Las Vegas, NV (05.21.09): Byron Payne and VJ Mirzyian bring home a top-10 finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as part of the Verizon Festival of Speed this past weekend. Faced with handling issues on Friday, the duo of Payne and Mirzyian focused on improving their BMW 330i for Saturday’s 2.5 hour event.
Starting from the 16th qualifying position, Payne drove the first stint of the race, taking the wheel of the #127 Next Generation Motorsports BMW for just over 1 hour before handing over to Mirzyian. The team had a strategy to run certain lap times, conserve the car, and of course, stay out of trouble. Byron stuck to the plan and drove a solid stint, making up a few spots while on track. The NGM team also made up a few spots in the pits during the driver change and very quick pitstop.
With Mirzyian at the wheel, the team focused hard on staying clear of trouble, while pushing to bring home a solid finish. Turning in consistent lap times and staying on track while other cars began to have troubles, the team moved up to finish the race in 9th place. “It was a tough weekend as the BMW’s are down on HP compared to some of the other makes. We made several improvements to the car, drove a smart and patient race and are thrilled with a top-10 finish. I want to thank my sponsors: BPbenefits.net, eprodius.com, HemiFashion.com, and Next Generation Motorsports for the opportunity.” commented Payne.
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Byron Payne is a professional driver with many years of experience. Byron has spent the last several years as a professional driver and instructor for various racing-promotion events, manufacturers, hot-lap events, and driving schools. Byron’s racing resume includes Formula Atlantic, Formula Ford, Formula Super Vee, Formula British Vauxhall Lotus, Formula 3 Test Driver, Indy Lights, shifter karts in Russia, The Jim Russell Scholarship Winner, and was named Formula Super Vee Rookie of the Year! This will mark Payne’s 2nd Koni Challenge Series start, after a 13th place finish at last year’s Watkins Glen event with Next Generation Motorsports. www.byronpayne.net
Next Gen Motorsports, formerly Fountain Motorsports, is an upstate NY based race team, racing BMW’s in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge ST class. NGM also offer repair services for other race cars and general automotive repairs. Next Gen also offers auto parts, racing parts and supplies. www.nextgenmotorsports.net
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