Cadillac Racing's O'Connell Takes GT Points Lead into PWC Finale

Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O'Connell heads into the Pirelli World Challenge Series Monterey Grand Prix presented by Cadillac to run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a 26 point lead in the GT Class. The final one-race showdown is Sunday, Sept. 13.

O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) carries a 26 point lead into a one race face-off with his old Corvette Racing teammate Olivier Beretta who pilots the No. 61 Ferrari 458 (O'Connell 1,625 points, Beretta 1,599). O'Connell has won the Pirelli World Challenge GT Driver's Championship the last three

Johnny O'Connell

years and is going for an unprecedented fourth this weekend behind the wheel of the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R. Beretta will have to win or finish second to anyone but O'Connell to unseat the three-time champion.

"The only strategy I can have is to do everything I can to try to win the race," O'Connell said. "If I enter an event with that mindset things usually work out well. Since the Cadillac ATS-V.R will run Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the first time, I'm hopeful that, together with the Cadillac Racing team, we can get it set-up to get the job done. There are several third and fourth gear corners where I think the ATS-V.R will be fast. With that said, there's other manufacturers that I know will have good cars as well."

O'Connell and Beretta were teammates at Corvette from 2004 to 2010.

"Though things sometimes got heated with each other on the racetrack, Olivier and I have always had high respect and great friendship off the racetrack."

O'Connell has fond memories of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. "I actually raced there for the first time in 1984 on the old circuit. The championship was on the line, and I was fortunate enough to pull it off. So I'd say it's a lucky circuit for me. My coolest memory was when I won the Indy Lights race in 1989. Two weeks earlier I had spent three days in the hospital after a big wreck at Nazareth. Anyway with both legs in splints and being carried to the car we were able to make it happen and take the win. Magical way to end a season."

Teammate Andy Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) has had a trying season in the No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R. He was able to post his best finishes of the year at the last event at Sonoma Raceway, two

Andy Pilgrim

top-ten finishes.

"It's been what my mum would have called a character-building season with my new Cadillac ATS-V.R," Pilgrim said. "Despite the uphill battle there has never been even a hint of give up in this team. We had our best weekend of the year last time out at Sonoma Raceway and it was our first weekend without any problems. I'm looking forward to continuing that into the final at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. I am happy to support Johnny in his bid for a fourth championship. I have been out of contention for the drivers' championship for a while so my focus will continue to be on manufacturer points and helping my teammate."

Pilgrim also has fond memories of the track located at the gateway to the Monterey Peninsula. "I first ran Laguna Seca in the mid 1980's in Renault Cup. The track was the old super-fast layout. I have won several races there and really like the new layout and the location. One of my favorite memories is from the old Bridgestone Supercar series in the early 90's. I was driving a Lotus X180R. The legendary Hans Stuck and I were battling for third place for the whole race and I ended up passing him after he had a bobble exiting the last turn of the last lap in his Porsche. It was my first podium at Laguna Seca."

The Pirelli World Challenge Series will travel to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the season finale to run Sept. 11-13. The finale will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Contact:

kyle@kcapr.com

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