MONTEREY, CA (28 April 2022) – Irish Mike’s Racing continues its two-car assault on the IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Visit Cayman Islands this weekend with a visit to scenic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a pair of races.
Conor Flynn is coming off a 10th-place finish in class in his first taste of street racing at Long Beach, driving the No. 95 FlynnCo Cars / Chillout Systems Porsche 992. Competing in the lead Pro class, he took 14th overall in the 31-car field after placing 15th overall and 12th in class on Saturday. He placed 15th in class in both races during the opening weekend at Sebring. The team had a two-day test at WeatherTech Raceway during the break between races and is looking forward to building some momentum as the team adapts to the new 992 platform.
“We made huge steps forward with our brand-new Porsche at Long Beach, in terms of development and learning it for the team,” Flynn said. “We worked on getting the car set up for the track properly at the test. Now we’re super excited heading toward this weekend’s big races.”
The test was Flynn’s first visit to the famed circuit.
“Since it was my first time at Laguna Seca, for me it was a matter of just learning the track,” Flynn said. “I’m happy that the race weekend won’t be my first time, when everyone else has been there before. At the test I learned a lot about the track – the proper gearing and all the turns. It’s a very smooth track, a unique track to drive. It’s a different style for me, someone who’s used to Sebring that’s extremely bumpy.”
It was also his first experience with the famed Corkscrew – a plunging downhill series of turns.
“It’s definitely different from what you see on TV,” he explained. “It’s a unique turn and a lot of fun. On TV you can see it coming up, but you’re in it before you know it when you’re actually in the car. It comes up a lot quicker and goes a lot faster than I thought it would. It’s a really cool turn, once you get used to it.”
Travel cancellations forced teammate Craig Conway to sit out the Long Beach weekend, with the veteran anxious to get back behind the wheel of the No. 97 Diamond Suzuki Porsche. Competing in Pro-Am, he finished 15th in the season-opener at Sebring, and 16th in the second race.
“Craig did really good at the test,” Flynn said. “He adjusted to the track really well with the new car, and he real excited about this weekend.”
The Laguna Seca weekend opens with a pair of practice sessions on Friday, at 8:30 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. (all times PT). Qualifying is Friday at 4:25 p.m. The 40-minute race one begins on Saturday at 11:50 a.m., with race two on Sunday at 8:40 a.m.
