Sarah Cattaneo is looking to make Grand-Am history as the 2011 racing season rolls to a close with the season-ending EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Cattaneo is looking to become Grand-Am's first female champion. The 25-year-old driver from Scottsdale, Ariz., enters the season finale running third in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner standings.
Cattaneo scored her first career victory in any type of competition at the most recent race at New Jersey Motorsports Park, co-driving RSR Motorsports' No. 198 Cruise America/Cash Tech/Thor Motorcoach Mini Cooper S with Owen Trinkler. The victory was the first for a woman in the series since Belinda Endress won in 2003 at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. It was the second podium finish of the season for Cattaneo and Trinkler, who finished third at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Entering the finale, the RSR co-drivers have tallied 202 points. Nic Jonsson leads with 211 points, three ahead of Ryan Eversley.
Jonsson is a two-time winner co-driving with Michael Galati in the No. 12 Infinity Audio/Kia Motors America Kia Forte Koup. He opened the season with a second-place finish at Daytona, co-driving with Andy Lally. Galati then joined the team, sharing in the victories at Barber Motorsports Park and Road America.
Eversley drives Compass360 Racing's No. 74 Skunk2/Honda Performance Development/Children's Tumor Foundation Honda Civic Si. He co-drove to victory at Virginia International Raceway with team owner Karl Thomson. Eversley also finished third at Lime Rock Park, co-driving with Bob Beede, and sixth at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, paired with Honda factory driver Simon Pagenaud.