Jackson-Dawson and Scion Achieve the Unthinkable by Shortly Leading the Race inPro Debut at Mid-Ohio.
Equally Impressive is a Near Top 10 Finish, as Team grabs 14th Out of Fieldof Almost 50
TORRANCE, Calif. - Dan Gardner and the Jackson-Dawson team yesterday madehistory for Scion in the ranks of professional road racing. The tC sportscoupe ran in the top ten for much of the race at Mid-Ohio in Grand-Am'shighly-competitive KONI Challenge Street Tuner class. This is a class wherethe top 20 cars are often less than a second apart for lap times. In theend, the team would finish an impressive 14th out of almost 50.
The team briefly put the Scion at the head of the pack, as many of theleaders came in for a pit stop. What wasn't so brief, however, was the factthat the car ran in the top 10 for much of the race, battling with seasonpoints leaders Eric Curran and Jamie Holtom in the Georgian Bay Cobalt SS.
"What can you say? Being the first at anything in racing is special," saiddriver and team manager, Gardner. "But being the first to actually achieveso much the first time out is beyond the ability of words to describe. OurScion was rock solid reliable. It takes more than that to be successful atthis high of a level, so that's just the start. But then to prove to theworld that Scion is ready, that Scion is here, that Scion is now.well that'sa feeling none of us will ever forget."
A recent decision to put veteran pro driver Craig Stanton in the car withGardner made all the difference in the world, as Stanton drove strong, andproved to be a force with which to be reckoned. And at Mid-Ohio, rain, morespecifically thunderstorms, would prove to be a force to be reckoned with as well..
When the clouds moved in, and the sky saturated with an eerie gray-black,the team got their rain tires ready, but they knew they couldn't do a tireswap until the track got sufficiently wet. It wasn't long before thunderwas booming and lighting was illuminating the sky like old flash bulbs.Then the rain poured down, and the team finally had to bring the car in,lest they be helpless to fight against cars that had already done the tirechange.
When Stanton and the Scion got back on track, it wouldn't be long beforethey found themselves battling it out amongst the top 10 at the front of thepack.this, after starting from 20th position when the green flag dropped.The team knew they would still have to do a driver change, which would becostly since the other teams had already completed theirs.
The strategy was to try to pit under yellow to give the team a fightingchance at not losing any positions. The yellow wouldn't come though, andStanton came in to hand the reigns over to Gardner. The driver change wentoff without a hitch, and Gardner zoomed out onto track. The team wouldmanage to hold onto 14th as Gardner crossed the finish line, taking Scioninto the pages of history.
"To achieve this much at this level excites all of us here at Scion," saidSteve Hatanaka, Scion auto shows and special events manager. "The rest ofthe world can't help but take notice of what we already know.that Scion is aperformance force that has to be taken seriously."
Over the last six months, Chuck Wade and Marty Schwerter at ToyotaMotorsports have been hard at work preparing the car along with Gardner.Central to the prep work and development has been Schwerter, who is nostranger to preparing the tC for road racing. Schwerter is the manresponsible for putting together the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ProCelebrity cars. The work and experience clearly paid off for the team, asthey suffered not one hiccup during the entire race weekend.
"I had a chance to visit Toyota Motorsports recently," said BGB teammanager, John Tecce. "Marty, Chuck and the gang do fantastic work. It'sexactly the kind of thing you need to field a successful entry in proracing."
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) made great contributions to the team as wellwith the support of the supercharger system along with a few other bits andpieces. The blower is what allows the tC to produce the power to becompetitive at this level.
"When we designed the supercharger, we knew it would give the tC a big shotin the arm powerwise, but we also needed it to be fantastically reliable,"said Gary Boler, TRD business operations manager. "Proving our partsperformance and durability in Grand-Am with the JD team is just furthertestament to the quality that goes into every part and accessory that leavesour door."
Drivers Gardner and Stanton, along with the entire team, put together astring of milestones for Scion which won't soon be forgotten. They include:
. First Scion to compete in professional road racing
. First Scion to finish a pro race
. First Scion to climb into the top 10 during a pro race
. First Scion to lead a pro race
. First Scion to finish a pro race in top third of the field
The tC also managed to turn lap times during the middle of the race in therain that were on par with the race-winning Subaru.all while have two lessdrive wheels to provide traction.
"It's a great car and a great program," said Stanton. "I'm happy I had theopportunity to drive for the team. Scion makes some great products, and thetC really is impressive. Any car that can be setup to compete at this levelsays great things about its general underpinnings."
The race will be broadcast on SPEED in less than a week this comingSaturday, June 28 at 2 p.m. ET. For local listings please seewww.speedtv.com. A photo and brief pre-race write up can be viewed at
http://www.grand-am.com/koni/news/index.cfm?cid=17542. The team now heads toWatkins Glen for another Grand-Am KONI Challenge race on July 5.Information on Grand-Am and the series can be found at www.grand-am.com orwww.konichallenge.com.
The JD Scion tC team uses
. Scion-supplied OE parts
. TRD-supplied supercharger and intercooler, front big brake kit,and limited-slip diff.
. NST Supercharger Pulley and Shifter Cable Bushings
. Nitto 235/40R17 NT-01 tires
. Enkei RPF1 17x8 wheels
. Dezod-supplied AEM standalone engine management, plug and playharness, injectors, end links, and stainless clutch line
. Church Automotive Testing dyno tuning
. Moton Suspension coilover shocks
. Vogtland springs
. Progress Technology rear swaybar
. Motul brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid, and supercoolant
. Racepak IQ3 logger dash
. AEM sensors
. Kaminari carbon fiber roof and composite headlights
. Royalty Auto Body body work
. America's Tire Co. tire mounting and balancing
. Racetech Viper head-restraint race seat and 6-point harnesses
. Centerforce clutch and low inertia steel flywheel
. AIT carbon fiber hood
. Wild Pony Motorsports-supplied camber/caster plates
. Goodridge stainless brake lines and oil cooler and fuel systemfittings and lines
. Carbotech XP10 and XP8 brake pads
. G-Force 5-point harnesses, racing suit, gloves, and helmet
. DC Sports Header
. Energy Suspension bushings and motor mounts
. HoseTechniques silicone hoses
. M-Workz alignment and corner balancing
. turn3 clothing
Jackson-Dawson Communications (JD) is a 27-year-old privately held companythat provides creative and strategic services to a range of nationalclients. Core competencies include retail training, event marketing,marketing services, business theater, video and media production services,meeting planning, print graphic and design services, staging service andvehicle management.
With corporate offices in Detroit, MI, Jackson-Dawson also maintains officesin Torrance and Irvine, CA, Manhattan, NY, and Spring Hill, TN.Jackson-Dawson owns and operates several divisions: Peloton Creative Group,BenMar Communications, Drivers Talk Radio and Drivers Talk Testing.
