"It was a great weekend," said Caddell. "When you are fighting for a spot in the championship, having a strong weekend is an important thing. We had a great car and it really felt great to help continue the success for Team MER, finishing 1st and 2nd in the championship for the second year in a row."
Caddell started from pole but missed a shift early on, putting him back in the fourth position before working his way back up to the lead after teammate and 2007 Champion, Jason Saini, lost the lead due to transmission issues. Saini would hang on to finish in the 5th spot.
"I got a great start, and was able to pull out a decent lead until the caution came out," said Saini (TheAutoBarn.com / Team MER). "On the restart, I missed a shift and jammed the shifter into 4th gear, where it unfortunately stayed for the rest of the race. I've got to thank the whole MER crew, they did an outstanding job again - the car was awesome, nobody had anything for Andrew or I all weekend long. The season could have ended on a better note, but it was still a win for the team and a dominating performance."
Rick Bellew (B&W Supply / Team MER) put in a tremendous drive after struggling in qualifying, advancing 21-positions to finish in the 9th spot, just ahead of Patrick Dempsey (Autism Speaks / Team MER) who logged his first top-10 finish of the season.
"At one point, we had five drivers in the top-6 positions," said Marc Miller, Team MER driver coach and engineer. "That says a lot of everyone involved in this organization, from drivers, crew and our sponsors. Everyone in our paddock just lives and breathes racing and that is definitely refreshing."
Mike Jenkins (Traxxis / Jentek / Team MER Mazda) ran as high as third, but several incidents moved him back down the order and he would finish in the 13th position. Rick Skelton (Team MER) put in a solid run to finish 20th in the 30-car field in his first MX-5 Cup event of the year and Brad Adams (Team MER) finished in the 22nd spot. Mark Jenkins (Traxxis / Jentek / Team MER Mazda) was poised to have a strong race, starting in the 5th position but was forced to pit with a flat tire due to an on-track incident.
Frankie Muniz, making his first appearance in the series after a full season of Champ Car Atlantic this season, put in a stellar drive, running in 3rd with only two laps remaining. Muniz continually improved in each session, qualifying in the 6th position. The former "Malcolm in the middle" star made a move for the second spot and both
Team MER is already working on plans for the 2008 championship season. Interested parties in 2008 race seats or testing programs can contact Team MER at info@motorsportenterprisesracing.com.
Team MER drivers point standings: Saini (*1st – 242 pts), Caddell (2nd – 201 pts), Bellew (14th – 82 pts), Barber (21st – 46 pts), Mike Jenkins (23rd – 44 pts), Mark Jenkins (24th – 43 pts), Smrz (25th – 35 pts), Patrick Dempsey (26th – 31 pts), Eric Foss (27th – 28 pts), Barrett (34th – 18 pts), Barnes (37th – 17 pts), Brad Adams (39th – 11 pts), Rick Skelton (43rd – 6 pts), Frankie Muniz (48th – 1 pt) * = 2007 MX-5 Cup CHAMPION
Team MER team boasts an experienced staff, public relations & marketing services, design department, driver coaching and testing facility. For more information regarding testing programs and race seats for the 2008 season, contact Jason Saini or Marc Miller at Motorsport Enterprises Racing at 817.396.4831 or email at info@motorsportenterprisesracing.com or visit their website at www.GoTeamMER.com . Team MER would like to thank their sponsors, TheAutobarn.com Mazda, AutismSpeaks.org, B&W Supply, Under Armor, Pinnacle Mazda, Traxxas Radio Controlled Cars and associate sponsors, Saferacer.com, Birel Racing Karts, Optima Trailers, Red Line Oils, MMP Design, Victory Lane Data, MiataCage.com and AIM Sports.
About MER
Motorsport Enterprises Racing & Team MER are Leaders in Mazda Performance. With a trackside location at the original Motorsport Ranch just outside of Fort Worth, TX, MER is uniquely positioned to build, maintain, develop and store racecars for individuals looking for the utmost performance. Armed with an in-house chassis-dyno and a test track on premises, they are prepared to develop the fastest cars for any series their customers choose to compete in. In addition, MER owns and operates a fleet of Mazda6 School cars for instruction and corporate outings.
About Sirius Satellite Radio Mazda MX-5 Cup Series
Featuring identically outfitted, convertible current-model Mazda MX-5 sports cars racing on Kumho Tires, joins top-tier series such as Grand-American, Champ Car World Series & American Le Mans in a professional 8-race series at venues in both the United states and Canada. More information or 2007 schedule may be found at www.mx-5cup.com .
Submitted by: Motorsport Enterprises Racing // photo credit: www.zoompics.com
3146_38 - Andrew Caddell steers his Victory Lane Data / Team MER MX-5 to his 2nd win of 2007.
3146_15 - Mike Jenkins ran as high as 3rd in his Traxxis Racing / Team MER MX-5.
3146_12 - Rick Bellew improved 21 positions to take 9th int he final tally.
3146_4 - Frankie Muniz put in a spirited drive into the top 3 before a racing incident sielined him.
3146_1 - 2007 MX-5 Cup Champion, Jason Saini, led the first half of the race.
3146_40 - Caddell celebrates on the podium.
3146_8 - TV's Patrick Dempsey raced the Autism Speaks MX-5 to a strong 10th place finish.
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