Todd Lamb Sets Records to Win Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship
ATLANTA, Ga. - Fresh off another pole and win in Round Nine, Todd Lamb of Atlanta, Ga., wrapped up the season championship in the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup at VIRginia International Raceway last weekend. The pole was Lamb's seventh of the season, and the win was his eighth-straight, setting records for the number of poles (seven), consecutive poles (five), wins and consecutive wins (eight).
Lamb celebrates win number eight at VIR.
Lamb, driving for Atlanta Motorsports Group (AMG), had a
substantial point lead heading into the doubleheader weekend at VIR. The pole
and win in the Round Nine on Saturday extended Lamb's points lead, allowing him
to simply take the green and get to the halfway point of the final race on Sunday
to clinch the Championship. However, things would get very exciting in Round
10.
Lamb was the victim of an incident during the first lap,
requiring him to pit twice under a full-course yellow for repairs to his
Luna-C/Traqmate Mazda. Fortunately, the MX-5 suffered only minor damage and a
tire rub. Quick work by the AMG crew to pound out a fender and replace the
right-rear tire allowed Lamb to restart the race without losing a lap, albeit
in last place. Within six laps, Lamb
worked his way through the field and into the lead, at about the same time the
race reached the halfway mark and he clinched the championship. With two laps to go, another car lost control
at the end of the back straightaway and sent Lamb into the tire wall, ending
his race.
However, as expected, Lamb remained positive about the
weekend: "Despite missing the first race of the year, I came into the MX-5
series with the goal of winning the Championship using my extensive racing
experience. This weekend, our primary focus was the big picture, so to even get
another pole and win on Saturday was just icing on the cake.
"The Championship was won with the hard work we put
into winning races all season. I owe the crew a lot for getting the repairs
done in the last race without losing a lap. I had a very exciting run from last
to first after the restart, so we proved we were there to run for the win even
with the championship on the line.
As a team, we exceeded our goals for the season with the
number of wins and poles - I'm very proud of AMG for everything we accomplished
this year. It is even more rewarding to know that we did it with a Mazda that
was proven time and again to be 100 percent legal, passing an engine teardown,
three days of tech on the entire car, and four protests from other teams.
It was great working with Jason Hoover on setup. As a
mechanical engineer, I like to take a hands-on approach to dialing in the car. Jason
and I shared a very similar viewpoint on how to get the most out of the car for
a given track, and that synergy was certainly a key factor in our
success."
As part of the rewards for winning the championship, Lamb
will race a Mazda in 2010 as a MAZDASPEED driver in the professional racing
ranks. Specific plans will be announced at the Performance Racing Industry Show
in December, or shortly thereafter as Mazda planning is completed.
"I look forward to representing Mazda as a driver next
season in the next step of the MAZDASPEED Driver Development Ladder,” Lamb
concluded. "While plans have yet to be announced, it would be an honor to be a
part of the Mazda family in any series - every vehicle that Mazda puts on the
racetrack is a winner!"
Highlights from the final race are available at: www.youtube.com/mazdamx5cup
Lamb can be followed on Twitter @toddspeed, and additional
information is online at www.toddlamb.com.
Todd Lamb has been racing Mazdas for the past two years,
earning two National Championships in Spec Miata competition in 2007 and 2008,
winning the 13 Hours of VIR in 2008, and the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in 2007
with OPM/SafeRacer/Traqmate/East Street Auto sponsorship.
Atlanta Motorsports Group, founded by Jason Hoover and
recently relocated to Georgia,
campaigns several front-running cars in MX-5 Cup competition. Formerly known as
Hooverspeed, AMG has been involved with MX-5 and Spec Miata racing for many
years.
Sponsors: Traqmate (data acquisition) - www.traqmate.com Luna-C Racing (race inspired clothing) - www.lunacracing.com LunaSee Clothing is an Atlanta
based clothing company that combines art, racing and fashion, infused with a
bit of craziness, to create innovative clothing designs for likeminded
individuals.
