Riding a high into Canada after at win at the previous round, the BimmerWorld BMW team proved a point at Mosport but look to Road Atlanta for their next shot at victory.

“As soon as the lights went out and I rocketed into second to start pressing for the lead, I was completely convinced that we would win,” said James Clay, owner and driver of the #36 BimmerWorld BMW E90.

Clay, a winner just two weeks ago at the Road America round of the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Touring Car championship, endured the frustrations that can come when a top finishing position is at hand.

Clay’s E90 suffered an axle shaft failure with the race leader firmly in his sights. “If you race long enough, you will have mechanical failures. That’s the first time we have broken that specific part, but we will certainly be doing some engineering analysis and replacements on the cars to prevent this from happening again.”

The outcome of the race might have been different had the part held on for just a few more laps. “I would say that it came at about the most inopportune time possible at Mosport, but it is a part of racing. I feel like I had the race well in my control and it was a matter of time before I made a move on Chip Herr for the lead. The car was perfect up until the axle went, and I think we had a great shot at claiming two in a row.”

Clay wasn’t the only BimmerWorld driver to agonize over a lost opportunity. Teammate Seth Thomas was poised to deliver a top-3 finish when an unsuccessful pass for second place relegated the #38 BMW E90 back to 12th place.

“My race was probably a little bit better than James had, but I don’t have the results to show it. I made a mistake trying to gain one more spot on the last lap — not being able to pull off the attempted pass for 2nd is the only downside of the weekend for me, but we aren’t satisfied with scoring safe results. We know we can win and that’s where our focus is at. If I see an opportunity to move up a spot or two, that’s just what I’ll try to do. Even if it didn’t work out here, everything else is very positive from this weekend.”

The #34 Debt Cures BMW of Nick Esayian encountered far less drama during his march from 13th to 9th at the checkered flag. “Unlike James and Seth, my race was relatively uneventful. I had a good start but lost momentum when I was pinched into the wall. Picking up four spots was good, and now I’m focused on a big finish at Road Atlanta to get into the top ten in Championship Points. Having all three of us in the top-10 in points at the end of the season would say a lot for the growth and strength of this team.”

While the results last weekend might not show it, the BimmerWorld trio left Mosport with high expectations for the season finale at Road Atlanta, October 4th. With a month to prepare and test, the BimmerWorld crew will be working non-stop to get their cars back to victory circle. Clay is confident the cars and crew led by Jason Marks will be ready to put on a show in Georgia. “We have a few more things in development for our E90’s for Atlanta. I can’t say exactly what they are, but we’re confident of our chances. We’re aiming to fill the podium in front of the home crowd!”

BimmerWorld’s Seth Thomas can’t wait to get the race weekend in his home state under way. “We have these cars figured out and dialed in. Mosport was a great track for us to show what we can do, and so was Road America, but Road Atlanta is my home race; it’s the one I want more than anything. We came close last year and I’m counting the days until I can show everybody what we can do this year. We’ll be ready to put on a show, I guarantee it.”

Watch BimmerWorld battle to the front in Mosport at 1 p.m. ET this Wednesday, August 27th on SPEED.

BimmerWorldRacing.com offers exclusive driver blogs, photo galleries, and in-car videos for a complete media experience from the leading BMW Touring Car team in North America.

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Courtesy: BimmerWorld Media Services
[email protected]

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