MAPLE, Ontario (April 29, 2014)– Reaction to pressure and nerves can make or break a person. David Ostella insists his nerves keep him on his toes and will help deliver success when the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship returns to action May 3-4 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.
Ostella is aiming for redemption on the Monterey Peninsula after his sliding into the wall and out of his last race, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on March 15.
The first step is concentrating more on his work in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports car and less on his competitors. That’s not easy, considering the Prototype Challenge category boasts veteran stars such as Alex Tagliani and Bruno Junqueira.
“The competition I face in this series has more experience than the previous fields I’ve raced in,” Ostella said. “It is a little intimidating, but it keeps me on my toes to perform well. My goal is to give it 100 percent.”
This is Ostella’s first trip to the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit since 2011. But he still remembers the unique challenges and characteristics of the track, which includes the famous “Corkscrew” turn.
“The PC car is closer to an open-wheel car in comparison to the other sports cars I’ve driven before now,” Ostella said. “So I can take a little from previous experience there. I can usually recall a track pretty well. I’ll use the simulator to help myself learn the track, but the first few laps out will definitely be used to jog my memory.”
Ostella will have only two practice sessions before qualifying Saturday, May 3. He will spend those sessions learning to pick up speed quickly to prepare for a successful qualifying session.
The Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix will feature split races, with two classes each, to thin the large field on the tight, challenging Laguna Seca layout. The PC and GT Daytona race begins at 10:15 a.m. (PT, 1:15 p.m. ET) Sunday, May 4 and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1. Live coverage will continue on FOX Sports 1 for the Prototype-GT Le Mans race, which starts at 2:45 p.m. (PT, 5:45 p.m. ET).
Keep up with Ostella’s on track progress by following him on Twitter at @OstellaCorsa and Facebook. For personal updates from Ostella, follow him on Twitter at @davidostella.