LEEDS, Ala.—RSR Motorsports driver and team manager Owen Trinkler can be hard to track down: on any given day, he might be at his home in Nashville, Tennessee; at the RSR shop in Orlando, Florida; or at a racetrack. This weekend, though, Trinkler will race on his home track of Barber Motorsports Park during the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Barber 200.

Trinkler has a lot of laps around Barber, where he gets plenty of track time as an instructor with the Porsche Driving Experience. He will put that insider’s knowledge to good use during Saturday’s race, driving the No. 198 RSR Motorsports MINI Cooper S sponsored by Cruise America, Thor Motor CoachÜS LED and Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers.

“If I only win one race this season, I want it to be this one,” says Trinkler. “Barber is hard on tires, but the MINI is really consistent even on old tires. The turns also suit a short wheelbase car like ours.”

Sarah Cattaneo shares driving duties in the No. 198 RSR Motorsports MINI, and she knows firsthand how much of a benefit Trinkler’s home track advantage can be. “Owen worked with me at Barber last year and it’s tremendous how much he knows,” says Cattaneo. “Barber is one of the most beautiful tracks we visit, but passing is a challenge there. That’s where Owen’s knowledge will be really helpful.”

Ron Farmer and Jason Hart will co-drive the No. 196 US LED MINI Cooper S. After starting the season on two speedway tracks, Farmer is looking forward to returning to a traditional road course.

“Barber is a lot of fun, and its layout is in our favor,” says Farmer. “A track with a lot of turns, like Barber, will be an advantage for the MINI because we benefit from great handling and braking.”

Dicky Riegel makes his 2011 debut this weekend, co-driving with VJ Mirzayan in the No. 195 RSR Motorsports MINI Cooper S. “I can’t wait to get back in the MINI, especially after the success that the team has had in the first two rounds of the season,” says Riegel. “I know from talking to my teammates that the cars are really well set up, and we should be competitive not just at Barber, but for the rest of the season.”

“Dicky and I make a great team, and we hope to be competitive at Barber,” says Mirzayan. “Barber is a tight track, so it should fit the MINI well. We just have to get our strategy perfect, especially when it comes to getting through traffic.”

RSR Motorsports is sponsored by Cruise America, Thor Motor CoachÜS LED, MINI USA, Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers, Performance Friction Rotors, OS Giken Racing Clutches and Limited Slip Differentials, Midway Ford Truck Sales, Mini North Scottsdale, Motul USA, Performance Speed Tech, and Carbotech Pads.

The three RSR Motorsports MINI Cooper S entries will start the Barber 200 on Saturday, April 9, at 12:30 p.m. ET. Keep up with the team online at www.RSRMotorsports.com.

Posted (04/13/2011) -
LEEDS, Ala.—Owen Trinkler and Sarah Cattaneo drove the No. 198 RSR Motorsports MINI Cooper S to 11th in the ST class of Saturday’s GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Barber Motorsports Park. It wasn’t the podium finish they had hoped for, but it represented a solid showing after a day of obstacles.

Cattaneo qualified eighth for the Barber 200, her best qualifying effort of the season, but the No. 198—sponsored by Cruise America, Thor Motor CoachÜS LED and Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers—was sent to the back of the starting grid because of a data recorder malfunction.

“Eighth was a great spot to be for the start. Then they told us I had to start from the back, and it wasn’t because of anything we could have prevented. The guys had worked so hard to get us ready for qualifying, so it was disappointing for the whole team,” says Cattaneo. “I had to prepare myself mentally to start from the back again. It was the second time in three races, and I just got in a groove and tried to go as fast as I could.”

Following Cattaneo’s stint, Trinkler took over in the No. 198 MINI. He worked his way into the lead, and the team opted to pit for four fresh tires to make a final push to the checkered flag. Instead, Trinkler found himself pushed against a wall after going off track. He was able to continue, and fought back to finish 11th.

“I’m glad we finished where we did considering all that we were up against, and thankfully the car isn’t too badly damaged. I got the worst of it,” says Trinkler. “I’m disappointed to lose out on points, but hopefully we’ve gotten the bad luck out of our system for the year.”

VJ Mirzayan and Dicky Riegel were able to notch a top-15 finish for RSR Motorsports with their 14th in the No. 195 MINI Cooper S. The No. 196 US LED MINI Cooper S of Ron Farmer and Jason Hart retired early with a broken control arm.

Although there is a month until round four at Virginia International Raceway, RSR Motorsports will be there in just two weeks for testing. Farmer and Hart will turn laps in the No. 196 US LED MINI as they prepare for their first GRAND-AM race at the circuit. A team test is also scheduled at Watkins Glen during the brief break.

The Barber 200 airs on SPEED on Saturday, April 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Keep up with the team online at www.RSRMotorsports.com.

RSR Motorsports is sponsored by Cruise America, Thor Motor CoachÜS LED, MINI USA, Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers, Performance Friction Rotors, OS Giken Racing Clutches and Limited Slip Differentials, Midway Ford Truck Sales, Mini North Scottsdale, Performance Speed Tech, and Carbotech Pads.