By: Turn 3 Racing 
June 24 2019 

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin – In a record size field of 39 entries in the Blue Marble Cocktails Radical Cup at Road America, Turn 3 Motorsport earned a win and two second place finishes in the 1500 class with driver Antoine Comeau.

Comeau started the weekend by qualifying second for the first of three races over the weekend. After the green flag fell, Comeau stayed on the pace throughout the race to eventually finish on the second step of the podium.

Race two saw the driver of the #10 Eastern Shipping SR3 RSX 1500 car take the lead from Jordan Missig on lap one and continue to exchange positions with the leaders during the 40-minute event. On the second to last lap, Comeau took the lead from Gustavo Rafols one last time to win the 1500 class race.

Sunday’s forecast of intermittent rain provided a challenge for T3M’s race strategy, particularly with the mandatory pit stop that occurs in the final race of every Radical Cup weekend. After a downpour of rain before the green flag, Comeau and the team decided to start the race on rain tires.

Comeau’s tenacity showed in race three when he overtook five cars on the first lap and raced his way up to first in class and second overall by the end of lap two. Comeau was leading the overall race by lap four, and as the track dried up, the team made the decision to switch to slick tires during the pit stop. After a hard fought battle, Comeau ultimately finished second overall and in the 1500 class. Comeau’s consistent results over the weekend helped extend his lead in the driver’s championship as he goes into the second half of the season.

“After a strong start to the season at VIR and Barber, Road America wasn’t quite as strong of a track for us,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “However, I was very happy to see that even in not ideal circumstances, Antoine (Comeau) did a great job managing the car in all three races. On days where you can’t win, it’s important to bring the car home, collect points, and extend the lead in the championship which is exactly what he did.”

Teammate and driver of the #20 Eastern Shipping SR3 RSX 1340 car Eric Wagner went into the weekend as part of a large entry list of 1340 class cars, setting him up for a highly competitive event in the Radical Cup. Wagner finished 11th in class in race one and earned a qualifying lap time that had him starting eighth for race two. In race two, Wagner consistently put in faster times with nearly every lap and finished seventh in class.

For Sunday’s third and final race, Wagner ran on rain tires due to the unpredictable wet weather. Wagner found his stride in race three, charging from a ninth place starting position up to fourth in class during the first few laps. After a quick pit stop, Wagner was up to second in the 1340 class and continued to push hard until the end of the race. Wagner crossed the finish line in fifth position and earned enough points over the weekend to extend his lead in the 1340 class driver’s championship.

“Road America was a challenging track for Eric (Wagner), but he steadily improved throughout the weekend,” said Team Owner Peter Dempsey. “When the rain came out in the third race, he excelled by passing the majority of the 1340 class cars ahead of him. Unfortunately, the track dried out quickly, and he ended up finishing fifth. Despite the weather, he did a fantastic job racing his way up to second by mid-race. I’m very happy to have the consistent results that extended his lead in the championship.”

“This weekend was very challenging for the team with some issues that were out of our control,” continued Dempsey. “On Thursday, we had some engine issues on Antoine’s car and worked until 1:30am. Then we had some chassis damage on the same car that had us working through the night on Friday. The long hours took their toll on the team, but the guys performed exceptionally even after only a couple hours of sleep, so I really want to thank them for all their hard work. We had strong finishes throughout the weekend, and I’m proud of the work each individual put in.”

“I’d also like to say a special thank you to all the Radical Cup teams in the paddock for showing their support and helping us with parts. That’s one of the great things about this series; everyone is there to support each other. We are looking forward to continuing with the second half of the season.”

Now at the halfway point of the season, T3M will leave Round 3 of the Radical Cup as the leaders in the both the 1340 and 1500 class championships.

Round 4 of the Blue Marble Cocktails Radical Cup North America continues at Portland International Raceway from August 9-11.

To stay up to date on Turn 3 Motorsport, follow the team on Facebook and Instagram using the handle @turn3motorsport.

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