AVONDALE, Arizona -- They had no chance to test, they had too short a gear for the track and a fuel rig malfunction during the race cost them time on the pit stop. The last problem led C. T. Hellmund and the Suzuki Motorcycles and ATVs/Pontiac Grand Prix team to change only two tires instead of making a second stop to get two more. But they finished seventh in the Bosch Spark Plug 150.
"As always, we were working with an all-volunteer crew and we had an aerodynamic fossil of a car, but Dave Riggs and the guys did an awesome job," Hellmund said after the race. "We didn't win, but we got the season off to a decent start and on used tires we were as good as anybody. Even though we only took two tires the entire race, I don't think the 16 or the 77 could have passed us if not for our bad luck when the 61 spun."
"We brought four gears to Phoenix, borrowed another and all of them were too tall," Hellmund said. "I was on the rev limiter halfway down the back straight during the entire weekend."
Hellmund lost several spots when the fuel hose malfunctioned. To save time, he and the Suzuki crew elected to change only the right-side tires while most drivers stopped a second time under a yellow to change the other two. Still, Hellmund and the crew were satisfied with the finish.
"Heck, two weeks ago we had a 1999 car we had last run at the Bullring in 2002." Hellmund said. "To roll this thing out of a barn, throw it together in a few days and race all day in the top ten and finish seventh at a track we had never been to, we'll take that and keep moving forward. Hopefully we can land one of the deals we are working on and level the playing field."
