Lou signs Boris Said for Long Beach

[dewey]

SpeedTV

LG Motorsports will be on the grid after all at Long Beach, having signed road racing standout Boris Said to co-drive the team’s GT2-spec Riley Corvette C6. Team owner/driver Lou Gigliotti confirmed the one-race deal to SPEEDtv.com late Friday night.

Despite having mainly concentrated on his on-and-off track commitments in NASCAR for the past few years, Said has always been a road racer at heart. The Carlsbad, Calif. resident has enjoyed success in nearly every major endurance event, having claimed class victories at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona and the Twelve Hours of Sebring. He also became the first American to take overall honors at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.

“Boris and I go way back to the Corvette Challenge in 1988,” Gigliotti explained. “We had a ton of fun. In 1991, I co-drove with him in the Daytona 24 Hours in an Oldsmobile GTO. Boris put the car second on the grid in the rain.”

Said, the 2002 Trans-Am Champion, also has a storied pastin the American Le Mans Series, having earned four class victories in 29 career starts. His last Series race came at the Petit Le Mans in 2006 aboard a PTG BMW M3, one of the brands that's been synonymous to his success.

Despite LG Motorsports’ strong fourth-place finish at last weekend’s Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, Gigliotti’s plans of making the next round at Long Beach were in doubt, due to lack of funding. But that is apparently no longer an issue with the team’s newest addition.

“Having Boris in the car has allowed me to put some small deals together to make it happen,” Gigliotti said. “It’s nothing big and nothing long term yet.”

Said and Gigliotti know how to get around Long Beach, as they are both past winners of the Trans-Am event held on the tight and twisty street course. That could make for a potent pairing, in a category that has always seen its fair share of fireworks.

[MOTV8]

Wow, did Lou just kick that kid Eric Curran to the curb? After bringing it home 4th??

That's cold. Even it is Boris "Starsky" Said.

Coulda been the extra sponsor money brought by Boris' name. Hope the old farts make a run, Boris can still drive.

Thx dewey!

[dewey]

Wow, did Lou just kick that kid Eric Curran to the curb? After bringing it home 4th??

That's cold. Even it is Boris "Starsky" Said.

Coulda been the extra sponsor money brought by Boris' name. Hope the old farts make a run, Boris can still drive.

Thx dewey!

From what I understand, it's Lou, Curran AND Said. But then again, Lou needed a sponsored driver for funds to enter the race.

Following LG Motorsports’ strong fourth place finish in Saturday’s Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, team owner/driver Lou Gigliotti sat down with John Dagys to discuss his team’s progress in the American Le Mans Series. Gigliotti, a former Trans-Am and World Challenge competitor, has put everything on the line to make it in the ALMS, and reflects on some of the challenges his team has battled through so far.

DAGYS: How does it feel to have come off the team’s best run to-date in the ALMS?

GIGLIOTTI: It’s validation. With the help of Whelen Engineering and the American Le Mans Series, we were allowed to bring a competitive Riley Corvette to the GT2 battle. The ALMS put out a Balance of Performance adjustment for the BMW and Corvette for this race, and it allowed for great racing among completely different cars with completely different architecture.

DAGYS: Attrition came into play at St. Pete, but your co-driver Eric Curran was setting impressive lap times comparable to the leaders, and ran as high as second at one stage. Does that give you more confidence in knowing that you can fight with the big boys?

GIGLIOTTI: Yes. The balance between all the different cars is not an easy task, but the object is to allow all cars to compete, to not only put on a show, but to also give the series relevance. I think St. Pete showed that it is getting closer to a real show for the fans. Unfortunately, we picked the wrong tire compound for the race and it hurt our performance. I'm quite sure we had the car to hang on to 2nd place.

DAGYS: You’ve raced against Eric before in SPEED World Challenge GT. How does it feel to be now racing together with one common goal?

GIGLIOTTI: Eric is yet another overlooked American driver. He is as American as apple pie and he is a really good driver. Another important part of his talent is ability to read the car and make suggestions toward making the car better.

Like life, racing can be unfair for drivers. Some drivers with lots of funding or high profile names can find open doors regardlessof talent. If they have the talent, then they can keep going. But a young driver like Eric with talent and less funding needs to find ways to showcase their talent. That is where the unfairness comes in. We hope that Whelen Engineering can continue to assist Eric Curran and allow him to stay in the car all season. Trust me, Eric is the real deal, and I am glad that we can give him a chance.

DAGYS: What have been some major developments to the Riley Corvette during the off-season?

GIGLIOTTI: Aero improvements that we carried over from our wind tunnel time with the Corvette World Challenge cars. That is the major area. But we also keep trying to get the car down to the minimum allowed weight. My son Louis and our in house guys have been trying to lighten things up and we have seen some success in the endeavor. But for St. Pete, we had to remove the 56-pound A/C system to get closer to the minimum. Heat has never bothered me, so doing one hour in the car without air was just like going back to the Trans-Am days, only cooler.

Thankfully, Bobby Cronin's CRD Engine Development at least helps us keep up with the fast segment of the class. But that is not our aspiration. It is just a starting point. Only cash will allow the team and our Corvette to keep moving.

DAGYS: Riley Technologies provided you with at-track assistance for a few races last year. How closely are you working with them this season?

GIGLIOTTI: We are still working with Riley, but you have to understand, while they spent millions to develop this car with the U.S. and European markets in mind. But they have hit a road block since GM has opted to move to GT2 class. This has caused GM to renege on their promise to Riley naming them as the only GM-endorsed GT2 builder. This has left Riley with no choice but to pull back from further development on the car. So in essence, we are on our own now.

We still communicate with Riley and they are happy to help in any way that doesn’t cost money. Who can blame them? Unfortunately that puts LG Motorsports in a tough position, all because of politics.

DAGYS: You’ve sacrificed a lot in life to fuel your dream of having a competitive team, that can be vying for race wins. What will it take to step up your program to the next level?

GIGLIOTTI: Sacrificed is an understatement. I can (and will) write a book someday that will surely make the new breed of drivers feel like they have traveled a five-star life of luxury compared to what I have done to get to this level. And, we are not even at a level that most would aspire to. Being at the bottom of the fast segment of the class is not our aspiration. It is just a starting point. Only cash will allow the team and our Corvette to keep moving.

DAGYS: The GT2 category has been ultra competitive with seven manufacturers currently represented. Do you feel IMSA has gotten the “Balance of Performance” correct?

GIGLIOTTI: IMSA has the hardest job of all. Seriously, think about it: mid-engine, rear-engine, front-engine, V8, Flat-6, 4-cam, 2-cam, 4-valve, 2-valve, pushrod etc. How do you balance the different combinations in GT2? It can't be easy. All in all, I think they are always working and approaching equality. The Panoz and Riley Corvette and BMW all had 25kg weight concessions, but only the Panoz and Corvette have restrictor concessions. When you look at St. Pete, you'd have to conclude that they are close.

Also keep in mind that they are trying to equalize tires as well. Sure, that part could be eliminated with a spec tire, but who would want to follow Formula One’s lead? The tire factor does not show up in the fastest lap but rather in the number of laps close to that fastest lap. So you can see how that throws a curve ball into the equations.

DAGYS: How did not getting an entry to Le Mans affect the program as a whole?

GIGLIOTTI: That was a big blow to our season plans. We knew that the Riley/GM conflict played a role as it is not settled. We feel, however, that their conflict should not have been a factor against the LG Motorsport entry. We are just a customer of Riley. We are not Riley. At this point it seems GM essentially refuses to acknowledge the existence of our car. Given the fact we've never received any help, it'shard to understand why they seem to be putting obstacles in the way of our effort. It's highly unusual and sure seems counter productive.

DAGYS: Would you ever consider running something else than a Corvette in the ALMS given the right opportunity?

GIGLIOTTI: Given the right opportunity we would consider anything. After all, it's business. But for now, our business is Corvettes.

People often ask about my future. I have to respond that I don’t have much of a driving future, just a past. I am not auditioning for a position as a driver on a factory team. When I was young and worthy, I was passed up because of my truthful commentary (big mouth). So the only future I expect to have is that of car and team owner. I spent my time when I was young, living in barns, hanging about race shops, even working for free; All in exchange for being able to build my own car to race. It's just like business, if you can’t find a job, start your own company and hire yourself.

In 1979, I bought a Super Vee engine from Tom Milner to put into a Super Vee that I built myself. I could only find enough money to race it two times. I've been doing that in racing for 35 years. I like to say, “I built my company from nothing and grew it to a state of extreme poverty!”

My 25-year-old son, Louis, is now the head of our LG Motorsports operation. He has come to nearly every race since he was 4 years old. He has learned a lot. More people know him than they ever knew me. He is an asset to the racing community and I couldn't be more proud of him.

So at this point, compared to where we've been, racing in the ALMS is a piece of cake.

DAGYS: You’re provisionally on the entry list for Long Beach, but said you won’t make the trip unless additional funding is found. Has the good run last week made your phone ring any more than before?

GIGLIOTTI: With the TV time that we got and the job we did for Whelen Engineering, we hope there might be an opening that would allow us to fashion a working partnership that would allow for Eric and LG Motorsports and continue with the series. Barring that or another funded driver, it appears we will not be at Long Beach.

<me>I guess I was wrong. It's Boris or no Long Beach. Financial times are tough for everyone.