Having been forced out of the last race at VIR, Patrick Carpentier will make his return to the Grand Am Rolex Series this weekend for the fifth round of the year at Laguna Seca.
The Canadian, who won twice at Laguna during his time in the Champ Car World Series, missed the fourth round of the season due to a medical emergency surrounding his young daughter, but having now received the news that the illness isn't as bad as expected, he will return to the fold alongside Ryan Dalziel as the team looks to improve on its current third place in the standings.
"I was disappointed to miss the VIR race, but I had to be with my family," he said. "Symptoms of a serious illness were affecting my daughter, and she was scheduled to start a series of medical tests during that weekend. My mind was not at all on racing!
"I had to do what needed to be done, but I'm sure glad to be back racing, especially at Laguna Seca. This one of my favourite tracks and I have done well here in the past. With my mind at ease, I am eager to get back behind the wheel. With Ryan on board for this weekend, we stand a good chance for a podium finish. He is a very quick driver, but he is also very respectful of others on track. We should do well.”
Team principal Peter Baron admitted he was thrilled to have Carpentier back in the car this weekend, admitting that he felt he would struggle to find a better driver pairing for the fifth round on the 14-race schedule.
"This promises to be a good weekend," he said. "These two drivers worked well together in the season opener at
Daytona and Ryan proved in the last race that he can raise his level of intensity when the occasion arises.
“I am hard pressed to find a better duo for this Sunday's US Sports Car Invitational 250-mile race. We are currently third in the standings and we are seriously thinking that we can close the gap to second-place or even move up in the team standings."
![Carpentier/Duno/Manning/Dalziel - SAMAX Racing Riley-Pontiac [pic credit: Grand-Am.com]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/286125.jpg)
