Press Release 10/24/2004

Summit Point (Oct 24th) The Flatoutracing/Guident Technologies race team took home a pair of podium finishes this past weekend with a 2nd place in Saturday's race and a close fought victory in Sunday's crucial race.

The team came into the weekend with a very slim 10 point lead in the championship over Team Hankook's Ian Carpenter. Jon Kofod's results over the weekend leave both competitors dead even on points heading into the final race weekend at Summit in two weeks where the championship will be decided.

Both qualifying and racing mirrored the past couple of races between Team Hankook's Carpenter and Flatoutracing/Guident's Kofod.

On Saturday Carpenter in the #80 Acura Integra out qualified Kofod by less than two tenths of a second. The race was just as close as Kofod's bettered Carpenter's track record from the previous race weekend by three hundredth's of a second. Several laps later Carpenter set a new track record of 1:27.9 to reclaim the H4 record. The lead changed hands several times between Kofod and Carpenter with Carpenter pulling off a late pass in turn 1 with two laps to go to take the win at the checker with Kofod less than three tenths of a second behind.

Sunday would prove to be even closer. Carpenter kept his pole streak alive at three straight out qualifying Kofod by less than one tenth of a second (1:28.298 vs. 1:28.371). During the race Kofod took the lead early on the first lap with Carpenter on his bumper for 4 laps. Carpenter then retook the lead for several laps as the two cars sliced through the entire Porsche 944 Cup field and caught the slower H5 cars by the midpoint of the race. The lead would change several more times with the highlight of the race being Carpenter and Kofod splitting a Porsche 924 at track out in turn 10. (see video)

One the next to last lap Carpenter got a run on Kofod in turn 10 and made the pass, but lost some momentum by taking the inside line. Kofod drafted Carpenter into turn one and pulled out for the inside pass. Both cars went deep into turn 1, braking as late as possible. Both cars struggled to bring their cars under control but Carpenter slid wide at the outside of turn 1 into the dirt with Kofod barely staying on track to continue on for the win in class and the overall win ahead of an H2 and H3 class car.

"It couldn't get any closer this weekend than this", noted Kofod. The two racers were never separated by more two tenths in qualifying and their fastest race laps were even closer being one tenth apart. "I knew if Carpenter got the win today (Sunday) it would be next to impossible to win the title at the last race. I don't think I have ever driven that hard before, I was going for broke on this one and the last lap basically came down to who could brake the latest in turn one and not go off the track. I lost traction and started to run very wide but luckily so did Ian", stated Kofod.

With Carpenter taking two poles at this weekend's races, the two competitors are statistically tied for the championship lead heading into the final weekend Nov. 6th and 7th at Summit Point Raceway.