GTM Prototype Debuts at 25-Hours of Thunderhill

[irace1]

Press Release

GTM Prototype Debuts at 25-Hours of Thunderhill

 

 

December 10, 2007: The Prototype Development Group (PDG), a Stockton, CA racing team achieved a successful finish at the U.S. Air Force 25-Hours of Thunderhill, the countries longest, most demanding car race. The team completed 333 laps and just under 1000 miles at an average speed of nearly 90 miles per hour. The team overcame a lack of track time and mechanical issues to finish in 13th place in the ES class in the 25 hour race.

 

PGD campaigned its 2007 Factory Five Racing GTM Prototype in this years race for the first time. The car achieved race times of slightly over two minutes, with a fastest lap of 2:01.270.

 

The team received an unassembled GTM Supercar kit, the road version of the car, in June of 2007 from Factory Five Racing. The team added a stock Chevrolet LS6 5.7 liter engine from a 2001 C5 Corvette that produces over 400 hp and matched that to a Porsche G50 transaxle from a 1995 Porsche 993. Due to time constraints, the car was not completed until the first day of practice for the race.

 

The team was 7th fastest overall out of the 72 entrants in practice. During qualifying, the car developed a minor brake problem that relegated the team to 37th on the starting grid. One and a half hours into the race, the GTM had moved up to 4th in class and 21st overall. Gearbox trouble during the night slowed the team, but they were able to bring the car home at the end.

 

Driver Keith Drake commented after the race that “in driving what amounts to a prototype race car, you look for the basics functions to be there, steering stable, braking in a straight line, in other words, no bad habits, and I'm pleased to say the GTM had none. I was comfortable from the first lap essentially because of my confidence in the engineering of Factory Five and the craftsmanship of Rich [Migliori] and Don [Vaught]. Unfortunately we had already developed gearbox problems so I left it in 4th and focused on carrying speed in the corners and bouncing off the rev limiter in the straights. Lap times in traffic were in the 2:01's and the car was comfortable in traffic,... great package, fun to drive, with better suspension, tires and a gear box that shifts, the car will do [1:]53's all day."

 

Team owner, Richard Migliori, added “I think we proved that this car can compete as a low-cost option for endurance racing. The car stood up to the challenge, and with some testing, we should be competing for a class win in 2008â€