November 12, 2008 – ATLANTA, GA – Closing in on the end of a very successful racing season, Todd Lamb of Atlanta, GA found the top step of the podium at Road Atlanta on November 8th for the American Road Race of Champions presented by Grassroots Motorsports. Lamb, driving his familiar purple #84 Spec Miata, won by .001 second – mere inches – to get the win with a last corner pass.

Driving with OPM Autosports, who prepared the car and handled the trackside support, Lamb qualified third for the 20 lap race and quickly moved into second in the opening laps. Lamb, OPM teammate Craig Foster,  Jason Saini, and Cliff Brown worked together to chase down leader Jeff Labounty, and near the midpoint of the race Lamb took over the lead. Lamb and Labounty traded positions several times throughout the race while pulling away from Foster, Saini, and the rest of the pack.

Labounty had a significant speed advantage on the straightaways, but Lamb, running Hoosier tires, was able to close up in the corners and stay close, hoping for a mistake or a break in traffic. Coming into turn 10A on the final lap Lamb saw opportunity: Labounty locked up the tires and ran a bit wide, allowing Lamb to get a run up the hill out of 10B. Going into the final corner, Lamb and Labounty ran side-by-side just inches apart,  crossing the line in a dead heat. After 10 minutes of deliberation by officials, Lamb was declared the winner of the photo finish.

Todd Lamb: “That was the closest race I’ve ever been a part of. I honestly had no idea who won until they announced the winner while we waited on the podium. My strategy played out exactly as I had hoped and this is a great win for everyone involved. The guys at OPM did a great job preparing the car, and I have to thank SafeRacer, Traqmate, Hoosier, Mazda, East Street Auto, Sunbelt and all of the contingency sponsors for their support.”

Contingency sponsors for the race included Hoosier, Mazda,  OPM, Racer Parts Wholesale, Wheels America, Cool Shirt, and Grassroots Motorsports.

Lamb returns to competition for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill on Dec 6-7.

Posted by Todd Lamb on 11/12 at 11:35 AM


Lamb, Caddell, and Kelly Win VIR 13 Hours

Nov. 4, 2008 – Atlanta, GA – The number 13 isn’t usually lucky, but after 13 hours racing in The Charge of the Headlight Brigade on November 1st at Virginia International Raceway, the driving team of Todd Lamb,  Andrew Caddell and Dwight Kelly found themselves winners of the Spec Miata class.

The trio ran the #83 1990 Spec Miata owned by Steve Devinney, with Carbotech brakes and a Race Engineering 1.6L motor. OPM Autosports prepped the car and provided flawless pit stops. Lamb and Roger Caddell adjusted race strategy on the fly as the hours ticked off and competitors had mechanical issues, which allowed the #83 to pull out a two-lap lead by the end of the race.

Lamb and Caddell are no strangers to endurance racing, or to victory lane. Both have enjoyed successful careers racing Mazdas in recent years with a total of three national championships to their credit, and both won the 25 Hours of Thunderhill together in 2007. Lamb also competes in Koni Challenge competition, Caddell recently won the championship in the Miller Mustang Challenge, and Dwight Kelly competes in NASA and SCCA events.

Andrew Caddell: “It was a great weekend! The whole OPM crew did an amazing job; Todd and Dwight drove flawlessly. I couldn’t have asked for a better race. I’m looking forward to racing with Todd again in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.”

Todd Lamb: “What a way to wind down the season! Andrew had never seen the track until qualifying and got up to speed in record time - he’s a true talent. Dwight is fairly new to Spec Miatas yet didn’t put a wheel wrong during his stints. I have to thank Roger for keeping us on a solid strategy throughout the race, which included being very conservative for the last five hours.”

More information can be found at:
www.toddlamb.com
www.andrewcaddell.com
www.dwightkelly.com

Posted by Todd Lamb on 11/04 at 11:31 AM