in Monticello Motor Club Debut

First-time winners include debuting drivers Rob Sechan and Bob Smith

New Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship competitors stepped into the spotlightand Victory Lanethis past weekend at Monticello Motor Club at the inaugural HSR Monticello Historic Races, July 2729.

Rob Sechan came home a winner in the very first race of his career in Saturdays opening sprint and backed it up with a second victory on Sunday to sweep the weekends pair of sprint races.  Sechan competes in his white and black-striped No. 86 Cayman S in the livery of the Texaco Havoline Star Bayside Motorsports Porsche 962, a top IMSA GTP contender fielded by Bruce Leven.  Although Sechan has participated in six club races and numerous lapping days at Monticello, this past weekend marked his first true race in a points-paying championship.

I felt like I would do well, I didnt think that I would win the races, but the reason I thought I would do well is that it was at my home track, said Sechan, who runs his Cayman S out of the SpeedSport Tuning prep shop that is owned and operated by Spencer Cox. I drive Monticello an awful lot, probably three times a month, so I have a good feel for the track and I think that contributed to my advantage a lot.

Bob Smith, co-driving with Cox, was also a first-time winner in his No. 17 Cayman S that carries the familiar white and black-and-red striped factory Porsche colors.  Smith and Cox won Sundays featured enduro race, which also marked the first Pirelli Cayman victory for Cox who is an experienced Porsche racer in addition to running SpeedSport Tuning.

Runner-up honors in the enduro went to Kim Estep who was another debuting driver in her all-white No. 7 Cayman S that will soon be adorned with a familiar historic livery. Estep co-drove with Peter Argetsinger, a member of the well-known Argetsinger family that has been linked to Watkins Glen for decades, who helped her clinch the Monticello weekends JRZ Suspension Engineering Fine Tuning Award.  The JRZ honor is presented to the driver at each Pirelli Cayman event weekend that shows the most on-track progress and improved lap times working through set-up and suspension changes.

Doug Hirsch, yet another debuting driver, finished second in both sprints in a white and rainbow-hued No. 71 Cayman S modeled after the 1980 Apple Computer/Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 935 K3 driven at Le Mans by Bobby Rahal, Bob Garretson and Allan Moffat.

Hirsch and Sechan also teamed up for the enduro in the No. 71 and each driver picked up another podium showing with a hard-fought run to third place.

This Cayman Interseries is just phenomenal, Sechan said. The group that they have put together is just fantastic, HSR does a great job, and when I was thinking about what series to join about a year ago when I bought the car I could tell right away what type of quality group this is, and its just fantastic.

Brazils Eduardo de Souza Ramos was also among the notables making his first Pirelli Cayman Interseries start.  Ramos took delivery of his new Porsche Napleton Racing (PNR) Cayman S at Monticello but instead raced the PNR red and white No. 14 Cayman S that pays tribute to a Richard Lloyd Racing Canon Porsche 956. Ramos finished third in Saturdays opening sprint, earning a podium finish in his very first Pirelli Cayman Interseries race. His regular ride in the future will be a white and orange No. 5 Cayman S modeled after a long-tail 1969 Porsche 908 that raced in Europe.

This is the biggest influx of new Pirelli Cayman Interseries competitors that we have seen in a long time and it was good to get back to racing after a break of more than two months since our Road America race, said Napleton Porsche of Westmont General Manager Ron Barnaba.  We had great racing the last time we ran at Road America and picked right up where we left off in our first appearance at the fantastic Monticello Motor Club in the inaugural HSR race here.  Tom Gravalos from Pirelli made the trip from New York City to spend some time with us on Saturday and Ari Straus and the entire team at Monticello did a great job in making us feel welcome.

Next up for the Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship is the Atlanta Historic Races weekend at Road Atlanta, September 1316.

About The Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship: Established in 2009 by Napleton Porsche of Westmont, Illinois, the Pirelli Cayman Interseries Endurance Cup Championship is North Americas only auto racing series featuring the exclusive use of the 320-horsepower Porsche Cayman S.  Sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), the Pirelli Cayman Interseries conducted its first official seasons in 2010 and 2011 and crowned a pair of champion drivers in both the sprint and endurance racing formats each year. Races are run on legendary circuits such as Daytona, Sebring, Road Atlanta, Road America and other premier venues. Every competing Porsche Cayman S is exclusively supplied and prepared by Napleton Porsche and each car competes with an assigned and specific heritage livery themed after a famous Porsche race car from the past.  Learn more about the Cayman Interseries at CaymanInterseries.org. Phone calls direct to Napleton Porsche may be made at (630) 725-0911 and email inquiries can be sent to racing@napletonmotorsports.com.