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BELL
ON THE PODIUM IN TRANS-AM SERIES RETURN
Simon Gregg Scores
Top-Ten Finish In Miami
MIAMI,
Fla. (October 6, 2002)
– Justin Bell, driving the No. 40 Justin Bell Motorsports GT Driving Experience
Chevrolet Corvette, scored his second podium of the season on the streets of Miami, as
part of the Grand Prix
Americas weekend. Derhaag Motorsports’ second driver, Simon Gregg, brought home a
tenth-place finish for
the team.
“Watching
the SPEED Channel broadcasts [of Trans-Am races] wasn’t that much
fun,” said Bell, back from a
three-race sabbatical. “I’ve been keeping track of what’s going on
from the sidelines, but this is much, much
better. I’m very pleased for the guys on the [Derhaag Motorsports] team. It was a fun race.
“The
Trans-Am Series is in its ascendancy,” Bell added. “Let’s hope
everyone gives it the credit it deserves.
We had a great show today.”
Team
owner Jim Derhaag is not surprised with the results. He feels, like many
others, that a street circuit
suits Bell’s driving style.
“He is very very precise and very consistent,” said Derhaag. “He
makes few mistakes.”
Derhaag admits he made an educated guess for set-up, but feels their
flawless pit stop made all the difference.
“We did ace that one. The strategy was perfect and the guys were
perfect. You think about all the street
circuits you’ve ever run, and then you take your best stab at it. After
the first session, I made some
adjustments to the tire pressures and the shocks, but for the race, the
gears were the same ones as I
had on the car when we rolled it off the trailer.”
For
Gregg, the event got off to a rocky start, with the No. 59 Derhaag
Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette sliding into
a tire barrier on the opening lap. Continuing at the back of the field,
Gregg was able to slowly work his way back
to the front-half of the grid.
The
top-ten finish allows Gregg to maintain his tenth place in the Trans-Am
Series Drivers’ Championship.
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