May 17,  2009 – ATLANTA, GA – Pulling double driving duty at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California this past weekend, Todd Lamb of Atlanta, GA had a very successful weekend in two distinctly different series during the Verizon Festival of Speed. In the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup series, Lamb qualified on the pole and won Round Two,  and in the Koni Sports Car Challenge Lamb and co-driver Glenn Bocchino finished second in GS competition.

Driving for Atlanta Motorsports Group in the MX-5 Cup series, Lamb overcame mechanical issues during testing to set the fastest times in both the final practice and qualifying in the AMG #84 Luna-C/Traqmate Mazda. 

Lamb led 22 of the 24 race laps on the way to his first SCCA Pro Racing victory in just his second MX-5 Cup start. Lamb joined AMG after missing the first race of the series, but plans to run the remainder of the events to contend for the championship at the end of the season.

“What an amazing weekend for AMG! Win, most laps led, and pole – we maximized our points on the weekend and it doesn’t get better than that. I have to thank Jason and everyone at AMG for getting this deal together at the last minute, and Brad Rampelberg for keeping things organized while I was jumping between cars. We’ve got a great setup heading into New Jersey in a few weeks,” said LambContinuing their run with Kinetic Motorsports in the Koni Sports Car Challenge, Lamb and Bocchino started 8th in the 2 1/2 hour race in the GS #32 Cybernation/Cobalt Friction BMW M3. Bocchino ran a very solid first stint, always in the top ten, pitting for fuel, tires, and a driver change during the second caution. Lamb took over and made his way to the front of the field to lead a race high of 26 laps, while being pressured for the lead by several cars. On the final restart with 11 laps remaining, Lamb lost the lead after contact from another car, and had to settle for second at the finish. Still, it was enough to give Lamb his best finish in Koni competition.

Todd Lamb: “After the MX-5 Cup race I had a lot of confidence for a good Koni finish, but the series is very tough and you have to put together a perfect race. The Kinetic crew called a fantastic strategy and the pit stop was flawless. Glenn ran clean during his stint and kept us in touch with the lead pack, and from there I just put my head down and turned fast laps without making mistakes. I didn’t really want to see that last caution, as we had built up a nice lead and had plenty of fuel to get to the end. All in all, a great way to finish up the weekend with second!”The Koni race will be broadcast on SPEED Saturday, May 23rd at noon eastern time.

A lap of in-car video can be found at:www.toddlamb.com/videos/KoniLaguna09.wmv

Lamb and Bocchino will compete in the next round of the Koni Sports Car Challenge this weekend at Lime Rock Park in CT. Lamb will compete in rounds 3 & 4 of the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup series at New Jersey Motorsports Park on June 12-14.About:

Todd Lamb has been racing Mazdas for the past two years, earning two National Championships in Spec Miata competition with OPM/SafeRacer/Traqmate/East Street Auto sponsorship, and winning the 13 Hours of VIR in 2008. Lamb has been competing in Koni Sports Car Challenge for the past 3 years, with 2009 being his first full-season campaign.

MX-5 Partners:
AMG (team) - www.atlantamotorsportsgroup.com
Traqmate (data acquisition) - www.traqmate.com
Luna-C Racing (race inspired clothing) - www.lunacracing.com

Koni Challenge Partners:
Kinetic Motorsports (team) - www.kssmotorsports.com
Cybernation - www.cybernation.net
Cobalt Friction (brakes) - www.cobaltfriction.com
Traqmate (data acquisition) - www.traqmate.com
Saferacer (safety gear) - www.saferacer.com

Posted by Todd Lamb on 05/17 at 11:56 AM


Todd Lamb Signs with Atlanta Motorsports Group to Run Mazda MX-5 Cup

Heading into Round 2 of the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 16, driver Todd Lamb joins Atlanta Motorsports Group regulars Brett Smrz and Bob Michaelian as a late addition to the team roster. Lamb missed Round 1 at Road Atlanta due to other racing commitments but plans to run the remainder of the season with AMG, sponsored by Traqmate and Luna-C Racing.

Lamb has been running the Spec Miata class for the past two seasons and has two National Championships to his credit, so he is no stranger to spec racing or to Mazdas. In addition, Lamb partnered with AMG to finish second in a MX-5 Cup car at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill last winter,  and previously competed in one MX-5 Cup race as a media personality in 2006.

While missing the first race of the season, Lamb still has the opportunity to win the championship this year with solid finishes the rest of the season, due to a rule that requires drivers to drop the points from their worst event. This should suit the Atlanta, GA driver quite well, as he is accustomed to being consistent and avoiding incidents.

Driver Todd Lamb: “Rampelberg and Buras were both very fast in the Hoover/AMG cars last year, and they have been giving me a lot of information about setup to make sure I get up to speed quickly in the series. It’s just a matter of racing clean for the rest of the season and gaining points for a championship. I’m looking forward to returning to the series and the team, and representing Luna-C and Traqmate this season.”

Team Owner, Jason Hoover:  “We’re looking forward to working with Todd again. The experience and feedback he brings to the team will be helpful as we try to squeeze every last ounce of performance from these Mazdas. We’ve got a great driver lineup for Mazda Raceway and we’re expecting great things for Round 2.”

Qualifying begins at 8am Pacific and the 45-minute race begins at 11:25am on Saturday May 16th. Live timing can be found online at www.mx-5cup.com. Television coverage will be aired in June.

About:
Todd Lamb has been racing Mazdas for the past two years, earning two National Championships in Spec Miata competition with OPM/SafeRacer/Traqmate/East Street Auto sponsorship, and winning the 13 Hours of VIR in 2008.

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
More team information can be found online at www.atlantamotorsportsgroup.com/ and www.toddlamb.com.

Posted by Todd Lamb on 05/13 at 11:53 AM