DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 23, 2008) - Jeff Segal and Jep Thornton accomplished one of their goals during the 2007 season - win the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport (GS) title. In 2008, they wanted to solidify another title with their other goal - winning a race.

They achieved one, and came very close to the other.

In the end, the duo's victory at Lime Rock Park in May and seven top 10s were not enough for Segal and Thornton to defend their championship. They were credited with third in the standings, 15 points behind co-champions Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster.

The season started strong for Segal and Thornton, who drove the No. 09 Automatic Racing Fresh From Florida/Imported Car Store BMW M3 for the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway. There, the Automatic Racing team placed three of its four cars in the top seven, with Segal and Thornton placing fourth. Thornton led two laps during his stint.

At Lime Rock, things were considerably different, at least with the outside of the car. A new Manhattan-style paint scheme was wrapped around the No. 09, one that found victory lane on Memorial Day after Segal led 71 laps. It was the first victory for Automatic, the first victory for a BMW M3 other than from the Turner Motorsport camp and the first for Segal and Thornton. The finish, however, was not without drama.

"We had no gas left at the finish," said team manager Joe Varde. "That was the last lap it was going to run."

Having tied Craig Stanton atop the points with their Lime Rock victory, Segal and Thornton sought to take the lead outright with consistency, and add to their top-five streak. That continued, for the next four races.

They took the point lead outright with a fifth-place finish at Mosport International Raceway, and returned to the podium at Watkins Glen International with a third-place result. Back-to-back fifth-place finishes at Barber Motorsports Park and Iowa Speedway helped the lead grow.

But the season slipped away after that. A problem at Le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres forced the team to finish 12th, their first finish outside the top 10 in 2008. Then, at Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Thornton spun on Lap 13 coming out of the first turn. A sitting duck in the middle of the track, the car was hit head-on by a Ford Mustang, taking both cars out of the race. Thornton had not completed 30 minutes in the car, and Segal - who grew up less than an hour from the track - did not get in the car, and the pair fell from first to fourth in the standings. Bret Seafuse and James Gue, meanwhile, took first despite a 15th-place finish.

"The entire experience was horrible, and it was the worst race weekend in my career," Thornton said after the race.

Segal and Thornton tried to regain their composure, and the point lead. They finished eighth at Miller Motorsports Park, and moved to within seven points of Maxwell and Foster with the Bosch Engineering Twin Six Hours at Virginia International Raceway the only race left on the schedule.

It wasn't meant to be. Fuel problems during the race's third hour dropped Segal, Thornton and Terry Borcheller back in the pack, but the trio managed to regain its lost lap and move back into the top 10 after repairs. However, the problem returned during the final hour-and-a-half, and Borcheller was forced to take a shortcut back to the pits to make more repairs. The trio again lost a lap, and was unable to make up that lap and move further than 11th at the checkered flag.

"Congratulations to the entire Hyper Sport team," Segal added. "They did a fantastic job, and they really deserve this. Their Mustang was really strong and our little M3 just didn't have anything for them. Our whole team worked unbelievably hard all weekend. Our championship last year and our third place points finish this year is all because of their efforts."

At season's end, Thornton confirmed he would be running a limited schedule in 2009.

"I'm not going to be running for the KONI championship next year, but plan on running some ST races and the Rolex 24 At Daytona in a GT car," Thornton said. "I want to do some races on the tracks I really enjoy. The last two years have been some of the most exciting times I've had racing, winning the championship last year and finishing third this year. Automatic Racing will still be around, and I'll enjoy seeing everyone again next season."

Segal, however, said he hopes to return to action with the team next season.

"I'm excited about the new V-8 M3 that is going to debut next season," Segal said, "and can't wait for the quest to get another (Hoosier) purple jacket."