For Immediate Release
August 17, 2009 - Calgary, Alberta – Whissell Motorsports twice bitten at the GP3R 100
It was a difficult weekend for the driver and crew of the #44 SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford as the team battled mechanical issues all weekend. An 18th place finish was the best driver Jarrad Whissell could do as he fell 11 laps behind due to an electrical issue on lap 1 of the race.
Once the team replaced the battery the engine ran fine through the race. Whissell then had to contend with an ill handling car. “The car was very twitchy throughout the race and I was not able to push it as much as I wanted to.” Whissell commented. The set up and suspension issues were a problem throughout the weekend.
In practice Whissell narrowly missed hitting the wall when a rear suspension mount failed as he ran the curb in corner 10A on to the front straight. On lap 3 of qualifying he brushed the right front tire on the wall in corner 10, damaging the wheel, and front suspension. “With all the suspension issues we had, we seemed to be chasing the set up around mechanical issues,” crew chief Brent Hougestol said. “Based on the driver’s feedback of how the car was handling in the race, I think there is something more than just the wrong set up on the car.”
This follows Whissell’s debut last year at the track where he did not finish due to a rear end failure. “I am disappointed to have another mechanical problem at this track,” Jarrad said. “The Quebec fans here are so passionate and we met a lot of great people, it would have been great to have a strong run in front of them.”
Andrew Ranger won the GP3R 100, with Anthony Simone finishing second and DJ Kennington Finishing third.
Up next for Whissell Motorsports is the Napa 100 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on August 29 and 30.
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For more information, contact Jarrad Whissell
Office: 403.236.2200
Cellular: 403.888.9050
Fax: 403.236.8834
e-mail: racing@whissell.ca
Thank-you to all of our sponsors for their continued support. We are pleased to be associated with great companies like SMS Equipment, Komatsu, Wolseley, Lafarge and Frontier Fabrication. The team continues to look for opportunities to partner with other great companies.
www.nascar.ca www.smsequip.com www.lafarge.ca www.wolseleyinc.ca www.frontierfab.caDriver Jarrad Whissell is currently 22nd in points after competing in 3 of the 9 completed races in 2009 . The next event for the team is the Napa 100 in Montreal on August 30th. In 2008, Jarrad finished 25th overall in the 2008 NASCAR CATS standings after competing in 4 of 13 races. Previously he was the Western Canadian Motorsport Association (WCMA) 2005 Rookie of the year. In 2006, Jarrad won the overall WCMA and Challenge Car titles. For 2007 Jarrad won the WCMA Formula Libra championship.
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=10366.msg71960#msg71960
