The track formerly known as Mosport, (now Canadian Tire Motorsports Park), has a rich history and many fantastic drivers (most of whom ran in Formula 1), have competed here. Drivers like Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart, and James Hunt. Jack Brabham won the first F1 race here in 1967. The second half of the season kicks off at a track known for sustained high speeds. In Prototype and GT Le Mans, the points standings are close, and the rivalry between Ford and Corvette in GT Le Mans is hot and heavy. IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Champion action, coming at you, next!
There are only four races left for the Prototypes. Joao Batbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, lead the points, by a scant margin of seven over their team mates Dane Cameron and Eric Curran at Action Express Racing, while also seven points in-arrears, is the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Chevrolet Corvette Prototype of brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor. Mazda will also be fast. They want their first IMSA WeatherTech Championship race win, today. Traffic will be a big deal. GT Daytona cars did not race here at CTMP last year, and now, with full GT3 spec cars, they are much, much faster. CTMP is amazingly quick. The Prototypes have tremendous speed on corner entry here at CTMP. So, even with the speed of the GTD machines, everyone will have to be on their toes today.
GT Le Mans, is probably the most intense battle we'll see all day as Ford closes in on Corvette Racing's points lead, a lead that the yellow cars have held, since the season opening twice around the clock marathon at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Ford and Corvette have combined to win four of five races, five of six, if you count Le Mans. Antonio Garcia has pole in GT Le Mans. But, Dirk Mueller is also very close behind. This track is old school. The first half of the track is like a roller coaster. Moss corner and the Mario Andretti straightaway are two of the key parts on this track. Another palace of speed.
Today's race is scheduled to last two hours and 40 minutes. Tristan Nunez in the Mazda, carrying the 1991 Le Mans winning paint scheme, has pole. As we get the green, it's Ricky Taylor getting a massive jump on the outside of the front row! Did Taylor jump the start? The marshals will keep a very close eye on that. Corvette leads the GT field to the green flag, while the two Ford's already touch! Not this early in the race! Gently, boys. We also see the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE tap the left rear wheel of one of the BMW RLL BMW M6 GT's! Giancarlo Fisichella, the Italian veteran, is getting after it early. The Porsche's won GTLM here last year. But, they are at the back of the grid, and that's how far the development has come in GTLM so far this season.
Alex Riberas in the #23 Team Seattle Heart of Racing Porsche 911 GT3 leads the GT Daytona field. Ricky Taylor wanted the lead at the green, and got it. He touches the brake exiting turn one, but the Mazda of Tristan Nunez is all over him! Nunez wants the lead for Mazda, badly. Mazda has the pace to win this race today, if they can keep their noses clean. The flowing undulations here at CTMP are just breathtaking, making this track another of those speed palaces we find around the world in sports car racing. Christian Fittipaldi runs third in the Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette Prototype. Tom Long in the sister Mazda Prototype to Tristan Nunez, is next in line.
Meanwhile, Marc Goossens in the #90 VisitFlorida.com Racing Chevrolet Corvette Prototype, has gotten around the identical car, the sister car for Action Express, #31, with Whelen sponsorship, in the hands of Eric Curran. Goossens is now fifth as they dive through turn four. Fittipaldi runs wide at the apex of Moss corner, turn five, which is a pause in speed, more than a true braking zone. John Pew is giving the Mike Shank Racing Ligier Honda a good run as we get started. But the DeltaWing team, they have not found the speed here at CTMP and run four seconds or so in-arrears of the MSR racer.
There is so much apex speed through the first half of the lap here at CTMP, unless you hit traffic in the first half of the lap, it's very difficult to pass here. ...And, the road, is narrow, too. The Prototype cars run 45 minutes or so on a full tank of fuel, before needing to make a pit stop. It's a definite three stop race today if we are clean and green for a good chunk of the race. Race control is looking at the GTLM start as we see Corvette, Ford, and BMW running together. Today was the first earned pole for Corvette #3 since the 2015 Rolex 24 and the first pole for Antonio Garcia, since the 2014 race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Ford and Chevrolet are 1-2 in the championship. We have not seen this battle rekindled on the track until this race began. Shades of the glory years of racing, in the 1960s. Ford vs. Chevrolet. A classic duel in American motorsports, and American sports car racing. Bill Auberlen has also made a great start jumping to third in class in GTLM getting around team mate at BMW, Lucas Luhr, and the second Ford GT. Since the previous race at Watkins Glen, Balance of Performance adjustments have been made as the Ford has lost a bit of boost and the BMW M6 GT has not been touched. We saw Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner on the podium, just a week or so ago at the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen.
Ricky Taylor gained an advantage at the start. But, race control will not take action to hand out an penalties. Everything is copacetic at the moment. Stephen Simpson is at the head of the class in Prototype Challenge right now. The weather today is lovely with temperatures in the 70s, low wind, and low humidity. We look at the three P's. Performance, position, and patience. Tristan Nunez can stay with Ricky Taylor, but can't get the pass made. The downforce will be taken away from the front dive planes on the nose. Nunez is really making a name as a Prototype driver.
Mazda is really working on trying to win a race. Nunez passes Taylor in traffic, reading the situation, even though Taylor was committed to the apex in turn ten. Nunez is constantly being told by the team on the radio, to be patient and work the traffic carefully. Not all drivers want that information while they're racing. But it seems to be working for Tristan Nunez. Nunez made the pass on Taylor when he was balked by one of the factory GTLM Porsche's. Antonio Garcia continues to lead GTLM in the #3 Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R-, but hot on his heels are the #66 Ford GT in the hands of Dirk Mueller, and the #25 BMW M6 of Bill Auberlen.
Richard Westbrook in the sister Ford and Lucas Luhr in the sister BMW complete the top five in class. Corvette has a slight upper hand over Ford at the moment, as the BoP adjustments take hold. Earl Bamber in the Porsche said he cut one of his best ever qualifying laps, but, he still cannot keep up with the leaders in GTLM. Alex Riberas has a four second cushion on the second place GT Daytona car. That's the #6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 driven right now, by Andrew Davis. Coming next in GTD is the #16 Change Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 with Spencer Pumpelly at the controls, with sponsorship from Monster Energy.
Nunez has pulled out three seconds ahead of Ricky Taylor. The Prototype Challenge cars driven by Alex Popow and Jon Bennett are starting to come alive. Next up in GT Daytona are Patrick Lindsey in the Park Place Racing Porsche, followed by Bret Curtis in the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT. Riberas has set fast lap in GT Daytona at 1:18 flat and no one else in the division is within 4/10ths of a second. So, Riberas is cruising right now. Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini. Car #911 came to the pit lane. Nick Tandy is struggling with softer Michelin tires. They are losing time on the road. They came in and changed to harder compound Michelin tires, to find pace.
CTMP is pretty abrasive. GTLM on a fuel load can go an hour or so, but this will eat up the tires. Christian Fittipaldi is gaining on Ricky Taylor for second. Tristan Nunez, meanwhile, has checked out and is eleven seconds up the road. Maybe the soft Michelin tires are not working as they should. Make your tire compound choice on the fly. There's a crossover point where it will work or not work. Track temperature will build up. Ford and Porsche have both paid attention to this. Oh dear. We have a crash, on the front straightaway. Well, at least it's a tandem spin. John Pew has spun the MSR Ligier Honda, and one of the Prototype Challenge cars. It could be the car with Mark Kvamme at the wheel.
Kvamme is sharing that car with Britain's Richard Bradley, who we've seen in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Kvamme stays on the road. We stay green. Incidentally, Starworks, will enter a third PC car for the next race we will run at Lime Rock Park. Details to come, at the end of this race report. Dirk Mueller and Bill Auberlen fight through traffic allowing the Corvette leading GT Le Mans, to get away. Our leader, Tristan Nunez threads his way through traffic. Believe it or not, the GT3 based GT Daytona cars, are far quicker in a straight line than the GT Le Mans cars.
Former Corvette factory driver and racing veteran Ron Fellows, is now the owner of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Ron Fellows is also an ambassador for Corvette. Fellows has had great accomplishments as a driver, including Le Mans wins, NASCAR success, and success in the Trans Am series. Three abreast into Moss corner, isn't going to work, gentlemen, as Giancarlo Fisichella has the squeeze play put on him by the sister Porsche 911 RSR. Earl Bamber at the wheel. Tristan Nunez is still leading. Ricky Taylor is second. Christian Fittipaldi is still third in car #5.
The #100 BMW is in the lane. Lucas Luhr lost power steering, not something you want to lose here at CTMP. The plan is to fix the car and continue running for points. The long loads in these corners, are tough on power steering. Cooling systems have to be added to the power steering systems. The steering locks up and it's diabolical when it happens. The #70 Mazda hits pit lane, while Tristan Nunez is continuing to lead in the sister car. Cooper MacNeil in the #22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT3 is trying to come back through the field. The team started from pit lane due to a fuel leak in the morning that needed to be fixed.
Corvette Racing hits the pits. The #4 is in for routine service and a driver change. Tommy Milner replacing Oliver Gavin for the time being. #55 pits from the lead and Tristan Nunez will hand the car over to Jonathan Bomarito. The team has had to use a manual jack to get the tire change done as the air jacks on the car, are not working correctly. The rear tire didn't get put on either. A fraught time for Mazda at the moment. #3, the sister Corvette is now in, and Jan Magnussen takes over. Christian Fittipaldi also brought the Action Express car in from third place. Joao Barbosa is in #5, as the sister car of Dane Cameron, he wants to make a move!
Three wide! Action Express sandwiches the Mazda! Dane Cameron wants to make a pass for the lead, around the outside! Cameron makes the move on Joao Barbosa! The troubles with the air jacks for Mazda cost them 15-20 seconds. #10 is now in the lane. Fuel, tires, and a driver change for the WTR entry. Ricky Taylor, out. Jordan Taylor, his brother, into the car. Can Dane Cameron beat Jordan Taylor to turn one? Yes! Taylor tries to defend, runs wide, on cold tires, and is passed by Joao Barbosa. Whoops! One of the Turner Motorsports GTD BMW's has spun. This is in turn eight. Michael Marsal at the controls. He may have pulled off to the runoff area in turn eight.
The #90 car was leading this race, but is now in the lane for fuel and full service. If it goes to a full course yellow, pit lane would be closed, and your strategy would be turned on it's ear. Marc Goossens came to the pits in the nick of time. Ryan Dalziel should take over the car, as the GT Le Mans cars make their scheduled pit stops. Dirk Mueller brings the #66 Ford GT to the lane, and Joey Hand will take over. #67 also pits, at an odd angle, coming across the nose of the sister car. Richard Westbrook, out. Ryan Briscoe, in. The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE has also made a scheduled pit stop. Toni Vilander now at the wheel of the Risi entry.
BMW is now in the lane with car #25. Bill Auberlen turns the car over to Dirk Werner. Alex Popow also brings the #8 Starworks entry to the lane and Renger van der Zande will take over. The #54 CORE Autosport car is also in, in Prototype Challenge. Colin Braun should take over from Jon Bennett. GT Daytona points leader Christina Nielsen, she still runs down the order from her competition in class. In modern racing, the best way to set up a car, is before the race weekend, with a driver, in a simulator, back at the factory, to get an idea of how the car will perform on a given race track.
Ryan Dalziel has now passed Jordan Taylor, and the #55 Mazda with Bomarito at the wheel, is in recovery mode, after making a mistake on the pit stop. Taylor, meanwhile, runs VERY wide! Yikes! On the Mazda pit stop, with their air jack issues, they couldn't get the right rear tire properly tightened down. Dane Cameron sets fastest lap of the race so far at 1:10.4. He is 3/10ths of a second quicker than the fast lap set by Tristan Nunez in the Mazda, earlier. Barbosa runs second now. Dane Cameron loses time through Moss corner. His team mate Joao Barbosa is catching him, in lapped traffic. Ryan Dalziel and Jordan Taylor are also caught among the backmarkers in GT Le Mans and GT Daytona.
Ricky Taylor says he did not jump the start. Stephen Simpson has nearly a minute in hand in the Prototype Challenge lead over his pursuer, James French. Mazda has had a great run, but the pit lane incident, has been a setback for them. Time is running out in the season, and if you have to go for it, now is the hour. Jan Magnussen continues to lead GTLM, but Dirk Werner in the BMW is on a real charge to the front. Werner runs a 1:15.4, while every other contender in GTLM can only muster a 1:16. Corvette has won at CTMP many, many times. Ron Fellows and Jan Magnussen have both won here many times. Magnussen has six wins total, and five, with the Corvette team. CTMP is a fun track.
Jan Magnussen is also racing in a series in his home country of Denmark. Corvette's Doug Fehan says they have a depth of knowledge that no other team has. They have an advantage on the Balance of Performance side of things. Ford, BMW, and Ferrari, have new race cars. They didn't test at CTMP. Corvette has raced here for the last 17 years and has won eleven times. We are now under our first full course yellow as Mazda, could be done for the day. The rear axle on the car, has broken. No drive in the car. Pit stops have come and gone for the Prototype contenders. The #31 car now leads, and they perhaps took only left side tires. WTR had a decent pit stop, and the #70 Mazda has serviced the car, as their sister car has run into trouble.
Car #90 has also pitted. Mario Farnbacher pits from the class lead in GT Daytona. Madison Snow also brought the #48 Castrol/Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 to the lane. Snow's team mate, Bryan Sellers has also been very quick. The #9 Stevenson Audi and the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW in GTD have also pitted. Trouble for the #9 Audi. Now, we go back to green here at CTMP! Dane Cameron is now charging after Ryan Dalziel. The leading Prototypes go after the top three in GT Le Mans. Corvette, Ford, and BMW. Ryan Dalziel has escaped the traffic, and he can now, whistle off into the distance.
Jordan Taylor, looks to the outside, sweeping around the #5 and getting by the #25 BMW! Joao Barbosa now tries to recover. Dalziel took two tires, and that is how the #90 car got the race lead. The #60 MSR Ligier Honda is being held in the penalty box at the end of pit lane, for an improper pass around. The stewards hold you for the lap you gained, and an additional lap. So, that will cost MSR dearly. Oswaldo Negri Jr. is in the car. The battle for the lead ensues between Ryan Dalziel and Dane Cameron. Dalziel took two tires on the previous stop, while Cameron took four fresh tires. Ironically, Dane Cameron's dad, is the engineer on the #90 car.
The action is hot and heavy between the Prototype and GT Le Mans contenders. Multi-class sports car racing is truly, a high speed chess match. Jordan Taylor is running very well. The #10 car is the defending champion here at CTMP. Meanwhile, in GT Le Mans, the lead battle is boiling. Jan Magnussen in the Corvette vs. Dirk Werner in the BMW M6 and Joey Hand in the Ford GT. Tommy Milner in the sister Corvette is close behind. The top two in GTLM separated by nothing while the third place Ford, has to contend with a Prototype Challenge car.
We remember, fondly, Carl Haas, who, along with fellow team owner, Paul Newman, once raced as fierce rivals. But, they became allies, when Mario Andretti said to Newman and Haas, "I'd like to drive for you both." The team then, turned into a juggernaut. Mario Andretti, his son Michael, Nigel Mansell, Cristiano da Matta, and Sebastien Bourdais, Newman/Haas Racing won eight Champ Car championship titles. In 28 years, the team scored 107 race wins in Champ Car. Christian Fittipaldi also drove for them. At age 86, Carl Haas, passed away.
Haas was a Hall of Famer, and an icon in racing, with his trademark Havana cigar. He is a legend, who will be truly missed. Rest In Peace, Carl Haas.
CTMP, for many years, as we continue to glimpse back into history, was the heart and soul of the Can Am series and held more Can Am races than any other track. Oh dear! The #23 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 in GT Daytona, loses a wheel. The car is now in pit lane, on the air jacks, being serviced. This is a short yellow. This has championship implications in GT Daytona, and also affects the #73 Park Place Racing Porsche 911 GT3 with Jorg Bergmeister at the controls. The team was ready for a pit stop, but with the yellow, the pits remain closed.
The pits will stay closed until after the green flag reappears. Bergmeister has to be in fuel saving mode for the moment. Since 1999, Porsche has had eight wins in GT Le Mans, and Jorg Bergmeister, was part of four of those victories, here at CTMP. The GTD cars are just slightly slower than the Prototypes, and now, we are back to green flag racing! Cameron, Taylor, and Barbosa, are the top three. Stephen Simpson leads Prototype Challenge over Tom Kimber-Smith. We have exactly one our remaining in the Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix.
Joel Miller has taken over the #70 Mazda Prototype from Tom Long. We have a battle royal in GT Le Mans at the present time, ladies and gentlemen. A few GTLM cars pitted under the yellow before this last short caution flag, including Ryan Briscoe in the Ford, Fred Makowiecki in the Porsche, and Toni Vilander in the Ferrari. So, they have a lot more fuel. Everyone will need one more pit stop to get to the finish of this race. Jorg Bergmeister, leading in GT Daytona, has made his way to pit lane. This is a full service stop and Jorg will stay in the car. The tires going onto the car are a scrubbed set. Thus, they will come up to temperature, faster, than a new set of tires.
Dirk Werner wants to find a way by Jan Magnussen right now. Joey Hand, and the sister Corvette, both dive for pit lane, and they are inside their fuel window, with less than an hour to run now. The Corvette takes four tires. Same strategy for the #66 Ford. Alessandro Balzan in the GT Daytona class Ferrari, also pitted. Magnussen now dives for the lane from the GTLM lead. Porsche #911 also pits. Antonio Garcia takes over the Corvette. There will be a penalty for the Porsche for something, according to the IMSA marshals. We await the pit stop of the #6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 leading in GT Daytona.
Dirk Werner now brings the BMW to pit lane. Did Werner have a clean lap? He needed to gain time on hot tires, as Antonio Garcia, his competition, for Corvette, left the lane with cold tires. The #6 Stevenson Audi has a short pit stop and Robin Liddell stays behind the wheel. Two left side tires, and fuel, for #6, to make it to the end. The #911 will get a drive through penalty, for spinning the wheels in the pit lane. Meanwhile, Dane Cameron has passed Ryan Dalziel for the overall race lead. Dane Cameron slices to the inside of Ryan Dalziel coming up on a group of GTLM traffic. Dane Cameron knows he needs a win, as we are getting into the second half of the 2016 IMSA season.
Dalziel got squeezed by Toni Vilander.
Folks, we are now getting very close to the end of this race. Less than an hour remains. Things have been turned upside down in GT Daytona. Right now, the #27 Dream Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 of factory Lamborghini pilot, Fabio Babini, leads in class. Jeroen Bleekemolen has brought the #33 ViperExchange.com Racing, Gas Monkey SRT Viper GTS-R- closer to the GTD lead. Viper didn't race here last year, but won, in 2014 at CTMP. It was their first win in the newly reformed IMSA series. Babini will still need to make a pit stop for Lamborghini. Last week at Watkins Glen the team didn't make the start of the race and had to use their spare car.
Cedric Sbirrazauli is the starting driver for Change Racing, along with Babini. Tommy Milner is now up to third in GT Le Mans, chasing Ryan Briscoe and Fred Makowiecki. In Prototype Challenge, Renger van der Zande, has jumped from fourth, to second. He is within striking distance of PC leader Stephen Simpson. van der Zande is flying, and has Tom Kimber-Smith right behind him. Now in pit lane, it's the #90 Corvette Prototype. Ryan Dalziel stays in the car. Dane Cameron continues to lead this race. Milner passes Werner in GT Le Mans. Briscoe continues to lead in class in the Ford GT.
Ford wants their third consecutive IMSA win, and fourth in a row, if you count their triumph at Le Mans last month. Werner is held up by the #27 GTD Lamborghini and Antonio Garcia, capitalizes. #31 is pitting. Left side tires only, and fuel, for Dane Cameron. A full fuel load will be needed if we stay green, for cars to get to the finish. Did #31 get enough fuel in the tank? #10 now hits pit lane. Joao Barbosa also pits. You have to pit, so as to not get caught by a yellow. #10 takes fuel and only rear tires. No front tires. Jordan Taylor has to watch out, as he has hot front tires, but cold rear tires. Ryan Briscoe ducked into pit lane taking fuel only, and no tires. Good strategy call by Chip Ganassi Racing.
Antonio Garcia has now taken over the #3 Corvette. Jordan Taylor is running very competitively, turning a lap at 1:10.6. Ryan Briscoe has done a best lap of 1:15.9 while the BMW of Dirk Werner ran a 1:15.4. Briscoe is a half a second slower than Werner. Dirk Werner chases Tommy Milner for the final podium place in GTLM. Mazda has shown great pace, but in the races, they just can't quite get things together. They have a lot of talent and a lot of heart on that time. We watch a battle in GT Daytona between Jeroen Bleekemolen in the Viper, and the Turner BMW M6 GT piloted by factory BMW driver, Jens Klingman. This is virtually for the class lead since Fabio Babini in the Lamborghini, has to stop. Babini, in the Lamborghini. That does have a nice ring to it!
Bret Curtis, team mate to Jens Klingman, has done very well. We are closing in on the final 30 minutes of this race. Bleekemolen and Klingman, even though neither has pitted, they are now right on the tail of Fabio Babini. We also see Lawson Aschenbach in the sister Stevenson Audi, #9 trying to get a lap back. But, now, Klingman dives inside not just the Viper, but also, the Lamborghini! What a move! A piece of bodywork has been dislodged from the front end of the Viper. Is there some water, spraying out from the radiator? The Viper hits pit lane. There's a problem, with car #33! Wow!
There's heavy damage and the water pressure is dropping. Maybe they've holed a radiator. Bleekemolen does bump Babini's rear bumper. That does the damage. The crew replaces the radiator in pit lane, hoping to get out ahead of the #23 Porsche for points towards the GT Daytona championship. Alessandro Balzan in the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari, moves up to fourth place. Bryan Sellers is up to third in class in the Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini. Turner Motorsports is running very well. Keep in mind, they won in GTD here in 2014, with the BMW Z4 which, at that time, was piloted by Finn Markus Palttala and, Dane Cameron, who now leads this race for Action Express. Tommy Milner, meanwhile, passes Fred Makowiecki in GTLM.
Dane Cameron now leads Jordan Taylor in the overall, by 7.5 seconds. Looking into some news, that you have heard here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. Mercedes, could join the ranks in IMSA next year with a GT3 car and also, a car that will meet the new DPi formula for next year. Acura also has a GT3 car testing on U.S. soil. Jens Klingman leads GT Daytona, with just over 15 minutes left in this race. Fuel mileage could factor into the last few minutes of this race. The GTLM leading #67 Ford GT has dropped it's pace a little bit.
Fred Makowiecki in the #912 Porsche runs wide. Antonio Garcia makes the pass, and now, he is being chased, by Dirk Werner in the BMW. We are closing in on the checkers here at CTMP. Down into Moss corner, there's a bit of a fracas involving the #66 Ford GT of Joey Hand, and the #100 BMW M6 GT piloted by John Edwards. Hand is frustrated with Edwards not moving over, and simply, nudges him out of the way, and into a slight spin. Edwards is fighting power steering trouble with the M6 and has been for a good chunk of the day.
Dane Cameron works his way by the Turner BMW and Joey Hand wants to do likewise. Dane Cameron has a very comfortable lead, of over 14 seconds. Less than ten minutes to go. Taylor and Barbosa are behind, but Cameron needs a buffer in the points and that's working out. It will be three points, if Barbosa passes. Dalziel had closed up within four seconds of Barbosa, but the gap has ballooned to 13 seconds. So, did Dalziel have an issue? Ooh. Jordan Taylor has a brief off/on moment. Every position is critical, as after today's race, there will be three rounds left in the championship. No call from race stewards on the earlier #66/#100 incident. A racing deal, as they call it.
Barbosa is closing on Jordan Taylor. By not taking front tires, could Taylor be dealing with some understeer? Barbosa almost has him, but then, he has a huge wiggle out of the corner! He just nicked the curb! What a mega save! Points as they run, with just five minutes left in this race, Fittipaldi and Barbosa would have a mere two point lead on Cameron and Curran, with the Taylor brothers five points back. Jordan Taylor has run out of front tires and is locking the front brakes. Action Express finished 1-2 at Watkins Glen last weekend, and they could get their second straight 1-2 finish, here at CTMP.
Problems, for the DeltaWing, as it is nosed into the tires, with four and a half minutes to go. Sean Rayhall at the wheel of it. He has crashed at the entrance to turn three. There's not enough time to clear the wreck. Rayhall backs it out of the tires as Jordan Taylor fights for grip. He runs wide and doesn't want to cord one of those worn tires on the front. Oh boy! Another off track excursion, as the #44 Magnus Racing GT Daytona Audi R8 of Andy Lally is off the road and into the tires. He has gone off at turn one. Did someone try to go down the inside and spear him off the road?
#44 was spun out, earlier, having a ding dong with Jorg Bergmeister in the #73 Porsche. This incident happened in turn three, while his most recent off, was in turn one. Did he cut a tire in that fracas with Bergmeister? Lally spins backwards, and... ker-runch! Clouting the wall backwards, Lally could have very well cut a tire down in that moment with Bergmeister earlier on. Something broke on the car, and the impact was pretty big. The two of them were battling for sixth place. This will change things in the GTD points chase. Alessandro Balzan and company will pad their points lead in GTD. Meanwhile, Dane Cameron leads by 21 seconds and should win this race, barring a mishap.
We go full course yellow with a lap to go. So, this race will end, under yellow, and it looks like Dane Cameron and Eric Curran, will win the Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix! Prototype Challenge honors go to Colin Braun and Jon Bennett for CORE Autosport. In GT Le Mans, the third straight win for the #67 Ford GT of Ryan Briscoe, and Richard Westbrook. GT Daytona goes to the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT of Jens Klingman and Bret Curtis. Dane Cameron, has won eight races in IMSA. Andy Lally is out of the car, and is fine.
Overall/Prototype: #31 Cameron/Curran Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype
Challenge: #54 Braun/Bennett Oreca FLM Chevrolet
GT Le Mans: #67 Briscoe/Westbrook Ford GT
GT Daytona: #96 Klingman/Curtis BMW M6 GT
Richard Westbrook gets quite the 39th birthday present! Third straight win for that car in IWSC competition this year!
The next race on the IMSA schedule, is at the bull ring at Lime Rock Park, in Lakeville, Connecticut, in ten days time. Only Prototype Challenge, GTLM, and GTD, will race there. Prototypes will not. Also, stay tuned, as a few of the previous races still have to be covered from Laguna Seca, and Detroit. So, lots of IMSA WeatherTech action, yet to come your way, on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog.
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