Detroit, Michigan. It's "the motor city"... the home of the American automobile industry. It is not what the track is, but where it is. Everyone wants to win in The Motor City, on the streets of Belle Isle Park. This is the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, Presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers. If May is the month for Indycars, then June, is the month for sports cars. We have this race, and in a couple weeks, the classic 24 Hours of Le Mans, in France, a race you will read about on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog, and have a chance to see, on TV, via Fox Sports. Plus, the next race in the Tudor Championship... the second North American Endurance Cup event, (the Six Hours of Watkins Glen), happens at the end of this month.
This is a 100 minute, flat out sprint race, for three divisions. Prototype, Prototype Challenge, and GT Daytona. GM has scored three straight overall wins on their home turf. Ford's hopes rest with Ganassi Racing, but Ganassi, has had an odd year again this year. They have had two DNF's and have not had the pace this weekend in their home race. But, Action Express Racing has come back. Christian Fittipaldi has pole. If they can win, it will be their second win in Detroit. We are into the middle third of the season.
After three straight podium finishes, and a win at Laguna Seca, the #90 VisitFlorida.com Racing Corvette has the points lead. Core Autosport has the lead in Prototype Challenge points. In GTD, four brands are atop the points with Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. These four squads are amazingly spread across only seven championship points! How close do you like it? None of these teams has won a race yet this year, however. Christian Fittipaldi has pole for the race but beat Ricky Taylor by a mere five hundredths of a second!
Michael Valiante in the aforementioned #90 car was right at the sharp end, too. Prototype Challenge debuts at Detroit this year, and Performance Tech Motorsports is on pole, with driver, James French. French scored the pole by only four thousandths of a second over RSR and their driver, Chris Cumming. Paul Miller Racing's Audi has been consistent and is leading the championship. But, Dion von Moltke had a big wreck in qualifying, in the wet, aquaplaning off the road and crunching the wall.
PMR and Audi Customer Racing, rebuilt the car, and then, made it for qualifying with five minutes to spare, scoring pole in class. The street course we are racing on today, folks, is 2.36 miles, with 13 corners. But, the track has been repaved, and is mostly concrete, rather than it's former asphalt configuration. Turns one and two are tight esses and then, there's a long blast to turn three, down a short straight where cars hit top speed at oh, 170 miles an hour or so. There's another good overtaking spot into turn seven, followed by another quick series of corners, seven through eleven, and two more turns before you hit the start/finish straightaway.
It's a busy course, and driver's will shift their transmissions, 38 times a lap. New track records for Prototype, and Prototype Challenge, since they are on debut in the Motor City. We are ready, the green flag waves, and we are underway! The three Corvette prototypes from three different teams lead the way with the #5 Action Express car, out front in the hands of Christian Fittipaldi, who put the car, on pole. Ricky Taylor got swamped. Eric Curran in the sister Action Express Corvette, #31 is up to fourth. Four Corvette's ahead of Scott Pruett in the Riley Ford EcoBoost.
The cars fly onto Central Avenue, as we watch the start for the GT Daytona class. The #48 Paul Miller Racing Audi, which had the qualifying wreck, leads the class, with Dion von Moltke driving. Ben Keating in the Dodge Viper and Christina Nielsen in the Aston Martin V12 Vantage are scrapping already. The repaving of the track was successful. But, the drivers are skeptical, as the new concrete, is still rough. Cars and drivers, take a pounding around Belle Isle Park. We watch the GTD cars race onto the back straight, called The Strand.
From the short chute, the drivers line up for turn seven, a critical corner on the road here. That's the same spot where Dion von Moltke had his shunt in the rain during qualifying. The cars navigate the tricky twists and turns near the famous fountain on the side of the track at Belle Isle. Through turn eleven, and down to the far end of Belle Isle to complete another lap. Keep an eye on Alex Job Racing. They tested at Sebring International Raceway, which is also, very bumpy, to be prepped for this race.
Christina Nielsen also competed in the Pirelli World Challenge support race at Belle Isle, a race you will perhaps see highlights of on the blog, in the not too distant future. Jon Bennett brings the #54 Core Autosport Prototype Challenge car to the pits with damage on the left front corner. Core Autosport has the PC points lead. So, if they scored nil points in this race, they'd be behind the eight ball for sure. Last year's event saw a great finish between the teams currently leading. Will that happen today? We'll see.
There is rain forecast after the race. We might get the 100 minute distance in, before the rain comes. Fingers crossed. The westerly wind is bringing the storm cell closer to us. There are many places on this track that could puddle, like in Dion von Moltke's qualifying crash. Cars in the race today, are certainly running wet weather setups even though it's dry at the moment. If it rains today, it will be the first wet race in Tudor Championship history. The last wet race, was Petit Le Mans in 2013, the last race for the old American Le Mans Series, which merged with the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series, to form the Tudor Championship.
Action Express is bullish if it rains, as they ran a test at Road Atlanta, and it rained there, during the session. Meanwhile, Audi, Aston Martin, and Viper, continue to run 1-2-3 in GT Daytona. Car #54 is still being repaired in pit lane. We continue to look in on the GTD battle for the lead in class. The Audi, Viper, and Aston, are all pretty evenly matched at this point in the race, as we've just begun this sprint. We still wonder about setups, and if there's rain, you want a softer suspension setup, for sure. Brad Kettler and Audi Sport Customer Racing, all leaped onto the #48 car after it's wreck, and after the repairs were made, Dion von Moltke came over and gave the whole squad a high five to thank them for their work.
In Prototype Challenge, there's already been some argy bargy. The #52 PC car hits the wall and gets tapped by the #54 machine which we've seen in pit lane, with Jon Bennett at the controls. Many drivers in this event, flew over to France, for the Le Mans test session, which we documented yesterday, on this blog, from news reports. Wright Motorsports is back in the Tudor Championship after skipping Laguna Seca due to Balance of Performance concerns. Madison Snow is the starting driver.
Jan Heylen will take over the car, towards the end of this contest. Christian Fittipaldi is already lapping slower traffic. Patrick Lindsey in the #73 Park Place Racing Porsche 911 GT America leads GT Daytona points after our most recent race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Dark clouds are still on the horizon as the cars make their way into the stadium section. Michael Valiante continues to run second to Christian Fittipaldi at the moment.
The Prototype cars nearly reach 160 miles an hour on the fastest sections of the Belle Isle course. A couple of the corners after the straight, have been widened from what they were before. James French in car #38 leads Chris Cumming in car #11 in Prototype Challenge. French had a great qualifying run in his first visit to Belle Isle and is becoming quicker all the time. Christina Nielsen is staying in touch with Dion von Moltke, while she allows a faster Prototype to pass, in the form of the #60 Mike Shank Racing Ligier Honda, with John Pew driving.
Depending on which of the production cars you compare the Prototypes to, the GTD cars are ten to fifteen miles an hour slower than the Prototypes. Turn three and turn seven are the best overtaking areas at Belle Isle Park. Ben Keating continues hounding Christina Nielsen, and we see Patrick Lindsey and Madison Snow in tow. Pit crews are pressurizing the Continental rain tires, just in case they are going to be needed. The rain may skirt the raceway even though it is in the main section of the Detroit metro area right now.
The curbs at Belle Isle are gentle enough that if you ride the car up onto it, it won't shake it apart or do damage. Amazingly, in last weekend's Indy 500, of the 33 starters, 26 have a history in sports cars with what is now the Tudor Championship. Alex Job Racing has officially purchased two new Porsche 911 GT-3-R cars, to race in Tudor Championship competition, next year. The rules are of course, changing, and GT Daytona, will be running full world GT3 regulations, next year too. We are hearing some of the top automakers are already developing cars for next year, and the new regs.
We watch a battle simmering for third in the overall. Two Corvette Prototypes battle. It's Eric Curran in the #31 Action Express, Team Fox, Whelen car, vs. Jordan Taylor in the #10 WTR machine. Dane Cameron and Eric Curran are running very well right now. They surely have pace. Action Express team boss Gary Nelson said that though they weren't scheduled or budgeted to test, they had to. The #01 team has missed the setup on their Riley Ford. The Riley bodywork does not have the downforce that the Corvette Prototypes do. They've lost straightaway speed as a result, losing five to six miles an hour.
Tom Long is driving the sole Mazda diesel prototype entered in this race. The other one, is being developed in Florida. Unfortunately, they have been told by the ACO that their 2.0 liter diesel four cylinder is not applicable for the P2 division at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We watch a battle in GT Daytona between three Porsche's. Michael Valiante is in traffic. Make that two Porsche's and the ViperExchange.com SRT Viper GTS-R-. Ooh! Ben Keating in the Viper, hits the wall! Madison Snow is also dead ahead in the #58 Porsche.
Keating was trying to stay out of the way of the Prototype's and slammed the wall. He's lost the rear diffuser in the process. Keating has also cut an oil line off the car, and he's sliding in his own oil. This mess will cause a full course yellow, without a doubt. The Pro/Am categories will need to do driver changes, and some of the drivers will already get points at this mark. Pit stop time, coming up. Oil dry will also be necessary. Pits are open. Pro/Am drivers have all met their drive time as of now.
The #5 Corvette Prototype is the first of the leaders to dive for pit lane. The #01 Ganassi Riley Ford is also in. They are changing the shock settings on the car before returning to the track. The Ford EcoBoost V6 motor may also be overheating just a bit. The #11 Prototype Challenge car also pits. Bruno Junquiera will take over the driving chores from starting driver, Chris Cumming. Less than an hour to go in this race now. Prototype Challenge cars pit, and the pits are open now for the GT Daytona machines as well.
The #52 PR1/Matthiasen Prototype Challenge car, also pits. They are in the catbird seat for taking over the class points lead, after having troubles of their own last time out at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and with the issues for the #54 machine here today in Detroit. Tom Kimber-Smith from Great Britain, takes over from starting driver, Mike Guasch. GTD cars will pit on this lap. PR1 team owner Bobby Orgle said there was a cracked fitting in the fuel cell of the car, last time out at Laguna Seca.
By the next race, they'll have new things ready. Now, the #48 PMR Audi R8 LMS pits and Christopher Haase will take over from Dion von Moltke. Four new Continental tires will also go on the car. We also watch the #007 Racer's Group Aston Martin, who also wants a race win in GTD competition. James Davison takes the wheel from Christina Nielsen, who is finished with her stint. The track is dry, but IMSA marshals have extended this caution period. All the fluid in the stadium section still has to be mopped up.
With 53 minutes to go, stretch the fuel. Under yellow, there is some fuel saving opportunity. 48 minutes of this race, have been run. Two minutes to halfway. Joao Barbosa now leads, as the halfway mark has been passed. The #90 car has pace. But, will Richard Westbrook having anything left in the locker to catch Barbosa? Dane Cameron is now behind the wheel of the #31 car. There is some drizzle beginning to fall, right after we've had pit stops. We will get the green flag next time by.
Alex Job Racing has two silver rated drivers, including Mario Farnbacher and Ian James. James started. Farnbacher, will finish. Mario Farnbacher assumes the race lead, even though he isn't the overall race leader, behind the gorgeous Chevrolet Corvette Z51 safety car. Christian Fittipaldi has to wait for the green flag, before he can make any kind of a pass, including on Farnbacher. Fittipaldi sweeps around the Porsche, wasting no time! He may have jumped the gun. But, he had to. Here comes Jordan Taylor, on the outside!
Taylor takes the lead, from third spot! Dane Cameron nudges through, and passes Richard Westbrook! Eric Curran moves to third. Here comes the rain. The plot thickens. Cameron is challenging Barbosa, for position! They're team mates. Don't take your team mate out! Oswaldo Negri Jr. has also passed Richard Westbrook. Westbrook makes the move on Negri Jr. into turn seven. Westbrook takes the position back. Rain is starting to fall. Cameron moves inside Barbosa! He holds the spot, as the track is getting wet now.
Oh no! A crash! Two Prototype Challenge cars have slammed the unforgiving concrete barriers here in Detroit. One looks to be car #38, and the #52 is also involved in this thing. Check that. The other car is the RSR #11 of Bruno Junquiera, while Tom Kimber-Smith is at the wheel of #52. Another full course yellow, as the wind has also picked up. Kimber-Smith is not a happy camper after this shemozzle. The suspension is busted, and it's game over. Bruno Junquiera has to make a whole lap. The crash was on Central Avenue, headed towards the third turn.
Junquiera has no control of the car at low speed, with the tie rod broken. Junquiera spins, and, wham! Nowhere for Kimber-Smith to go. An unavoidable collision. With a greasy race track, you can't get a normal change of direction, even if you as the driver, repositions the car. Mazda has some interesting things coming up. Details, will surface, at Watkins Glen at the end of this month. That is the next race. Stay tuned for details, at the end of this race report.
The #44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT America pits. They have made repairs to the right front corner of the car, as Andy Lally clipped the tire wall between turns one and two. This was in the same incident that saw Tom Kimber-Smith and Bruno Junquiera, crash. #11 is in the lane. The crew is changing the bodywork and the damage from the wreck. They have rain tires and dry tires prepared. They will also need to replace brake rotors. Junquiera crabbed the car back to the pits. The rear suspension, is definitely crushed.
Looking at the restart, Barbosa passed the #23 car, and a hesitation, allowed Jordan Taylor, to make his move. RSR team boss Paul Gentilozzi says the suspension damage on their car will take seven to eight minutes to change including the upright, brake rotor, and tow link. Paul Gentilozzi, (team owner for RSR), had quintuple bypass heart surgery, just recently. Gentilozzi's teams have won 18 races in Detroit, and as a driver, he won three Trans Am races. Chevrolet also has a sterling record in Detroit.
Racing has been going on in Detroit, for over 30 years, since 1982. Formula One raced in Detroit, that year. Chevrolet has many wins. 23 altogether, across four divisions. Eight Indycar wins. Seven in IMSA, six in Trans Am, and two in Pirelli World Challenge. Jordan Taylor is unbeaten on this track, going for his fourth straight win. We restart, with just over a half hour of racing remaining. It's Jordan Taylor, Dane Cameron, Joao Barbosa, and Richard Westbrook, the top four. Cameron has to watch out for Barbosa and Westbrook.
A battle ensues between Joey Hand and Ozz Negri. Negri defends. It's turbo V6 power for both Honda, and Ford. Ooh! Hand taps Negri Jr., and he has a big wiggle! It's a drag race down the back straight. This action takes place in turn five, and Negri Jr. did not have a perfect or preferred line by any means. The Ligier is not compliant at this street course and the spring rates had to be softened up on the car by 25-30% for qualifying. The team tested at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, for this race.
Bright sunlight at the start/finish line. IMSA's blocking rules are to the point that if you make one move, you're fine. But, if you move and then the other guy moves, that's a block. TRG Aston Martin, and their driver, Christina Nielsen, hope for rain. Dane Cameron is coming, and quickly. He is in the lead, gapping Jordan Taylor. Joao Barbosa tries the over/under on Jordan Taylor, but, to no avail. Westbrook is third, laying back, biding his time. The gap is beginning to stabilize. Cameron runs a 1:25.5 second lap. Jordan Taylor, a 1:25.8.
We now have just over 20 minutes to go in this race. Dane Cameron still leads Jordan Taylor and Joao Barbosa. Richard Westbrook lost ground as he spun. Joey Hand and Oswaldo Negri Jr. have passed him. Westbrook has a lazy spin, going into the tires with the rear of the car, just barely. More contact in GT Daytona. The #48 Audi roughs up the #007 Aston Martin. Christopher Haase vs. James Davison. James Davison has also passed the #63 Scuderia Corse Ferrari 458 Italia of Townsend Bell.
Mario Farnbacher continues to lead the class in the #23 Porsche. Davison gaps the Ferrari. Christopher Haase is also charging in the #48 Audi. In Prototype Challenge, Renger van der Zande is in the lead. The Gentilozzi team has gotten the #11 car back on track. Just over fifteen minutes remain in the race now. The RSR team had crew members running back and forth between the pits and their team truck. RSR can make a big gain in PC points due to the issues with some of their competitors.
Now, Townsend Bell, has crashed the #63 Ferrari. Full course yellow. Townsend Bell is backing the car up. The left rear of the car, is completely out of order, and the rear wheel is loose. A rear toe link is broken, for sure. Rain is falling again, making the track wetter than it was before. It's coming down, hard. Just ten minutes left. Half the track is wet, and half is dry. This will be wild. You have to stay on the tires you've got.
We're back to green, for a sprint to the finish. Joey Hand makes a move on Ozz Negri. We are headed to the braking zone for turn three. Second place driver, Jordan Taylor, will have to take a drive through penalty. Westbrook tries passing Joey Hand. Hand does the over/under and takes the spot away. Taylor is being penalized for his contact with Townsend Bell in the #63 Ferrari. This will shake up the points standings. Could this be a 1-2 finish for Action Express? They did a 1-2 in 2012 here in Detroit.
Jordan Taylor is in the pit lane now. It'll cost 25 seconds to roll through pit lane at 60 kilometers an hour or 37 miles an hour. Watch the pit out. It's a wet pit lane. We also watch the lead battle in Prototype Challenge between #8 Renger van der Zande, and #85 Stephen Simpson. Joel Miller has taken over the #07 Mazda Prototype from Tom Long. We are coming to the finish of this one, folks. Dane Cameron continues to lead, as we approach the checkers.
Joao Barbosa has laid down a lap 6.10ths of a second quicker than the pole lap! Rain drops fall once more. The #58 Porsche is off course in turn one. A local yellow flag is displayed. Two minutes left. Both Action Express cars run a 1:25.7 lap. Don't fight your team mate and risk anything. We see Renger van der Zande and Mirco Shultis having a great race. Renger van der Zande had never seen this track before, and he's doing a stellar driving job. They were fastest overall in qualifying for about 15 minutes at the start of time trials.
White flag lap next time by. Dane Cameron is coming off of winning the GT Daytona championship with Turner Motorsports and their BMW Z4 GT last year, winning four races, with then co-driver, Markus Palttala of Finland. One lap left with the #58 Porsche still stranded on course. Joao Barbosa has a shot on the straight to pass his team mate, or, in turn seven. Oh no! Barbosa spins! Can you believe it? Now, where are Ozz Negri and Joey Hand? Here's Negri Jr. Barbosa gets back on the road, and is still in it, folks.
Joey Hand is all over Barbosa like el cheapo suito! Westbrook is right behind. No dice for Hand into turn seven. Barbosa hangs on. It's clear sailing for car #31. Dane Cameron and Eric Curran, win on the streets of the Motor City! The rain is absolutely pouring down now, as the race comes to an end. Peter Baron celebrates as his Starworks team wins Prototype Challenge with Renger van der Zande and Mirco Shultis.
Alex Job Racing, with their newly renewed commitment to the Tudor Championship, and a new Porsche GT race car next year. Mario Farnbacher, and Ian James. But, there's a big thud, at the end. Was that a congratulatory bump? Or, did something go awry?
Overall/Prototype: #31 Cameron/Curran Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype
Challenge: #8 van der Zande/Shultis Oreca FLM 09 Chevrolet
GT Daytona: #23 Farnbacher/James Porsche 911 GT America
Now, there's been another wreck, at the end of this race. Not good. It's so wet on course now. The results are in. But the story isn't fully written yet. There's debris on the road at the start/finish line. Slick tires on a wet track is dancing with the devil. It's the same as trying to step on ice after you park your car in wintertime, and your feet go out from underneath you, and you fall.
The #007 Aston Martin, the #73 Park Place Porsche, and the sister #22 Alex Job Racing Porsche, are all involved here. Marshals clean up the wreck. But, there was also a collision with one of the safety trucks. Let's look at a replay of this incident. We watch in the background after #23 wins the race, the #007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage slams into the safety truck, launching it slightly upward! There are concerns about injuries.
What a wild race. But, a stout one, too. The next race on the schedule is the Sahlen's Six Hours of Watkins Glen, in four weeks. The second round of the North American Endurance Cup, will be run at the picturesque Watkins Glen International Raceway in upstate New York, at the end of this month. Don't forget, we also have coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on the way in a few more weeks. So, lots of sports car action, coming your way, fans.
So long for now, everyone.
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