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Third Place Finish for BSI Racing at Miller Motorsports Park
By Lauren Liebowitz, BSI Racing
 BSI Racing took home their season best finish of 3rd place in the KONI Challenge ST race at Miller Motorsports Park this past weekend. Justin Hall and Magnus Karlsson in the JustRacing.com/MOMO/Joe Gibbs No.58 Mazda MX-5 finished on the podium and are now 7th in team points in the ST class. Christian Miller and Todd Buras finished 15th in the No. 56 MOMO/Joe Gibbs/ Mazda MX-5. BSI Racing is looking to place the No. 58 car in the top-5 in team points with the last race left in the 2007 KONI Challenge Series taking place October 6th in Virginia.
The past weekend’s race threw everything at the BSI crew with dusty winds and a crowded race track but the No. 58 Mazda MX-5 was able to truck through the obstacles and finish up front. Magnus Karlsson started the race from 21st spot. He handed the orange 58 car to Hall after a double yellow during the first half of the race.
With 48 minutes left in the race, Hall was quietly moving up the pack and had the car positioned in 8th place. A few team members were getting nervous about the remaining fuel as the car continued to move up. The team engineer knew the car would be able to race with one fuel stop but that didn’t stop the stress. Nine minutes left in the race Hall was in 4th place. During the last lap Hall was racing home to a third place finish. The Mazda was running just on fuel reserves and was about to give out any minute but Hall was able to keep the sputtering MX-5 running till the finish.
After the race Hall was extremely positive about his 3rd place finish. “The car was very consistent throughout the race distance. We are still down a little bit on horse power and torque but we do have the potential for a fuel advantage if we pick up the yellows at the right time,” he said.
“Our one stop strategy reaped dividends as the other front running cars were forced to pit for a splash. With that said the car was competitive on track. It was not a race that was determined by strategy alone. Magnus did a phenomenal job during his first stint and gave me a car that was perfect. You have to hand it to the BSI crew because we literally ran out of fuel on the last lap. We had the mileage down perfectly. Every turn the car was sputtering. It ran out on the cool down. With three to four laps to go we had an 8 to 10 second lead over P4 and P5. At that point I went into conservation mode knowing that it could literally come down to the last corner and that is exactly what happened.”
No. 58 co-driver Magnus Karlsson was just as pleased with the car’s performance. Magnus said “I would like to thank my teammate for doing a stellar job and BSI for giving us the chance to podium. I thought we had a good chance this weekend. This track fits us better than others. The one stop strategy worked perfect. I was thinking the cars ahead of us needed to do two stops and I knew we would have a top-5 finish. The last few laps was a nail biter but it all worked out. This is the break we have been looking for,” said Karlsson.
The No. 56 Mazda was set to have an equally successful race but after the first few laps Christian Miller was involved in a fender bender. The car’s setup was thrown off and the exhaust tips were dragging on the track. Miller drove into pit lane after the altercation. After Miller’s stint in the car co-driver Buras drove the MX-5 for the remainder of the race. The car finished in a respectable 15th place.
BSI Racing is preparing to have another top-5 finish at the last KONI Challenge race at VIR on Oct. 6. Seats are available for the six hour endurance race. Contact Stu Brumer for more information, 386-677-5778.
BSI Racing appreciates support from MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, KONI, Joe Gibbs Racing Oil, MOMO, SPEEDCOM Communications, BBS, Creative Motorsports Solutions, JustRacing.com, Sun Belt Performance Engines and Team Garcia.
BSI Racing offers race car preparation, trackside support, fabrication, and parts for the Mazda MX-5. The race team will be campaigning Mazda MX-5 cars in the KONI Challenge Series and participating in the 2007 SCCA Pro Racing SIRIUS Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup.
For information on MX-5 rental and ownership programs, visit www.bsiracing.com
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Posted On 9/20/07
 Del.icio.us
This story has been read 8862 time(s).
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