED Touring Car • Round Nine • Mosport
Race Statistics
Length of Race: 28 laps for 68.852 miles
Time of race: 42 minutes, 50.968 seconds.
Average speed: 96.410 mph
Margin of victory: 6.773 seconds
Lap leaders: Laps 1-10, #97 Chip Herr
Laps 11-28, #95 Michael Galati
Fastest race lap: #38 Seth Thomas, 1:31.00 (97.279 mph)
Fastest qualifier: #97 Chip Herr, 1:29.736 (98.649 mph)
Sunoco Hard Charger: #42 Peter Cunninham, +nine in race
Racing Electronics Holeshot Award: #36 James Clay, +two on lap one
2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Media Guide 89