IN THE COCKPIT: Guy Cosmo, Daytona Test

GRAND-AM

IN THE COCKPIT: Guy Cosmo, Daytona Test

Extreme Speed Motorsports' Guy Cosmo files his first "In The Cockpit" column following a productive and successful GRAND-AM test at Daytona...

Guy Cosmo | http://www.guycosmo.com | Posted January 10, 2012

Guy Cosmo will have a busy 2012, tackling both the ALMS and select rounds of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. (Photo: John Dagys)

Hello, and welcome to my new SPEED.com "In The Cockpit" column! For those of you that don't know me, I'm just a regular 'Guy', originally from Long Island, New York, now residing in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida - and I like to drive!

For those of you who do know me, well, "Hi". Here's a quick background on me: I began racing go karts at the age of 13, competed in all the U.S. open-wheel feeder series, won races and championships, couldn't find a few million dollars to break into Indy Lights or the IndyCar, and decided to give sports car racing a shot. I quickly recognized that was a much better decision for me.

Since 2003 I've raced solely on North American soil between GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series, and I've loved every minute of it. I've driven in or for what seems like nearly every team, every class and almost every car in ALMS, Rolex Series and Continental Tire Challenge over the past few years, so I guess diversity is my game!

Guy Cosmo will share the wheel of the No. 03 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia Grand Am with Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Ed Brown. (Photo: John Dagys)

I currently drive for Scott Sharp's Extreme Speed Motorsports/Tequila Patrón Ferrari program in the American Le Mans Series GT category. I've been there since the team's inception and have re-signed once again to begin my third season, which I'm quite excited about! How's that for a quick get-to-know-me?

That was then, this is now: let's talk 2012!

This year our program at Extreme Speed Motorsports is based primarily around our full season commitment to the American Le Mans Series GT program, where we run two Ferrari 458 Italia GT cars with our increasingly popular Tequila Patrón livery (and boy are those cars good looking!). After running the F430 GT in year one and moving to the new 458 Italia last year, we're well-sorted and looking forward to a successful season in ALMS competition.

In addition, we ordered another new toy direct from Italy and are going to run a limited schedule of races in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT class. With yet another Ferrari 458 Italia (Grand-Am spec) in our stable, we will contest the series' new North American Endurance Challenge, including the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen and the inaugural race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - and possibly one or two more events during the year. Needless to say, this is going to be a very exciting season for me behind the wheel of a few Italian-blooded machines.

Within our full season two car program, Scott Sharp and Johannes van Overbeek share the #01 Ferrari while I drive the #02 Ferrari with the President & CEO of the Patrón Spirits Company, Ed Brown. Having only a few years of racing experience under his belt before stepping up to the ultra-competitive level of professional sports car racing in North America, Ed has done surprisingly well.

My role within the team is two-fold: part race car driver, part driver coach and mentor. Two very different mindsets to hold on a race weekend, but something I really enjoy and fortunately, can handle pretty well. Ed's a great student and has improved considerably since we've ventured into this new program. Heading up the world's top ultra-premium Tequila brand and going wheel to wheel with the best racing drivers in the world is not an easy task, and certainly one he doesn't take lightly.

His dedication to becoming a pro-level racing driver is impressive. Ed refuses to be treated like anything other than a driver with high expectations of him, and I certainly don't sugar-coat the process with him. He has to perform on this team just like the rest of us. There have definitely been times I was convinced I was going to be fired for being harsh and taking the situation way too far, but hey - I wasn't hired to kiss his butt! I was hired to transform him into a pro-level race car driver, and the quicker I do so, the quicker he and I will have results in our #02 car.

The best part is that we really have fun in this team. Scott has assembled an amazingly talented group of people - everyone in the team is among the best at what they do - but there are no attitudes, there's no drama. We all get along really well and have a lot of fun while working towards our common goal. It's really a wonderful program to be a part of, and I'm loving it.

What's more fun is that for this Grand-Am program, our first race of the year is the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona and all four of us drivers will be in one car together. That's a first for us and something we're all looking forward to doing. We just finished up our second test with the car at Daytona - the Roar Before the Rolex 24 - and came away on top of the time sheets on the final day, and logged the second quickest time in GT over the course of the three day test. We're all excited at the progress we've made and can't wait for the race weekend. However, we know it won't be easy... we look forward to the challenge!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my next blog here on SPEED.com, where I'll get into more detail on the differences between the Ferrari 458 Italia race cars and some other good stuff!

~Guy

A driver for Extreme Speed Motorsports in both the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, Guy Cosmo is an accomplished prototype and GT veteran and 2005 ALMS Rookie of the Year. You can follow him on Twitter @GuyCosmo or on Facebook.