Cumming Looks Forward To PC Debut at Belle Isle

RSR Racing is riding a wave of momentum as the Michigan-based team heads to its home race, the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers. 

The event will be the first appearance for the Prototype Challenge (PC) class at the Raceway on Belle Isle Park, joining the TUDOR United SportsCar Challenge Prototype (P) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes on the 2.35-mile circuit.Chris Cumming brings plenty of momentum as he returns to Detroit. In the most recent race, Cumming joined Bruno Junqueira in the No. 11 AutoMax USA ORECA FLM09 to score the first victory of the season for the team in the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix powered by Mazda at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.Immediately after the event, Cumming will head to Europe, to begin preparations for his debut in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the official test day on Sunday, May 31. Cumming will co-drive the No. 34 OAK Racing Ligier JS P2/Honda with Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor at Le Mans. After the French classic on June 13-14, Cumming and RSR will be back in TUDOR Championship action in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, Round 3 of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.Cumming has experience on the streets of Belle Isle. He competed in a one-off drive for Scuderia Corsa there last year, finishing 16th in GTD co-driving the No. 64 Ferrari 458 Italia with fellow Canadian Kyle Marcelli. Junqueira drove in a pair of open-wheel races at the circuit. He qualified second for Chip Ganassi Racing for a CART event in 2001, retiring with mechanical problems, and raced in the 2008 IndyCar event for Dale Coyne Racing, finishing seventh.IMSA.com recently caught up with Cumming for a Q&A.

Chris, Paul Gentilozzi credited your double-shift as a key to winning at Mazda Raceway. What was it like getting your first victory of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?“It was great to get that monkey off our back!  We had great pace in the first two races of the season but had engine and gearbox problems at both, so to have a race run trouble free was really satisfying.  I love Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. It's my default 'home race' being the closest track to Vancouver.  The car felt great from the moment we rolled off the truck, which has been pretty common for us the last few races. The team made a good strategy call during the race and decided to keep me in for a double stint which effectively saved us a pit stop.  The key was for me to run fast enough to not lose too much time to Colin Braun during the second part of my stint.  In the end it worked out really well and we still had a pretty comfortable gap at the end.”What are your thoughts racing a PC for the first time at Belle Isle?“Belle Isle is going to be fun.  I really enjoy street courses and that track has some good flow to it.  It has to be a different mindset to drive within the concrete walls and I really like the challenge.”  Will Bruno’s past experience there help? “Bruno and I have both been there so that should be good for us, although there's a pretty good amount of practice time so once the race starts everyone should be on pretty equal footing.”Following Detroit, you will be busy getting ready for Le Mans. What are your thoughts racing there for the first time in that historic event?“Le Mans has been a goal of mine for a while and I'm really excited to get there.  Things kick off May 19-20 with a test at Spa, followed by the mandatory simulator session in Paris on the 21st.  Then after the Belle Isle race, a bunch of us are flying overnight to the official Le Mans test day the next day.  After getting home from that I'm only home for a few days before heading back for race week.  It's going to be a hectic few weeks!”Any thoughts about Watkins Glen and the rest of the season?“At this point we want to focus one race at a time.  We have a good package and can do well but we have to execute every weekend on and off the track and in the pits to get the results and then we'll see where things stand at the end of the season.”