Brumos Bringing High Hopes To The High Altitudes Of Mexico City
Monday, April 14, 2008

While many Grand-Am Rolex Series contenders have enjoyed a great level of success, none of those teams can claim to match the history of Brumos Racing, whose winning tradition dates back to the 1960’s.  The domination of the Haywood-Gregg duo through the years set a standard that has yet to be equaled.  In fact, Brumos enjoyed significant victories over the years at many of the tracks which play host to this season’s Grand-Am Series events.  One notable exception would be the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, a fact not lost on the team as they head south of the border for the third race of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex season.

Brumos hopes to capitalize on the momentum from their performance at Homestead last month which saw their #58 car win pole position. Their #59 car also turned in a strong finish, ending the day in 7th place overall.  As David Donohue, who placed the #58 car on the pole at Homestead, noted, “At Daytona and Homestead we were right up there with the fastest cars, and were running close to the fastest green lap averages.  Unfortunately, we found ourselves having problems at both races.”

Nothing would please the team more than to be able to make history with their first DP victory in Mexico City, especially given the level of enthusiasm from the fans which make the track a team favorite.  “I love going to Mexico, the track is a lot of fun”, Hurley Haywood reflected.  “The ambience is nice down there and it really has become one of the highlights of our year. Mexico loves racing - the fan turnout is probably unequalled at any other track.  It is always enjoyable to perform in front of such an enthusiastic audience.”

Regardless of the outcome at the end of the race, Brumos #58 driver Darren Law will be making some history of his own in Mexico City, as he marks his 100th Rolex Series start.  He can also lay claim to now holding the record in the Grand-Am Rolex Series for the most laps completed and most miles completed of any driver in the series, a tribute to both his versatility and his experience.

Brumos’ newest driver, Portugal native Joao Barbosa, anticipates the competition in Mexico City, but confesses he’s not sure exactly what to expect.  Unlike his co-drivers, this race will be his first at this location, but he expresses confidence about the prospects.  “It will be a nice experience to try a new track.  I feel quite sure that the team will have the car in great shape, as it proved to be in our previous race at Homestead.  I will be counting on the other members of the team and their experience to help me get up to speed quickly, as I want to do my part to help our team come back from Mexico with a great result”.  As for Haywood, he expressed no worries about Barbosa’s ability to adjust.  “The race track has some tricky places in it which will take a little bit of getting used to, but Joao is a true professional, and he will be able to adapt to it very quickly.”

But despite all of the favorable aspects, challenges do remain.  Aside from the obvious logistical difficulties inherent in any travel across the border, there are many factors to consider when the team plans its strategy for Mexico.  The 2.5 mile, 14-turn track is not only very bumpy, it is located at 7,500 feet above sea level. The elevation is not only a physical hardship for a crew more accustomed to being much nearer sea level - its negative effects on the power of the car create a factor which Haywood feels to be somewhat of an equalizer of the competition.  Donohue agreed, “Mexico is typically one of our toughest tracks, perhaps in part due to the altitude, and partly due to our lack of torque in the esses.” The engineers will have their work cut out for them, fine-tuning a compromise between the drivers’ abilities and techniques, and the conditions and layout of the track.  Aerodynamic and balance adjustments must be made to help drivers maintain stability in the turns without sacrificing speed on the straights - a task made much more difficult given the configuration of the track and the bumpy surface.

Despite those challenges, Brumos is confident of their ability to win and feel that they are long overdue their first visit to victory lane at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.  David Donohue agrees that both cars are contenders this year.  “We are still flying just under the radar of recognition, but both Brumos cars are serious threats.  If we can get a strong performance in this race and hopefully win, then that will be like giving the series unrestricted notice of what we, as a team, already know - we are back, and back much stronger than we’ve been since the series debut.”

Hurley Haywood summarized it for the entire team— “The last few times we’ve raced there, we’ve just had no luck.  I keep saying that Lady Luck has to be on our side once in a while, and after being so close to a podium at Homestead, we are out...not for revenge… but for justice!  We will see what we can do and hope that luck will be with us this time so we can bring home a win”.

The Mexico City 250 race will begin on Saturday, April 19th at 3:15 PM CDT, and will be televised on Speed TV at 4:00 PM ET.

Posted on 04/14 at 01:21 PM