News

13 AUGUST 2008
CANNEY AND PLUMB TAKE TOP TEN IN IOWA AND LOOK AHEAD TO TROIS RIVIERES

(13 August, 2008)—After a disappointing race outing at Barber Motorsports Park in July, Mike Canney and Hugh Plumb were looking forward to returning to action last weekend as the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series traveled west to Newton, Iowa.
 
The Midwest trip proved to be an encouraging one for the duo, as some vital championship points were scored after Canney and Plumb emerged from the two hour and thirty-minute contest with yet another top-ten GS class race result in the No. 60 Sunset Hills Vineyard Ford Mustang FR500C prepared by Rehagan Racing on Sunday at Iowa Speedway.
 
Canney started the race from the seventh row of the combined GS and ST class field, which packed nearly 50 starters on to the tight 1.3-mile oval-based road circuit. The Florida resident got off to a quick start to his stint, moving forward in the Ford Mustang and getting into a race pace before turning the machine over to Plumb. With four caution periods slowing the pace, Plumb made the most of each restart to move the No. 60 up in to the top ten before crossing the finish line in ninth, several seconds ahead of a sister Rehagan Racing Ford Mustang.             
 
“After the weekend we had at Barber where we struggled with the car, had some mechanical issues, and then got crashed out of the race, it was great that the guys on the team could relax and enjoy the weekend,” said Canney.  “The number one goal was to not get collected in anyone else’s accident at the start, so I was a bit conservative. Iowa Speedway was a track where we thought we would have some challenges with a heavy car, but we were still able to come out of the weekend with a top ten, and it was a good weekend for Rehagan Racing placing two other cars in the top ten as well.”
 
As Canney gets into the groove of his first full season of KONI competition, he’s finding that the mix of Plumb’s coaching and the consistency he is enjoying running the Ford Mustang full time, is paying dividends every time he straps into the car.
 
“I was happy with my performance in practice, and was able to cut almost 2 seconds off my lap times during the weekend, turning my fastest laps in qualifying. I was hoping to be closer to those times in the race but I was still pleased with our pace. Now it’s off to Trois Riveres. This will be my first time there, and first time racing on a street course but I’m looking forward to it. Hugh is strong there and I know we just have to save the car as much as we can because it’s a very tough race.”
 
His co-driver is also looking forward to it, as he knows the fast way around the temporary street circuit, having scored third place in the GS contest there last season.
 
“I think with cars finishing sixth, ninth, and tenth at Iowa,  a track that wasn’t the best suited for the Ford Mustang,  is a pretty strong team result for Rehgan Racing,” said Plumb. “It’s a good way for us to lead into Trois Rivieres, which is of course all abut the brakes. And the crowd! As a driver, you are so focused on hitting your marks at that track and trying to ignore the fact you are racing next to all that concrete. But its still impossible to ignore the fans that come out of the race—especially when you can hear them cheering for their fellow Canadians! I’m really looking forward to it and I am sure Mike is going to enjoy the track as well.”

Additional information available: www.mcanney.com

ABOUT SUNSET HILLS VINEYARD:
Sunset Hills Vineyard produces high-quality Bordeaux style wines, from our 45 acre historic farm in Northern Virginia.  Located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, our soil and climate conditions are well suited for producing quality wine. We will produce about 36,000 bottles of wine this year including; Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Our wines are available at the winery, and at festivals held in the Middle Atlantic states. For additional information, please visit: http://www.sunsethillsvineyard.com.

Contact: Matt Cleary, Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
(317) 908-2975 Mobile