SAMAX - Utah preview

SAMAX/ Doncaster Racing will enjoy local support during the nine-hour Rolex Sports Car Series race at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Sept. 2. Dave Lacey and Greg Wilkins of Toronto and Rob Bell of Northampton, England, will race the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car with a boost from employees and suppliers of Barrick Gold Corporation – the biggest gold-mining company in the world – based in nearby Salt Lake City. Wilkins is chief executive officer of Barrick, so, he noted, "In some respects for me, this is a home race."

Although the guests will be entertained by the race action, they will also gain an inside perspective of the business of racing, with an emphasis on safety.

"Safety is paramount in our company," Wilkins said. "Of course, there's always the concern that racing is a dangerous thing to do, but industry's also a dangerous thing to do. Really, it's all about mitigating the risks, making people aware and having a high focus on safety. This is going to be a really good way for us to debunk a few myths with respect to racing and show how you can take on something that has some risks associated with it and negate those risks so that it's a safe thing to do."

turn by turn
The SAMAX/ Doncaster drivers are rookies on the new Miller Motorsports Park circuit. They recognize the challenge of learning the 4.5-mile, 24-turn road course, but they are looking forward to their first laps. Team owner Peter Baron provided in-car video and briefing notes to help them get up to speed quickly.

"I think the Miller facility is an indication of the growth of motorsports in North America. From what I've heard, the facilities are awesome and the track is really something else. I heard it takes two days to learn," Lacey noted.

"I'm looking forward to getting back together with SAMAX and driving with Dave and Greg; we should be competitive," Rob Bell said. "I've heard a lot about the Miller Park circuit – Peter told me there are 24 corners, not sure I'll be able to remember them all!"

endurance points
The SAMAX/ Doncaster car is fourth in the Rolex Series GT championship standings, with only the Miller race remaining this season. Dave Lacey hopes to hold the position with a strong performance in the nine-hour endurance event.

"It really plays to our strategy, which is consistency and staying out of trouble," he said. "There are some really, really competitive professionals here. Greg and I are not professionals in a pure sense of the word, so our ability to run consistent lap times over a long period of time is what we can do, versus a single blindingly quick lap."