It’s a podium finish for Jonathan Macri at Milwaukee! Solid results in the first of a four-race, June-Cart Toyota Atlantic schedule should go far to invigorate Macri and P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings/ Miller Genuine Draft. Vaulting onto the crest of success was key to Macri and his team at Milwaukee.
“We’re really happy with our accomplishments this weekend at Milwaukee”, Jonathan said. “We finished higher than last year and the team did a great job on the car. We struggled in earlier practice sessions in trying to get the best possible set-up, but we persisted and all the hard work paid off.”
However, Macri and team P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings/ Miller Genuine Draft had little time to savor their accomplishments at Milwaukee. In fact, it wasn’t long after Jonathan descended the podium that car and equipment were loaded back onto the trailer and that all attention re-focused on Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in Monterey California. Gormley, Ontario’s racing dynamo is no stranger to Laguna Seca’s 2.238-mile permanent road course, having raced there in his 2001-rookie season. Macri just missed the podium, finishing 4th in the race, but was rewarded for posting the fastest time in the penultimate lap of the race with the $1000.00 WorldCom “Fast Pace Award”.
“Laguna is a very fast track,” Jonathan said. “It’s definitely one of my favourites. There aren’t too many passing opportunities so we are going to have to qualify at the front. In all, the track really suits my style and the team has a good handle on how to best prepare the car for the course. We did some testing early on in the season in late February so we’re pretty comfortable with the car and track. Also, we managed to qualify 2nd last year and put down the fastest lap of the race, so I think that our experience and previous success should add to our competitiveness this weekend.”
The first of a four-race stint in June, Macri and P-1 Racing/NTN Bearings/Miller Genuine Draft have started their trek on a high note. “We are looking to better our results - a win is what we will be racing for at Laguna.”
Jonathan currently sits in 9th place in the Atlantic Championship standings with 22 points. No one is running away with this Championship as of yet and having had a good start to the 4-race schedule in June, Macri and P-1 Racing are looking to take with them that strong infusion of enthusiasm supplied by the podium finish at Milwaukee. At Laguna, however, Jonathan is anxious to experience standing in the middle of the podium, and so a victory is what he will be seeking this weekend.
The fourth leg of the Atlantic Championship at Laguna Seca begins early Friday morning at 9:00AM EST with a practice session followed by an early afternoon provisional qualifying session at 12:30PM. Official qualifying will be held early Saturday morning at 9:00AM and the race will go to green at 3:30PM EST. The race will be televised on Speed Channel at 10:00PM EST.
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