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ALMS: 10 Questions With Guy Cosmo
Extreme Speed Motorsports driver discusses team’s debut season and progress made with No. 02 Ferrari.
John Dagys  |  Posted July 15, 2010   Chicago, IL
Guy Cosmo has teamed with Patron Spirits CEO Ed Brown this year in the highly competitive GT division. (John Dagys)
Guy Cosmo has been around the block in the sportscar racing world. From his stint with B-K Motorsports in the American Le Mans Series, where he captured Rookie of the Year honors in 2005 to multiple seasons in GRAND-AM at the wheel of Daytona Prototypes, Cosmo has been one of the more underrated drivers in the paddock.

Struggling to find a full-time drive in either series amid the economic downturn, Cosmo hit the jackpot late last year when he signed with Scott Sharp’s Extreme Speed Motorsports outfit for 2010, pairing with Patron Spirits CEO Ed Brown in the team’s No. 02 Ferrari F430 GT.

We caught up with Cosmo to get his thoughts on the team’s debut season, his role as driver coach to Brown and a glimpse into the remainder of the season. It’s all a part of the latest installment of ‘10 Questions.’

DAGYS: Following partial seasons in GRAND-AM and the ALMS last year, how does it feel to step up to a full-time drive, and of the caliber of Extreme Speed Motorsports?
Cosmo, Brown and Joao Barbosa recorded a season-best sixth place finish at the season-opening Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. (John Dagys)

COSMO: It's just wonderful. Competing full time in a high-profile series such as ALMS is something I've been working hard to put together for a long time now. And although I am considered one of the busiest drivers in North American sports car racing, I've just never had the full seasons to chase down championships yet. 

I'm very excited this year to be in ALMS full time, but more so about being a part of such an incredible program with Extreme Speed Motorsports.

DAGYS: What attracted you to an upstart team in ESM? Was there anything in particular that stood out from other possible opportunities?

COSMO: Well firstly was merely the opportunity. When a new team is announced in any form of racing, the quantity of responses from drivers and team personnel for that team is astounding, and it's very hard to stand out in the crowd.

For me, I was able to forge a good relationship with Scott Sharp and Ed Brown during the 2009 season while I was teamed with John Baker at Orbit Racing. That allowed me a great opportunity to get to know Ed and Scott well, and in their case, an opportunity for them to have an intimate view of how I worked with John as a driver coach, and obviously my work ethic within a race team as well as my skill behind the wheel.

For me, this is a 'dream come true' program. The team's approach since inception is to be one of the strongest, most technically capable organizations out there, competing at the highest level of GT racing. They hired incredibly talented people in all departments of the team, have an amazing technical partner in Ferrari & Corse Clienti, have a hugely successful ultra-premium brand as a major sponsor in Patron Tequila, and are all purely wonderful people to work and deal with.  

They believe in my ability and in what I can contribute to the team, and I believe in their ability to roll out one of the most successful racing programs - on track and off - among all of the greats in this series.  To say I'm ecstatic is an understatement.

DAGYS: Four races in, have you been pleased with the early season progress made within the team?

COSMO: I think the team has done a great job thus far. We rolled out of the box being very competitive, speed-wise. As with any new team it takes time to gel and to nail down all the little details, such as race strategy, pit stops, driver changes, etc., and we haven't had any true 'failures' there at all.  

But when you're competing against the best in the business, it requires every aspect of the team and performance to be at 100 percent - and we're almost there.  I'm really pleased with our outright speed with the Ferraris thus far. We've shown to be very quick in a very short period of time, and it won't be long before we get everything else right and we're on the podium. That's a result of the talent that was hired for the program and the desire within all of us to perform at our best.

DAGYS: You've played the role of driver coach to many racers as of late - John Baker, Derek Johnston just to name a few. You're now paired with Ed Brown, who made the step up to GT. Do you have to take a different mental approach with each co-driver, depending on their levels of experience? Explain that process.

COSMO: It’s definitely a different approach depending on each driver's background and experience. Ed and I get along extremely well, and that's probably the most important part to begin with. He trusts in my process with him and knows that what I'm telling him won't get him into trouble.
Under new-for-2010 ACO rules, Brown (l) and Cosmo (m) would make for a perfect pairing in the 'GT AM' category. No word, though, if the class will make its way to the ALMS. (John Thawley/Guy Cosmo Racing)

Ed's taking a very big step in his driving this year, and I'm really proud of the job he's done thus far. I really believe he's got what it takes to be a very competitive driver at this level, but the hardest thing for any driver to recognize is that this all just takes time. He's got to learn the tracks, adapt to the car and deal with all his surroundings - in the paddock as well as on the track - and it's a lot to soak in.  

We are laying the ground work for him to have a great season next year, and if we pull off some decent results this year, that's an added bonus. He's very serious about his performance as a driver and I admire that in him. However, just because he's the sponsor and big boss among us doesn't mean I'm too careful. I am absolutely relentless with him, and he get's a kick out of how hard I'm working him.  

DAGYS: Have you seen Ed’s skill level improve and/or become more comfortable in the Ferrari since Sebring?

COSMO: Most definitely. He's improving every lap he drives the Ferrari and cataloging all that information and experience. Although there hasn't been a huge decrease in his lap times yet, he's faster every weekend in comparison with Johannes, Scott and myself.  

But most importantly is that Ed's not reckless. He hardly ever puts a wheel wrong which allows him all the track time he can get, and rarely ever has any set backs. I'm excited to see how well he goes now that the series gains momentum with the schedule in the coming months.

DAGYS: It's obvious the GT class is the most competitive category in the ALMS. With such a large field, has it become a double-edged sword in a way when trying to reach your goals?

COSMO: Not really. I believe the only way to step up your game is to compete against the toughest competition. With the GT class in ALMS being so strong this year we are getting the best introduction into the category and collecting the best information possible.

We know exactly where we need to be because we're racing against teams that not only in ALMS all the time, but teams with incredible records in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well. We are literally competing against the best teams in the world. This was the perfect time to step into the series.

DAGYS: Heading into the summer stretch of races, which track do you think the car and team will perform best at?

COSMO: It's hard to say if there will be a track that stands out as better for us.  Personally, I don't think so. I think our development program is one that truly shows our performance and ability no matter where we are, as we are pushing for our best everywhere we go.  

Perhaps from a driving and coaching perspective, there may be better tracks for Ed than others, but that's based mostly off his experience at those tracks. Like as of now, he's never been to Mosport, and that is a very challenging track, especially for a newcomer.  

If I were to purely guess, I'd say Road America because that's a track where we 'should' have the easiest time with the traffic between all the different classes and the time to get everything right with the long lap times. At a place like Lime Rock, if you blink, you may have missed something.
Only four races into its debut season, Extreme Speed Motorsports has proved to be one of the rising teams in the ALMS paddock. (John Dagys)

DAGYS: Have you set any specific targets for the remainder of the ALMS season?

COSMO: The most important goal I've got for Ed and I in the No. 02 car is Ed's progress. I want to make sure that he finishes the season being closer to us pros and really prepared to attack in 2011. I'm not really concerned about our finishing position as much as I am on his progression.  

Of course, if all things are going well, a top-five finish is my first goal, followed by a podium - which I think would be an incredible feat for Ed and I, but we'll see. On a personal level, I've been qualifying the car at the races thus far and one definite goal of mine is to grab a pole position this year. That's definitely one goal I've got.

DAGYS: The ACO announced a new category called ‘GT AM’ in Europe, essentially for GT cars with gentlemen drivers paired with a professional. Do you feel this could be a beneficial class, or sub-category to adopt in the ALMS?

COSMO: I do think it could be a good class for the future in ALMS. It's the nature of sports car racing and has been for a long time, to have gentlemen drivers racing in endurance championships. These drivers are not only the lifeblood of a series like ALMS, where they are team owners, sponsors and drivers, but they are truly supportive individuals who have helped the American Le Mans Series grow into the series it is today.  

A class dedicated to the non-professional gentlemen drivers would be a nice reward and an interesting championship for these guys, and one that would also see some great racing - because there is no doubt these drivers are absolutely skilled behind the wheel.

DAGYS: In addition to your ALMS program with ESM, you’re also racing in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Is it tough to juggle two programs, with two very different cars, over the course of a season?

COSMO: It hasn't been, actually. The two programs and two cars are so hugely different from each other that there's very little overlap or similarities, so it's like switching hats of two different styles.  

My approach or process within the two teams is still the same, adapted to different surroundings and demands. But my work ethic is still the same. The cars are so entirely different to drive that there's no adjustment period either.

However I've been driving hugely different cars week in and week out - sometimes on the same weekends - for a long enough time now that I just flick a switch in my brain and' bam', I'm ready to rock right out of the pit box.  I love the challenge and the versatility.

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