Sean Rayhall poised to move at The Mobil1 SportsCar Grand Prix

Comprent Motorsports Robert Talbott Inc sponsored #14 Elan DP-02 currently lead the points and this feat was produced by scoring points in only five of the six races run to date. Image Credit: Sean Rayhall via Instagram

Sean Rayhall poised to make a championship move at The Mobil1 SportsCar Grand Prix

It is always like this when one is interested in following events in motor culture. It seems that there is never anything going on ... and then, BAM! Great racing starts popping out all over the place.

Take living in Toronto, Canada, for example - Last weekend they held the first ever two (2) race weekend of the IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS) at the Exhibition Place temporary street course track. The IICS is experiencing one of the most competitive and tight championship points fights with 1/3rd of a season still left on the schedule once the weekend of double-points and big moves was over. The crowds were larger than in recent years of the two decades old annual IICS event.

The very next weekend has the sports car world visit Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formally Mosport) with the last race of the American Le Mans Series due to the merger with the Grand-Am series to compete as United SportsCar Racing (USCR) in 2014. The Mobil1 SportsCar Grand Prix for ALMS cars is to be held on Sunday July 21, 2013 at 12-2:45 p.m. ET with live television broadcast carried by ESPN2 beginning at 1:00pm ET.

The other set of races that surround the racing action is to be supplied by The Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel cars, the Mazda Playboy MX-5 Cup, and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda - both feature a two-race weekend. The last time the Mazda Playboy MX-5 Cup, and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series were together was a weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Diamond Cellar Classic June 14-16, 2013.

The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda will contesting Rounds 7 and 8 in a 14 Round season. Sean Rayhall and Comprent Motorsports Robert Talbott Inc sponsored #14 Elan DP-02 currently lead the points and this feat was produced by scoring points in only five of the six races run to date. Rayhall would be the first to say that this has been a great team effort.

Sean Rayhall appears to be poised to repeat the feat that launched him into the points lead with a double win weekend like he had at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. All three practice sessions had Sean in the lead, or barely #2 by 9/100s of a second.

8Star Motorsports #2 driven by Christian Potolicchio takes the Qualifications for Rounds 7 & 8 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the The Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix. Image Credit: John Dagys via 8Star Facebook

Before qualifications for the weekend's Rounds, Sean Rayhall had these responses to the following questions.

1- Is this your first time at this track? If so, What is you favorite impression of the track (corners, difficulties, and etc.)?

Yes it is my first time at the track and I absolutely love the high speed corners as well as it really being a drivers track!

2- With two races over the next couple of days, what do you see are the critical sections of the track and what do you intend to be on the look-out for?

Critical sections rely on the high speed areas and having enough aero without hurting the straight line speed before the back straight!

3- Pre-Race - What are the team's thoughts on the upcoming weekend's races (Rounds #5 & #6)? Is your team back to full strength?

Team thoughts are to have a smooth consistent weekend, and come away with good points for the championship, but we always are in it to win it! - Yes.

4- Additional thoughts on being at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and rubbing elbows with the folks in the other series racing this weekend.

Additional thoughts are I am also coaching for 8Star Motorsports Lites programs for the remaining of the season so working side by side with LeMans winner Enzo Potolicchio is an absolute pleasure!
ENDS

After qualifications for Rounds 7 and 8, the Comprent #14 driven by Sean Rayhall outpaced the competition in similarly prepared Elan DP-02s.

Results communicated through a Facebook entry in the following manner:

@TheEDJE
Sean Rayhall - P1 - Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Qualifying - 1:14.238 | 119.244mph - @CTMPOfficial @IMSALites ‪#‎CTMP‬ ‪#‎Mobil1SCGP‬

The #14 was 1.035 clear of Ryan Booth's Performance Tech #18 and faster by 1.64mph!!! Whoa, the Comprent guys really had the Elan hooked up.

Excellent set-up for the Mobil1SCGP race weekend.

@prnmag
@IMSALites top three from qual: 1. Sean Rayhall 2. Ryan Booth 3. Daniel Goldburg. Race 1 at 5:10 pm ET @CTMPOfficial #Mobil1SCGP
— at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda Series has the GREEN Flag dropping in Race One at 5:10 p.m. ET Saturday. Race Two is set for Sunday, July 21 at 8:10 a.m. ET -   wake up early!!

If one is following the action, either at the track or on internet services ... it's like, don't blink, you'll miss something.

... notes from The EDJE

Sean Rayhall visits the cusp of Rahal racing history at Mid-Ohio

Sean Rayhall leads Ryan Booth around Andretti Hairpin in Turn 2 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Emily Rogers via Motorsport.com

Sean Rayhall visits the cusp of Rahal racing history at Mid-Ohio

While not directly related to the Bobby and Graham wing of this racing racing family, Sean Rayhall shares the Lebanese DNA, speed, and racing passion the more familiar Rahal family share in automobile motorsport.

This weekend, Rayhall will be racing in the 2013 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series at Mid-Ohio ... a venue that has a long and storied history with the Ohio-based Rahal family that started out over 50 years ago when Bobby attended his first race as a kid with his father.

Bobby grew up and with the early support of Jim Truman, the one-time owner of the track at Mid-Ohio, won several times with a pair of wins in IMSA GT, IROC and of course CART. The Ohioan won the Indy 500 as driver in 1986 for TrueSports, a team sponsored and built through the efforts of Jim Truman, on the way to capturing three CART championships to his Rahal name.

Graham Rahal, Bobby's son, has always considered the Lexington, Ohio-based track a home track due to his father's history running there but Graham is frank about being stumped at doing well at Mid Ohio. Last year, he shared before a Mid-Ohio IndyCar test teleconference, "I've never really had a great result there. We've always been fast there. We've had some really strong runs, but we always have contact, I made a mistake in 2009, 2010. We were kind of charging through the field, made contact with Danica. Things have not been quite what we want."

Sean Rayhall's Comprent Motorsports Robert Talbott Mazda as it negotiates the flat corners of Sebring. Image Credit: Eric Gilbert via Motorsport.com

Sean Rayhall currently leads the points championship, in a very tight grouping, as the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series heads into Mid-Ohio for two races - Rounds 5 and 6 of a 14 Round series season. Sean has 58 points followed closely by four drivers that are all within 13 points of each other (Mikhail Goikhberg - 57, Ryan Booth - 56, Daniel Goldburg - 52, and Scott Tucker - 45).

If Sean is able to have the same success as he did at the last two race venue of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (where he captured the pole starting position and won the 2 races), he would be able to take command of the championship and make the kind of statement few drivers are able to make at near mid season.

With the pressure on, and starting out the year in the first race at Sebring not scoring any points at all, Sean Rayhall answered a few questions going into the weekend at this famed road race course ... not looking at the Rahal family history, but to set a tone at making his own Rayhall history for his first time run at Mid-Ohio.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course track map. Image Credit: The Free Radical

START
No points were scored in Round #1 ... did you race, and if so, what were the circumstances that led to not scoring a single point?

The circumstances were a failure with the shift mechanism in the car.

Have you ever driven Mid-Ohio in a race car, a track car, ... or even walked the course - how familiar are you to Mid-Ohio (general reflections)?

We tested at Mid-Ohio a few weeks ago. I have a lot of confidence in the car and the team after how the test went.

With two races, again, over the next couple of days, what do you see are the critical sections of the track and what do you intend to be on the look-out for?

Every corner at this place is critical, because most of them lead into another. So, consistently having a smooth flow is key from a driving standpoint.

Pre-Race - What are the team's thoughts on the upcoming weekend's races (Rounds #5 & #6)?

Teams thoughts are always to win, but we are really focused on making our car even more consistent for the race. Yes, we hope for the pole, but a long race on this course with an ill handling car can lose races.

Additional thoughts on the season so far - racing in Prototype Lites from previous experiences - and what you are looking forward to after this weekend in the heartland of "Rahal" country?

The prototype Lites championship is going extremely well, I am fortunate to be a part of it and wear Robert Talbott's name in every event! I am looking for a smooth weekend in Ohio behind the wheel of this Robert Talbott Mazda, and looking forward to making Racing Radios, Race Lite Protection, Comprent Motorsports and Jerry Peters proud as well!
ENDS

The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda title chase resumes this weekend (June 15-16) with a doubleheader at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The teams and drivers first roll on-course at Mid-Ohio today, Thursday (June 13), taking part in three track test sessions. The Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda doubleheader officially commences Friday (June 14) with a morning practice session, followed by the lone qualifying run after the lunch break. Round Five is scheduled to take place on Saturday (June 15) at 9:10 am local time, while Round Six is slated for Sunday (June 16) at 12:55 pm local time. Live timing and scoring will be available at http://prototypelites.com/timing/html

... notes from The EDJE

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**Article first seen as Sean Rayhall Visits The Cusp Of Rahal Racing History At Mid-Ohio at Motorsports Unplugged**

Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

If one is a race fan and the sound of this last name sounds familiar, it's because this sound ... Rayhall/Rahal/etc., no matter how it's spelled, is the sound of winning.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

This sound has an additional historic significance at one of California's racing treasures, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (MRLS). Bobby Rahal had won more races at MRLS as a ChampCar driver, then team owner, and ALMS sports car team owner (all combined) than anyone else in the history of the storied race track, and since September, 2003 his name is linked to the facility in perpetuity. The challenging section of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from the exit of Turn 6 up the hill and through the Turn 7 kink to the entrance of the Corkscrew was named the "Rahal Straight," honoring one of the true greats of this historic venue.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

Last weekend had this familiar sound winning yet again, but this sound is not spelled like the name of the back uphill straight at MRLS. Sean Rayhall shares much of the same DNA from Lebanon as the other, more famous Rahal sounding/spelling family, but much more importantly, shares the ways of winning domination at MRLS. First, by posting a P1 in qualifications for the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda two race weekend. Then, by winning both Friday's Round 3 and Saturday's Round 4 of this 2013 Mazda ladder series season.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

"Qualifications went really well - for the Comprent Motor Sports Machine," Sean Rayhall said. "The Robert Talbott No. 14 got the pole for both races so we are really excited about that.  Me and Mike (Brandon - engineer) worked really hard these past few nights to get the perfect set up and we made a lot of changes. But it ended up being the right way to go!"

At the end of Round 4 on Saturday when asked about the weekend, the 18-year-old Sean Rayhall said, "We had a little competition on the start of the race I guess but I am really happy to come away with Robert Talbott winning both these races. This is an awesome event and it's awesome to be here at Laguna with everyone and to come away with two poles and two wins for Robert Talbott, Comprent Motor Sports and Racing Radios. I really have to thank everyone behind me in my program for giving me a chance to do this."
(ht: prototypelites.com)

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

When pressed about the competition at the start of Round 4, Sean shared, "Me and Ryan Booth had some hard side to side racing [at the start] in the second race. Even a bit of contact going into [turn] two between us, but after that it was clear sailing!"

In a post race question laden conversation with Sean Rayhall, it was discovered that this winning attitude at MRLS was developed quite recently, in that Sean first drove this track "a month ago in a SCCA event actually driving a spec racer. We broke the track record by a second and had a ton of fun learning the track with 3 wins."

What age did you discover that you wished to become a race car driver and what was your first venture in driving competitively (Karts? Sports cars?)?

"I started karts at 7 and wanted to be a race car driver since then. Moved to cars at 12 where I broke the record for youngest driver to win an open wheel race in the states."

Besides the infamous Corkscrew ... what other section of the track do you find challenging? And, Why?

"At Mazda Raceway besides the Corkscrew ... turn 6 [going into the "Rahal Straight" section] and turn 9 ["Rainey Curve"] are interesting turns because of the high speed and elevation changes involved which take a fine setup to handle correctly in those areas."

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

After Rounds 3 and 4 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, it now can be said of this young, new Rayhall on the motorsports racing scene, the Rahal that has a winning legacy connection with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca isn't just named Bobby ... or Graham (found a P3 finish in Star Mazda 2005 - ?) ... but also Sean with the last name sounding the same but spelled Rayhall!

With continued dominate success, they may have to name the currently unnamed Turn 6, going into the "Rahal Straight", "Rayhall Curve" ... Y? what the L! (the two missing letters from the name of the next section), just a thought.

... notes from The EDJE


Featured Article >>>

**Article first posted as Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca at Motorsports Unplugged** 

** Republished as "RACING: Rayhall sets own winning legacy" at the Douglas County Sentinel, Douglasville, GA **