After scoring its third consecutive podium and second win at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), TeamTGM is looking to show continued strength in the final two races of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season. The team has grown its IMSA championship advantage to 17 points ahead of this weekend’s visit to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the penultimate race of the championship.
Stellar team execution paired with outstanding drives from Owen Trinkler and Hugh Plumb earned TeamTGM its second victory of the year in the No. 46 Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Mercedes-AMG GT4. TeamTGM will also feature the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Guy Cosmo and Ted Giovanis at the fabled Monterey, California track.
TeamTGM’s stacked line up is heading into the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 with an extensive history of track time. The Plumb and Trinkler pairing have nearly a decade of experience around the 2.238-mile circuit in northern California. Scoring a podium result last year in ST class competition, Trinkler is eyeing a similar result for TeamTGM this weekend.
Excited to see the hard work and dedication of his crew translated into winning results, Plumb is looking to maintain the championship lead heading into the season finale.
“Everyone just needs to continue what they have been doing well all year long,” said Plumb. “This is why we are where we are, because my guys, from the ownership of Ted Giovanis to the rest of the team, they all believe in one another and trust one another. We as drivers need to stay out of trouble and listen to the guys on the box. Laguna doesn’t have lots of grip and getting through traffic in an efficient way will be key.”
Playing the role as both driver and team owner, Giovanis is thrilled to see the No. 46 leading the championship after over a decade of competition.
“It feels great to be in the Championship lead,” said Giovanis. “But I recognize that it’s not over until it’s over. We need to keep doing what we have been doing: good set up, great drives, great pit stops and if we have a little luck that might help too. We have been fortunate to be where we are, sustaining is the key. We seem to be getting a handle on set up for the AMG-Mercedes. Laguna can be a low grip track, particularly later in the session and race when it gets dirty because of the sandy soil. We expect to be good over the longer runs which should help us.”
With a wide range of experience behind the wheel of both GT and Daytona Prototype machines at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Cosmo is hoping to continue his progress with Giovanis as the 2018 IMSA season comes to a close.
The team made history for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 platform, taking its first-ever victory in North America and then built on that with the second win at VIR in the team’s first season with the new car. Since debuting the Mercedes-AMG GT4 at Daytona earlier this year, the team has put a combined total of 3,282.5-race miles and 84 laps led between its two Mercedes GS machines.
The WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 race weekend will get underway with two practice sessions on Friday, September 7th. Saturday will consist of qualifying (10:35 AM PST) and the race going green at 3:15 PM PST with live coverage on IMSA.tv.
Source. Sunday Group
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