daytonprowler
03-31-2015, 11:27 AM
From IMSA.com
A victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and fourth-place finish in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida has Al Carter tied for the lead atop the GT Daytona (GTD) standings in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup standings.
Carter and Cameron Lawrence earned points in the No. 93 TI Automotive Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R in both races. Ben Keating also drove the car in both events, but his points are tied to the team’s No. 33 Viper.
Carter’s career highlights include winning at Baltimore in the GTC class in the ALMS in 2012; winning at Kansas in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo in 2013; and two pole positions in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, finishing sixth in the GS championship in 2012.
http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/files/AlCarter-small.jpg
What do you think when you see your name atop the TUDOR Championship GT Daytona point standings?
“I can’t lie, it’s pretty exciting, especially when you see all the names on the list and you know the depth of talent that races in our series. The win at Daytona came from a good, solid race with good, solid teammates, and we kind of repeated that at Sebring, where it would have been nice to have been on the podium. The points are adding up, and that’s the way you win championships.”
You’re also leading the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – will that affect your strategy at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans?
“That’s been really the goal since we started testing the No. 93 Viper back in November, which was to participate and win the Patrón Endurance Cup. We did a good job of that at Daytona; unfortunately, we had a little pit miscue at Sebring. We know when those hours come up, and that’s really what we’ll focus on. When we go to Watkins Glen, it will be all about the three-hour and six-hour marks, and hopefully, we’ll still be in the lead going into Petit Le Mans.”
Is there any chance you will be competing in additional TUDOR Championship races, given your position in the standings?
“Originally, there was not, but you never know. It’s very hard and difficult to get to this position at this point of the season – as difficult as these two races are – so you never know what will happen. A couple people have asked that question. But currently, I’m only scheduled to run the Patrón Endurance Cup races with the Riley TI Automotive Viper.”
You’ve been a regular in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge since 2010, but didn’t race Daytona when your car was damaged in an incident in morning warm-ups. Any plans to run additional races in that series this season?
“We had a deal in the works that was trying to come together. Unfortunately, that unfortunate incident led to the demise of that deal. Right now, there are no plans in the Continental (Tire Challenge), but my phone’s always on.”
You’ve raced a number of cool cars over the years. What’s it like racing the Viper?
“The Viper is a good, solid car all-around. I’ve driven faster cars; I’ve driven cars that handle better; but Viper and Riley Motorsports have put together a solid platform that does everything good. So I really like driving it.”
What’s your favorite of the car that you’ve raced? “I couldn’t be impartial to my current team. Considering that I’ve driven Porsches, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Audi and new Vipers, they’re all cool cars. Whatever one is handling the best at the time is my favorite! I raced the Camaro just as it came in to the Continental Tire Challenge. You can see how well they’re doing now, but when it first came out it did not handle, didn’t stop and didn’t turn. Stevenson Motorsports has done an amazing job with that program to get it to where it is today.”
What are your main activities away from the race track?
“I am still active within the financial markets, where I’m a partner in an arbitrage trading hedge fund firm. We are constantly searching for arbitrage opportunities in the financial markets throughout the world. A lot of computer time!”
Source:
IMSA
A victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and fourth-place finish in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida has Al Carter tied for the lead atop the GT Daytona (GTD) standings in both the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup standings.
Carter and Cameron Lawrence earned points in the No. 93 TI Automotive Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R in both races. Ben Keating also drove the car in both events, but his points are tied to the team’s No. 33 Viper.
Carter’s career highlights include winning at Baltimore in the GTC class in the ALMS in 2012; winning at Kansas in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo in 2013; and two pole positions in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, finishing sixth in the GS championship in 2012.
http://www.imsa.com/sites/default/files/AlCarter-small.jpg
What do you think when you see your name atop the TUDOR Championship GT Daytona point standings?
“I can’t lie, it’s pretty exciting, especially when you see all the names on the list and you know the depth of talent that races in our series. The win at Daytona came from a good, solid race with good, solid teammates, and we kind of repeated that at Sebring, where it would have been nice to have been on the podium. The points are adding up, and that’s the way you win championships.”
You’re also leading the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup – will that affect your strategy at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans?
“That’s been really the goal since we started testing the No. 93 Viper back in November, which was to participate and win the Patrón Endurance Cup. We did a good job of that at Daytona; unfortunately, we had a little pit miscue at Sebring. We know when those hours come up, and that’s really what we’ll focus on. When we go to Watkins Glen, it will be all about the three-hour and six-hour marks, and hopefully, we’ll still be in the lead going into Petit Le Mans.”
Is there any chance you will be competing in additional TUDOR Championship races, given your position in the standings?
“Originally, there was not, but you never know. It’s very hard and difficult to get to this position at this point of the season – as difficult as these two races are – so you never know what will happen. A couple people have asked that question. But currently, I’m only scheduled to run the Patrón Endurance Cup races with the Riley TI Automotive Viper.”
You’ve been a regular in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge since 2010, but didn’t race Daytona when your car was damaged in an incident in morning warm-ups. Any plans to run additional races in that series this season?
“We had a deal in the works that was trying to come together. Unfortunately, that unfortunate incident led to the demise of that deal. Right now, there are no plans in the Continental (Tire Challenge), but my phone’s always on.”
You’ve raced a number of cool cars over the years. What’s it like racing the Viper?
“The Viper is a good, solid car all-around. I’ve driven faster cars; I’ve driven cars that handle better; but Viper and Riley Motorsports have put together a solid platform that does everything good. So I really like driving it.”
What’s your favorite of the car that you’ve raced? “I couldn’t be impartial to my current team. Considering that I’ve driven Porsches, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Audi and new Vipers, they’re all cool cars. Whatever one is handling the best at the time is my favorite! I raced the Camaro just as it came in to the Continental Tire Challenge. You can see how well they’re doing now, but when it first came out it did not handle, didn’t stop and didn’t turn. Stevenson Motorsports has done an amazing job with that program to get it to where it is today.”
What are your main activities away from the race track?
“I am still active within the financial markets, where I’m a partner in an arbitrage trading hedge fund firm. We are constantly searching for arbitrage opportunities in the financial markets throughout the world. A lot of computer time!”
Source:
IMSA