BALTIMORE (Sept. 1, 2013)– David Ostella took to the streets for the Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT weekend with the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama field to prove his street credibility.
The 21-year-old driver, well known for his love of and ability on street courses, had a successful start to his weekend with qualifying taking place Friday. Ostella landed the No. 44 Entrust SSL car in the seventh starting position for Race One and in the fourth position for Sunday’s Race Two.
“Qualifying went well. The car was still a little off, so we had some work to do before the race,” Ostella said. “The team did great. It’s my first time here in a sports car, the Porsche handles great. But I’ve been here before, the past two years, so knowing the track wasn’t a problem. I definitely made a few mistakes out there in qualifying. I had some stuff to work on, I could have a gained a couple positions for sure. Other than that it was great, it was a good session. We kept it off the wall which is important.”
The Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin points leader also weighed in on the more memorable segment of the circuit, The Chicane. The Chicane was newly renovated into a triple chicane for this years race
“The chicane is amazing, I love the chicane,” excitedly expressed Ostella. “I know last year it took out 22 cars or something like that so I was curious to see what it would be like this year. The Chicane is a little tricky, it’s probably where I struggle a little bit through there. But nothing I’m not used to with street courses, I love street courses. Probably one of the bumpier street courses I’ve been on, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Saturday’s Race One was a battle with the track and the heat as temperatures soared. With patience and endurance Ostella was able to maneuver himself into the fourth position early on in the race. Mechanical issues and on-track drama plaguing three of the top four qualifiers, and some fast laps by Ostella, allowed him to move into position for a podium finish. Ostella spent much of the race in third contending with his TruSpeed Autosport teammate, Brett Sandberg. On the final lap the Canadian was able to set himself up for a pass for a second-place finish.
“That was a crazy race. It was nice and clean right off the start. Brett, my teammate, got a wicked start, got up in front of me and I was just following him around. Engines were definitely getting hot out there. I was just being patient and hoping we would catch Madison (Snow) but he just pulled away. Me and Brett had a nice battle, it was clean, it was awesome. I had a crazy point in Turn 1, I didn’t mean to hit a huge bump and locked up. I think he ended up tapping me in Turn 3. Unfortunate for him, I feel bad cause I’m just here to have fun and he’s kind of in the points so I feel bad for him but other than that the car was amazing.
TruSpeed did an awesome job. The car was smooth the whole way and I gotta thank the guys for that. I gotta thank all my sponsors and I gotta thank Phil. Phil Fogg is not here and I gotta thank him for letting me take his seat. I know how it is to get the sponsors out there and I’m glad to be able to drive his car and show what it can do and I’m just happy for everybody. The Porsche GT3 Cup car was phenomenal. I struggled on the Yokohamas in the past and in this race they were phenomenal. They were consistent the whole way through and I was just happy with the car all the way around.”
Race Two came to an early end for the Toronto native. On Lap 1, Turn 1, Ostella was forced to go wide to keep clear of spinning cars. A bump from behind sent him into the tire barrier as he was taking the lead from his fourth-place starting position.
“This was definitely not the race we wanted,” Ostella said. “Unfortunate for what happened. It was a good start, I was going on the outside into Turn 1 and got bumped from behind and ended up in the tires and that was kind of it for us.
Brett did an awesome job. He got a little tangled up with Angel (Benitez Jr.) but he kept it going, he did a great job,” Ostella said of his teammates third-place finish. “I feel bad for the team and Phil and the sponsors. I feel bad for them. I wish I could have had the car out there and had a better race and done more for them. Now, I’m looking forward to going back to Canada for my next race and see what happens there.”
David Ostella’s next race will take place at Calabogie Motorsports Park in Calabogie, Ontario for the 2013 Calabogie Grand Prix September 6-8.
For the latest updates from David Ostella follow @DavidOstella on Twitter and Facebook.
For the most recent race updates and news regarding Ostella, on track follow @OstellaCorsa on Twitter.
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From: Gene Cottingham/ GRand Solutions
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