Just a few races remain in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship season for 2016. Today, we are at the picturesque, legendary Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. A famous, four mile ribbon of asphalt, that is one of the great speed palaces of North America, if not the world. This race is mega for the championship in Prototype. Starworks and Renger van der Zande have won three racs this year. We have a battle ahead in GTLM and GT Daytona. Last time out at Lime Rock (a race you will hear about, soon), Corvette beat Ford and got their 100th win. The #66 Ford GT of Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand has pole, but the sister car #67 was penalized.
Scuderia Corsa and Magnus Racing are battling for the GT
Daytona championship. Championships are
wide open right now. Road America is a
fast track with 14 critical corners. We
are green! Jonathan Bomarito in the
Mazda leads ahead of the Corvette Prototype's of Christian Fittipaldi and Ricky
Taylor. Eric Curran and company
battle. GT Le Mans competitors are
flying as Patrick Pilet leads Dirk Mueller. Porsche leads Corvette and
Ford. Giancarlo Fisichella is pressuring
for position in the Ferrari 488 turbo.
Andrew Davis and others are pushing in GT Daytona.
Spencer Pumpelly spins the Change Racing Lamborghini. The Kink is the beastly corner here at Road
America. Bomarito is comfortable with
his Continental tires in the Mazda.
Clean and green for them at the moment, going out to play right
no0w. The cloud cover over Road America
is helping with track temperature, in turn, helping the balance of the
car. But, it is a guessing game. What do you do? Three stops for Prototypes and two, for
GT. The GT class cars will be
comfortable to drive today. It’s Porsche
vs. BMW M6 in GT Daytona through the Carousel.
Sven Mueller is the new driver in the #22 WeatherTech
Porsche as we see the Ford spin out of Canada corner. Dirk Mueller is in trouble. Something could be broken on the Ford. Is the engine not working? It costs you 42 seconds running through the
lane at 60 kilometers an hour. Bodywork
damage in the front. There is an issue
for the car, though, and they need a nw front nose. Since their Le Mans win, they have not had
good racing luck. In GTLM, Patrick Pilet
leads in class as Giancarlo Fisichella is chasing him down. Fisichella has lost ground, but Kiwi Earl
Bamber, is chasing him down into the Carousel.
The #70 Mazda, is in pit lane. Mazda has won three poles, but they have not
won a race yet. Jonathan Bomarito leads,
but Tom Long will perhaps have to retire the sister car. It is getting hairy, as Prototypes hit lapped
traffic and we watch a couple of Prototype Challenge cars, spin. One of them, nor both, could be team cars for
BAR1 Motorsports. Matt McMurry and Don
Yount, have both spun off the road.
Yount and Johnny Mowlem share the car.
The race is under a short full course yellow. Dirk Mueller ran wide, and in replay, he gets
passed by Giancarlo Fisichella and the engine note fluctuates.
Mueller had another problem, slapping the wall when he
lifted off the throttle into the turn.
There was nothing mechanically wrong with the Ford. It's turbo, spooled up prematurely, to
provide more power for the 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6. Lights are now out on the safty car, ready to
resum racing here in the Kettle moraine.
Green flag and they whistle down to turn one. Bomarito, Fittipaldi, and Ricky Taylor, the
top three. Ryan Briscoe chases Oliver Gavin
in the Corvette in GTLM. Porsche,
Corvette, Ferrari, Ford GT. Giancarlo
Fisichella is losing spots. Fisichella
dropped off the curb and into a rut.
Porsche performs well here at Road America. The left rear tire, might get some wear
through long duration corners. This is
lessened by the cool temperatures. Two
stops will be in order for the GTLM cars because of the length of pit lane and
the time delta. Pilet and Bamber run 1-2
as Ryan Briscoe hounds Oliver Gavin's Corvette C-7-R- at the moment. Four rounds to go in the GT series while there
are three for Prototype. You cannot
afford to get too far behind. GTLM is a
serious factory battle, as THE RACE CONTINUES.
Porsche has had a dry spell in the IWSC so far this year.
Jonathan Bomarito leads this race in the Mazda. Too much downforce = less speed. Too little downforce = more tire
degradation. Road America is tough on
tires. Alex Job Racing has a third car
entered with David MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette. Gunnar Jeannette is now at the controls. Giancarlo Fisichella passes Earl Bamber for
second in GTLM at the moment. The BMW M6
GT's had over boost issues in GTLM as through the Billy Mitchell Bend, there's
a scrum between Cooper MacNeil and Michael Marsal. Porsche vs. BMW, in GTD, with the John Potter
driven Audi, taking the place. The two
Stevenson Motorsport Audi's are also running real well.
Alex Riberas in the sister Alex Job Porsche is running in
the class lead. Fisichella is storming
after Patrick Pilet in GT L Mans, and he is attacking for the lead, on the
outside line. Pilet has the inside line
and Fisichella takes it in deep, locking the brakes into the corner. Pilet covers and defends. No dice for the Ferrari! That move would have ended in tears! Bamber is being hounded by the #3 Corvette
C-7-R- of Antonio Garcia. Minnesota
based JDC Miller Motorsports, is going for it in Prototype Challenge, at what
is their home track in IWSC.
Mikhail Goikhberg is trying to give room to the GTD
cars. GTLM is simmering right now. The bst teams, manufacturers, and drivers, in
the world. GTLM has seen yet another
lead change. Giancarlo Fisichella takes
the Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 back to the class lead through turn six. Fisichella had to correct the Ferrari on the
track. Antonio Garcia is coming in a
hurry. Watch for the Porsche's, because
their tires could be going away. Both
Action Express Corvette Prototype's pitted.
Dane Cameron and Joao Barbosa are now driving each car,
respectively. Mazda is now in the
lane. Ricky Taylor pitted the #10 WTR
Corvette. Jordan Taylor takes over.
Car #5 leads this race at the moment with Joao Barbosa at
the keyboard. Dane Cameron is hounding
Tristan Nunez at the moment. Pit stop
time for GT Le Mans as Corvette #3 is third in class with Ryan Briscoe right
behind. #912 was in the lane, and Fred
Makowiecki took over the car. BMW and
Chevrolet pit. Jan Magnussen switches
into the #3 Corvette as Jonathan Edwards switches into one of the BMW M6 GT's. Bamber takes advantage of Magnussen. Hit the sweet spot with the tires. Cold tires make it hard to keep up with the
other cars. Alex Riberas pitted and
switched over to co-driver Mario Farnbacher.
Giancarlo Fisichella leads GTLM with Ryan Briscoe in
second. Can Briscoe stay out and
leapfrog the Corvette's? #4 Corvette is
in the lane. Tommy Milner is in. The #16 Change Racing Lamborghini had a bad
pit stop and has to serve a penalty with Cory Lewis in the car. Risi is in the lane, and down and away. Ford pits the #67. Risi will be beaten by Richard Westbrook in
the Ford. Where is the Corvette? He's on the start/finish straight. Ganassi played their strategy perfectly,
beating Risi Competizione out of the pits.
Oh dear. Full course
yellow as the #88 Starworks Prototype Challenge car has crashed with Mark
Kvamme at the controls. Full course yellow. Barbosa, Nunez, and Cameron, lead
overall. We have a flurry of activity in
the pit lane for Prototypes. This ought
to be a short fill on fuel. Ozz Negri
takes four tires on the Ligier Honda sharing with John Pew. Action Express takes tires. What will the Michael Shank Racing Ligier do,
as the green flag comes out? Pits are
open for GT cars and Madison Snow pits from the GT Daytona lead. The #66 Ford GT is now back to normal. Snow, is racing the #48 Paul Miller Racing
Lamborghini Huracan of course.
Tristan Nunez has flown through, now that we are back to
green and the battle in GT Le Mans, is on!
GT Le Mans is having a great battle.
Use traffic as a pick. Richard
Westbrook vs. Nick Tandy vs. Toni Vilander, who has taken over from Giancarlo
Fisichella. The Ferrari 488 is hooked
up, and working extremely well. Oswaldo
Negri Jr. makes contact with another car.
Not sure which. Dane Cameron has
gone around Joao Barbosa. Barbosa is
falling back. He needs to settle
in. He is a prodigious talent
indeed. Dane Cameron is hounding Ryan
Dalziel in the #90 Visit Florida Racing entry.
Cameron looks inside and is trying to get around the GT
cars. Those boys are not going to open
the door and let the Prototypes by. Road
America is fast and narrow, despite it's long layout. Dane Cameron passes Ryan Dalziel for
third. Remember, just three races remain
for the Prototype cars in the IWSC.
Cameron is doing all he can right now.
In GT Daytona, we watch Jereon Bleekemolen who has taken over from Ben
Keating. Seven GTD cars are covered by
four seconds. The Viper won at Road
America last year. The #73 Park Place
Porsche 911 is pushing for a win with Patrick Lindsey and Jorg Bergmeister.
Andy Lally in the #44 Magnus Racing Audi R8. Tristan Nunez still leads as we are into the
middle section of this race. Mazda now
hits pit lane with the leader. They are
on an island with strategy with just over an hour left in this race. Four new tires, and fuel. The crew fumbles with the tires, and loses
some time. That was a 29 second stop
when it should have been a bit shorter.
The fuel flow rate for the Mazda's is slower than the other Prototype
teams. Jordan Taylor takes the race lead
in the #10 Corvette Prototype.
Richard Westbrook still leads this great battle in GT Le
Mans as John Edwards is pushing in fifth in the BMW #100. Nick Tandy is also hanging onto the
Ford. Flying through the kink. This track suits the GT Le Mans cars with
it's fast sections. If Westbrook and
Tommy Milner finish in their current places, they could be slugging it out for
the class championship before the end of the season. Alessandro Balzan leads GT Daytona right
now. Dane Cameron goes inside Jorg
Bergmeister. What a great duel. Jordan Taylor vs. Dane Cameron.
Taylor slips, and has tire degradation issus as Dane Cameron
takes the race lead! This was a gamble
for sure. Jeroen Bleekemolen continues
to lead GT Daytona. The sun has come
out, and the cars will begin to oversteer a bit more, towards the end of this
race. We have entered our final hour of
competition. Dane Camron uss vry inch of
the road here. John Edwards and Lucas
Luhr have not had a very good season.
Edwards is pushing past Fred Makowiecki.
These two had a kerfuffle at Lim Rock last time out, a race that you
will soon hear about.
The GT Daytona leader is in the pit lane. The #6 and #9 Audi R8's are also
pitting. Less than an hour to go. The #63 Ferrari pits for fuel and Andy Lally
has done likewise. Another issue for the
#23 AJR Porsche has a penalty. #4
Corvette in the lane, with four tires and fuel.
He's down and away. Toni Vilander
gets pushed by Nick Tandy. It was
retaliation. Race control reviews this
fracas as #911 pits for the final time.
We wait on fuel, and he is down and away. The dominoes are beginning to fall.
There was some trouble for Dane Cameron on his pit
stop. But the crew ended up recovering. Fuel will be crucial on this 4 mile
track. Fred Makowiecki and John Edwards
battle. Last time out at Lime Rock,
these two got together. Cars #5 and #10
trundle through pit lane. #31 gets the
lead as Barbosa has a miscue in the lane!
This is about the championship.
Corvette's are in. Jan Magnussen
pitted from the race lead. Cameron clears
traffic on the way to The Kink. On the
brakes for Canada corner.
Tristan Nunez leads but needs a pit stop. Cameron clears the Ford GT and Jeroen
Bleekemolen in the Viper. Go fast, and
conserve tires. In the lane is the #55
Mazda. Fuel only for Nunez. Nunez has lost over a minutes being in the
lane. This could affect his ability to
win the race. They need a yellow flag
before this race ends. The overall lead
battle is on. The balance of the car
might dictate who will win this race.
Dane Cameron leads Joao Barbosa right now. Cameron can't risk having his team mate make
a pass. Cameron has to cross the stripe
right as the clock runs out if he does not want to do another four mile lap
after the clock runs out.
The #20 Prototype Challenge car spins, with veteran Bruno
Junquiera at the wheel. Junquiera will
be in the FIA World Endurance Championship race in Mexico City, next
month. Richard Westbrook leads Toni
Vilander in GTLM. Jeroen Bleeekemolen is
being harried by his rivals in GT Daytona at the moment. Richard Westbrook leads GTLM as Toni Vilander
is continuing to claw at him. Vilander
tries to take advantage of Westbrook through traffic. But, no dice.
Westbrook flies past Jeroen Bleekemolen's Dodge Viper. Vilander takes a shallow entry into Canada
Corner. Dane Cameron just clears GT
traffic and stays ahead of his team mate.
Tommy Milner passes the BMW M6 GT of John Edwards.
Dane Cameron slides inside and hopes that the GTLM drivers
are looking in their mirrors. Wow! Joao
Barbosa may immediately respond with lap times as we have 17 minutes remaining. Will Dane Cameron have enough fuel? After this race, just two races remain in the
2016 season for the WeatherTech Championship.
Bruno Junquiera has another spin.
Tristan Nunez is also struggling for grip, out in the marbles. Nunez is all over Ozz Negri Jr. who is
dealing with a misfire in his Honda power plant.
Tristan Nunez passes by one of the factory Corvette's, with
Jan Magnussen at the controls. Stephen
Simpson and Renger van der Zande have wrecked and these two blokes are the
points leaders in Prototype Challenge.
There’s a battle for position.
Now, Tom Kimber-Smith and Robert Alon might have a chance to gain the
points lead. #85 is now third in
points. These two are amazingly
quick. Colin Braun, and others, have a
good standing in Prototype Challenge as well.
The Ford, Ferrari, Porsche battle will continue in GT Le Mans.
We are anticipating going back to green this time. Before we go back to green, the food, at Road
America, is stuff of legend. It is far
more than just hamburgers and regular fries.
We have only five minutes left.
Can Dane Cameron hold off Joao Barbosa?
The caution helped him save fuel.
Dane Cameron has a margin ahead of Barbosa. Westbrook and Vilander scrum in GTLM with
Nick Tandy third. Fred Makowiecki and
the Corvette also battle. Tandy tries
going inside Westbrook, and spins!
Vilander roughs up Richard Westbrook.
Game over for Nick Tandy!
Westbrook runs wide. He's got
crud on his tires.
Risi Competizione wants a win. They haven't won all year. Corvette's move up. Vilander is doing all he can to stay in touch
with Westbrook. Two more laps to
go. Cameron hangs on. Jordan Taylor is also in this fight. Oh!
Vilander gets turned by the Mazda!
Fisichella is shocked! Miller is
up to second behind the Ford! Wow! It's now the battle of the American muscle
cars! Milner has to pile pressure on
Westbrook! The #100 BMW M6 GT of John
Edwards will be third in the running order.
Barbosa and Taylor are all over Dane Cameron. Milner gets split by a Prototype Challenge
car. The margin decreases for the lead
to two car lengths. Last lap.
Edwards has a run on the Corvette. Edwards and Luhr have not been on the podium
all year. Milner has a run on Westbrook
and is ahead of the Ford! Corvette
Racing goes bonkers! Westbrook is in
trouble. Westbrook makes up ground on
the Corvette. Here we go. Cameron is going to hang on to win! Third 1-2 for Action Express
consecutively. Tom Kimber-Smith wins
PC with co-driver Robert Alon. GT Le Mans and it is is Tommy Milner
winning GTLM at Road America!
Whoa! That was a
race! In GT Daytona, it's the #33 Viper
of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen, winning for the second year in a row!
Overall/Prototype: #31 Cameron.Curran Chevrolet Corvette Prototype
Prototype
Challenge: #52 Kimber-Smith/Alon
Oreca FLM Chevrolet
GT Le Mans: #4 Milner/Gavin Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R-
GT
Daytona: #33 Bleekemolen/Keating SRT
Viper GTS-R-
Folks, there are a few other races we have not covered in
IWSC yet. But, with two races to go, the
overall championship is just one point.
The penultimate event for Prototypes is the Lone Star Le Mans in mid-September,
at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
That race will be in mid September.
For the GT cars, there is an extra event, at Virginia International
Raceway, in Alton, Virginia. It is the
Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, coming up in three weeks.
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