For the US RaceTronics team Round #2 of the Champ Car Atlantic season was, in the end, a step in the right direction.
Long Beach, CA (April 15, 2007) - US RaceTronics Long Beach Race Report
It wasn't a dream weekend for the US RaceTronics (USRT) team but the second round of the Cooper Tires Presents The Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda at Long Beach could very well be the start of a positive turnaround for the team.
After a Sunday morning warm up session that saw Carl Skerlong (#24 King Taco/USRT) finish second with a quick time of 1:17.140 (91.843 mph) and David Garza (#4 Axtel/Tecate/Madisa/USRT) with a quick time of 1.18.092 (90.724) good enough for the seventeenth spot, both drivers were confident going into the race. Skerlong would start the race in thirteenth and Garza in eighteenth.
The race would have mixed results for the USRT squad. For Skerlong the start of the race, the second standing start of the season, went very well. Skerlong was able to get a great start that saw him scoot up a couple of spots. While there was a first turn incident at the start it occurred after Skerlong had cleared the area leaving the Mukilteo native unscathed. Throughout the race Skerlong was able to get a rhythm going. He would eventually catch up with Denmark's Ronnie Bremer (#12 The RoomStore of Phoenix/Sealy/PRG). The battle that ensued between the two would provide for an exciting race. Skerlong and Bremer shuffled back and forth for the eighth and ninth position. Skerlong drove a smart race and settled for the ninth finishing spot. This would be his best finish of the season.
For Garza's part the string of bad luck continued. Beginning with the start of the race the Monterrey, Mexico native had to take defensive action in turn one to avoid being collected by other cars. Garza, showing his quick reaction was able to turn the car around in the escape area and continue on course. Unfazed by the incident and praised by his crew over the radio the youngster continued to race hard and while in last was showing promise. Halfway into the race, Richard Heistand (#37 Eola Capital Investments) cut off Garza at the famed hairpin resulting in damage to Garza's car. Heistand was ordered into the pits to serve a penalty for avoidable contact. Garza's crew worked feverishly to fix the rear suspension of the damaged car. Despite losing several laps in the unfortunate incident, Garza went back out on track and finished the race in the twenty forth spot.
David Garza - "I think the incident with Heistand was on purpose and personal. There was no reason for the contact. I was making a clean pass and I think he simply did not like it. It's now two races that we have not been able to show our potential. I'm here to learn, compete, and win races. I'm sure that qualifying better will help me avoid many of these incidents, so we have to improve our qualification efforts"
Carl Skerlong - "Starting thirteenth we definitely had our work cut out for us, but on the start we gained a couple of positions. I didn't take as much advantage as I could have on the restarts after the yellow flags but did manage to gain positions throughout the race. Bremer and I had a good battle, but in the end I drove a cautious race and we got points for the season".
Shane Seneviratne - "After the conclusion of the Las Vegas race this race was a step in the direction. We managed to finish the race in one piece. I know that we still have not shown our full potential as a team. Well keep working hard and focus on good qualifying and focus on getting great results."
About US RaceTronics: 2007 marks the third year of competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Series for US RaceTronics. Led by former Dorricott Racing Team Manager Shane Seneviratne, US RaceTronics enters the 2007 season with Monterrey Mexico native David Garza and American Carl Skerlong.
For more information on US RaceTronics and its partners, visit www.usracetronics.com. You can visit David Garza's website at www.david-garza.com and Carl Skerlong's website at www.cskerlong.com
