For more than 60 years, history has been made on the
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The IMSA
WeatherTech Sports Car Championship visits, for the first time, today. We are ready for the Acura Sports Car
Challenge. After three rounds, we
haven’t seen Acura or Mazda get a podium or a win. The Acura’s will start on the front row with
Dane Cameron and Helio Castroneves. The
Mazda’s are on row two. To rookies,
there are challenges on this track, unless you are someone like Helio
Castroneves, who has won here in Champ Cars/IndyCar before.
We have a two hour and 40 minute race ahead. In GT Le Mans, all three big makes have
won. Ford, Porsche, and Chevrolet. BMW wants to win. Every driver in this class Is a factory
driver. John Edwards is on pole for his
home race in the BMW M8 GTE. In GT
Daytona, Lamborghini won twice with two different teams. Lamborghini has won two GTD races this
year. BMW wants to win, as Biill
Auberlen is entered in the Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT along with Continental
Tire Sports Car Challenge racer, Dylan Machavern. The ESM Nissan’s are having
trouble. Lexus swept the front row in GT
Daytona, with Jack Hawksworth the pole sitter.
Green! Go! The Mazda’s are side by side into turns four,
five, and six. Acura, Acura, Mazda,
Mazda. Renger van der Zande in the #10
Cadillac is trying to rebound. They have
not won a race yet this year. Long green
flag runs are the big deal. Nick Tandy
has hit John Edwards in the BMW. Edwards
is behind Antonio Garcia in the factory Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R-. Dane Cameron is starting to push hard.
He has the pace over Helio Castroneves as they run 1-2 at
this moment. The cars slide through turn
11. Penske wants to win. But the drivers are aware not to do anything
silly and throw the cars off the road.
The #22 Nissan of Johannes van Overbeek will be penalized after hitting
Robert Alon in the #85 JDC Miller Motorsports “Banana Boat” Prototype. Ford in GT Le Mans, has struggled here at
Mid—Ohio. Nick Tandy in the Porsche had
to check up, and Edwards went off the road all by himself. That was after the earlier kerfuffle with the
Prototypes. A long way to go as IMSA
makes its return to Mid-Ohio for the first time since 2012. Grand Am, the series that was merged with the
old American Le Mans Series, to create what is now the IMSA WeatherTech Sports
Car Championship, last ran at Mid-Ohuo, in the final year of the separate sanctioning
bodies, back in 2013. Acura’s continue
to lead in the Acura Sports Car Challenge.
This track is a major challenge, and old school. 2.25 miles with 13 corners. Watch for the Keyhole and The Carousel. Don’t hit your team mate. You have to be patient. You can have a run, but don’t try to pass too
soon.
Part of the battle is battling the race track, and that
happens every place these chaps go to race.
How much grip will they have?
More sun, and warmer temperatures than were seen in qualifying on
Saturday. Dane Cameron is trying hard to
make a move on the team car of Helio Castroneves. The battle heats up in the GT classes as
well. Again, it’s been five years since
sports cars have raced here. Oliver
Jarvis learned this track fast, on the simulator. The simulator cannot teach track
changes. But, it’s nice to learn and
understand a track you have never been to before. The Lexus cars swept the front row in GT
Daytona. Jack Hawksworth has moved ahead
of his team mate, Kyle Marcelli. Madison
Snow is chasing Katherine Legge. Acura
vs. Lamborghini. Snow is a young bloke
and alsoi ran in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo race earlier in the day, so, he
may be a bit tired as this race starts.
The grip on the road has been changing.
The racing line gets wider as racing goes on. The line is much wider. If someone runs wide, it is possible for the
competing cars to make a pass. The track
is rubbering in, and gaining grip.
This track is a very hard one to get a hold of. It’s like a slalom skier going through gates
on the course. Ben Keating is working on
passing Michael Schein in the second Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3. The time difference between GTLM and GTD is
very small. Corvette Racing has won here
at Mid-Ohio, nine times, starting in 2001.
So, they’ve been very successful at this track, for the better part of
17 years. If they win today, it will be
the 100th win in North America and the 108th win for Corvette worldwide. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen in the #3
car want a win. Ford, Porsche, and
Corvette have been the three winners so far this year. Ryan Briscoe is last in class, with Richard
Westbrook, in the #67 Ford GT. Ben
Keating hits Michael Schein, and Schein, in the #16 Porsche gets shoved off the
road. He’s shown n no respect by his
adversary and is simply nudged out of the way.
Christina Nielsen is proving she can drive different cars. She’s raced for Aston Martin, Ferrari, and
Porsche. Jonathan Bomarito has the
fastest race lap and he’s pressing hard as the two Acura’s are working
traffic. Acura has a hard time managing
their tires.
Traffic management is a big deal. The Mazda is following the two GT Daytona
cars, and he has to really be careful passing on this track because it is so
narrow. Watch out for traffic. Watch out for argy bargy. It’s the nature of the game. Don’t let your frustration with traffic get
the better of you. Be patient. Dylan Machavern is running well with the Turner
BMW M6 GT3 even though he has BMW veteran Bill Auberlen as his team mate. Auberlen has been a lifer with BMW. He has to earn three more wins to have the
most sports car racing wins in IMSA history.
Dane Cameron had a pass made on Helio Castroneves. Don’t hit your team mate. Jon Bennett is holding up the faster Acura’s
right now. The Mazda’s are still
there. Wow! There’s some really tight action in the
braking zone. Yikes! Cameron has more pace than Castroneves at
this time. With the ebb and flow of
Mid-Ohio, it seems the Mazda boys are coming back into this. The GTLM battle continues to intensify. Dirk Mueller in the Ford GT, is pressing John
Edwards. You cannot afford argy bargy
here with these cars. In the pit lane,
the #75 Mercedes AMG GT3 of Kenny Habul.
He hops over the grass, and is off the road. The GTLM cars run 160 miles an hour down the
back straightaway. Helio Castroneves
continues to lead and Dane Cameron is still in hot pursuit. Pit stop time, for the #5 Cadillac. Filipe Albuquerque and Joao Barbosa share the
car. Filipe Albuquerque may take the car
to the finish now that Joao Barbosa has started the race. They will do a couple more pit stops. Albuquerque needs to learn this track. But, it’s a very physical track, with warm
temperatures in the 80s.
Maybe Mustang Sampling Cadillac is playing the strategy
right now. The tire pressures are still
low. In the old days, you could be more
careful on your out lap. Not the case
these days. The pressures are just as
critical as the temperatures. Pressure =
temperature. Dane Cameron, talk about
pressure… he’s trying to pass Castroneves.
Don’t open the door! Bomarito in
the Mazda will walk right through.
Oliver Jarvis in the sister Mazda is in this fight, too. Gently, boys.
The #7 Acura has been the stronger car for Penske Acura so far this
season. #6 wants to prove themselves,
too, with Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Mazda Team Joest seems comfortable at Mid-Ohio. Penske and Joest have great history, and both
teams have been trying to find their feet with the manufacturer partners,
Acura, and Mazda. The Cadillac’s have
not had pace here so far this weekend.
Mazda splits the strategy, as the #55 is in the lane for a scheduled pit
stop. Four tires and fuel. No driver change.
30 seconds is the mandated fuel fill time for the
Prototypes, set by the IMSA rules makers.
James French for Performance Tech Motorsports also pits the #38
car. Oliver Jarvis is in the pit
lane. Check out the newly improved IMSA
App. You must log in so you can use
it. Meanwhile, Oliver Jarvis is back out
on hot tires, as both Penske cars are in the lane. Ricky Taylor replaces Helio Castroneves. It’s a drag race off pit lane, but this is
against the rules, and the inside car has to yield. The two Mazda’s are pushing. Dane Cameron and Ricky Taylor, are being
hounded by the Mazda’s. Here comes the
Mazda of Jarvis, and Jonathan Bomarito is also pushing! Both of them have passed. Taylor has to give it up. If he hits a bump, he goes flying off the
road. Cold tires are very, very dodgy.
Dane Cameron is pushing, and I don’t have to tell you, hard. The GT cars can go an hour on fuel. GT cars need two stops, and Prototypes need
three. Ricky Taylor has foundn his way
at Acura. Both cars have sets of drivers
who want the car to handle a certain way.
John Edwards is in the lane for BMW and Jesse Krohn is now behind the
wheel of the M8 GTE. In GT Le Mans, the
factory drivers are quick, and some of them are plug and play. But, in GT Daytona, it’s a gold driver and a
silver driver. Jack Hawksworth will hand
over to David Heinemier Hanson, and then, Hawksworth will finish the race in
car #15.
Hawksworth makes his way through the Carousel. The Lexus program has really improved over
the last year. Joest has been here
before with Audi. The last time they
were here, they won, with Frank Biela and Emmanuelle Pirro. In baseball, you have half a second to make a
decision. In racing, especially in
sports car racing, you have just tenths of a second. There was a scheduled test at Mid-Ohio, but
it snowed. So, the data had to be
gathered in order to set up the Michelin tires for the GT Le Mans cars. Porsche is in the pit lane with the #912 car
pitting from the lead. The sister car
has already pitted. Do not touch the
curbs, because you will damage the tires.
Porsche #911 stopped and had something, but then, #912 came in. Now, Bill Auberlen just ran through the
grass. He has grass in the
radiators. Jonathanh Bomarito is also
off the road. He made contact with
another car. Meyer Shank Racing in the lane
with the #86 shared by Katherine Legge and Alvaro Parente. This is their home race. Bill Auberlen is in the pits, and there’s
smoke off the tires. The #15 Lexus RC F
GT3 is in the pit lane. Jack Hawksworth
is out of the car and the co-driver, David Heinemeier Hanson is into the car.
Oliver Gavin is into the #4 Corvette C-7-R-, replacing Tommy
Milner. We still have an hour and 39
minutes to race. We’ve raced now, for a
good hour. BMW #25 pits from the
lead. Alexander Sims started the car. Dane Cameron continues to lead at Mid-Ohio so
far. Dane Cameron still has his hands
full with Jonathan Bomarito. The Mazda
is just a shade stronger at this point.
Get into a rhythm. That’s the
crucial part. Mazda has a great balance
for their cars on long runs. Acura is
trying to conserve their rear tires.
This is Nick Tandy’s first time driving at Mid-Ohiio. He compares it to Oulton Park in
England. There are gray skies, but no
rain in the forecast during the race.
Ford, Corvette, and BMW, continue to scrap in GT Le Mans. Richard Westbrook has replaced Ryan Briscoe
in Ford #67 while Joey Hand is in the #66 car.
Teams need notebooks on certain tracks, but even with those, you cannot
tell, and you change variables based on the track. But, don’t mislead yourself. The track continually evolves.
Oliver Jarvis is pressing Colin Braun, who is two laps
down. Dane Cameron pushes his way
by. Prototypes can now do the rest of
this race on one more pit stop it appears.
Don’t let the dominoes fall with a closed pit under yellow. The Dpi cars have had power taken out with
the Balance of Performance. It’s tough
to equate performance of the Dpi and LMP2 cars.
Bomarito has just posted fast race lap.
Richard Westbrook is trying to catch Patrick Pilet. He has a GT Daytona car in the way. Dominoes begin to fall. Ricky Taylor is in the lane for a scheduled
pit stop. In, and back out. Only one more stop is necessary.
Ricky Taylor is settled into the car. Juan Pablo Montoya will replace Dane Cameron
forn the second half of the race.
Dominik Baumann leads GT Daytona and David Heinemeier Hanson has his
hands full with Alvaro Parente. David
Heinemeier Hanson is really going for it.
Tristan Nunez will get set to replace Oliver Jarvis in the #77 Mazda
RT24P. #55 is in the lane as well. Spencer Pigot is into the car. They put scrubbed tires on the car. Harry Tincknell, who normally races for
Mazda, ran the opener for the FIA World Endurance Championship yesterday at Spa
Francorchamps, and had a massive incident. By keeping Dane Cameron on track,
this isn’t a good move on Penske’s part.
He is behind his former team mate, the Cadillac for Action Express
Racing. Cameron stays out. He will have to pit soon. Ricky Taylor on fresh tires ran a 1:14 lap,
and Cameron is two seconds slower at 1:16.
Argy bargy and up onto the curbs!
Wow. Oliver Jarvis is in trouble,
as he has the #5 Cadillac and the #54 ORECA scrapping. Dane Cameron continues to stay out. He has five or so minutes to stay out before
he pits. This gamble isn’t good.
Renger
van der Zande brings the #10 Cadillac DPi-V.R to the lane. Jordan Taylor will take over. Richard Westbrook and Joey Hand are
pressuring the Porsche’s. They had zero
grip and were undrivable in qualifying.
Patrick Pilet is dealing with understeer right now. Oliver Jarvis and Mazda lead this motor
race. Juan Pablo Montoya is now right
behind Ricky Taylor. Penske has reversed
positions. This is a real puzzler, with
just over an hour remaining. Both
Mazda’s were in pit lane as well. You go
through a stint and can still keep the lead coming to pit lane. Wow.
You just don’t know as a driver what the big picture is. But, you know things are going pear shaped if
you must to build a gap and can’t get anywhere.
Meanwhile, there’s some argy bargy between the Lexus RC F GT3 of David
Heinemeier-Hanson, and the Acura NSX GT3 of Alvaro Parente. Porsche #911 has just made their pit
stop. Porsche has won 18 races at Mid
–Ohio. Hurley Haywood turns 70, and
Porsche finished well Saturday, at Spa Francorchamps.
Something has gone wrong with the #55 Mazda and they are
behind the wall with suspension trouble.
The Corvette team has just pitted with an hour go, for the #3 car. Frontrunners in GT Daytona are in. Bryan Sellers and Lawson Aschenbach both
pit. Poirsche #912 is in the lane, Earl
Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor. The #63
Ferrari has pitted as well. Alessandro
Balzan is now driving, replacing Cooper MacNeil. Ford #67 is pit lane. Richard Westbrook is running very well. They should be good to go to the
checkers. Richard Westbrook on cold
tires, while Jan Magnussen and Joey Hand are trying to close up. Ricky Taylor resets fastest lap at 1:13. Joey Hand is all over Jan Magnussen. #66 has to beat #67. You have to beat your team mates. GT Le Mans has factory drivers. You have to be on the mark, and the pressure
is always there, no matter what. Through
Madness, and into the esses. Fans are on
the hill. This track is like an
amphitheater. No grandstands. Grassy hills to watch from. Jack Hawksworth and Dominik Baumann will take
the #14 and #15 Lexus cars to the finish of this race with less than an hour to
go. They have had poles, but have not
had any podiums or wins yet.
Could they win today?
We’ll see. Both Lexus's are
running very well. Alvaro Parente and
Meyer Shank Racing are going to push, push, push. There is an art to driving Prototypes and GT
cars. You used to be able to go easy,
but these days, you can’t do that. Don’t ease up. The #44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 is in the pit
lane. Andy Lally is in the car now. Connor De Philippi is leading GT Le Mans in
the #25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GT. Ricky
Taylor just made his final pit stop. The
#10 Cadillac also pitted. Juan Pablo
Montoya has to chase down Ricky Taylor now.
1:13.85 for Ricky Taylor, new fast lap in this race. Tristan Nunez is in the thick of a scrum with
GTLM and GTD cars. Juan Pablo Montoya is
now in pit lane. The pressure is on,
now. Montoya still has cold tires while
Taylor’s tires are totally up to temperature.
Richard Westbrook drops wheels.
Connor De Philippi leads, and we have Joey Hand and Antonio Garcia going
for it behind Richard EWestbrook, with Pippo Derani in the ESM Nissan Prototype
there as well.
This is some real scrapping for position! Richard Westbrook does not have the balance
he had in that Ford GT in the first half of this race. He is under intense pressure. Joey Hand got touched and corkscrewed through
the air in 2006 in a BMW M3, in GT. He
tumbled end over end but survived the crash.
Hand almost went off the road, and then, went back on the road. With the grass getting into the front grille,
watch out for the engine and brake cooling.
Maybe medium temperature tires as far as compounds will work better than
harder or softer, as we get closer to the end of this motor race. Connor De Philippi is in the #25 BMW M8
GT. Laurens Vanthoor is 37 seconds
in-arrears of Connor De Philippi.
Acura’s continue to run 1-2, just as they did when this race began. We now have just half an hour to go. Connor De Philippi has stayed in front of his
competition in GT Le Mans. It was a
short fill on the fuel. Dominik Baumann
is looking for the first win for Lexus.
Alvaro Parente is trying to chase him down in the
Acura. GT Daytona cars don’t have to
move and go offline like a Prototype does, and they let the Prototypes. Dominik Baumann and Kyle Marcelli lead GT
Daytona in the #14 Lexus RC F GT3.
Lawson Aschenbach and Justin Marks are giving the full-time Meyer Shank
Racing Acura NSX GT3, car #93, a good run today. Paul Miller Racing and the #48 Lamborghini
Huracan GT3 of Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers are having a great season. Acura wants to win the race they are
sponsoring, and they need points well into the season. Patience in traffic means confidence as
well. Juan Pablo Montoya gets held up by
a GTD Audi. Whoa! Ricky Taylor has to carve his way past the
Nissan and one of the Meyer Shank Acura NSX’s.
Ricky Taylor is now passing the BMW M8 GT. There’s more GT Daytona traffic. The sector times through the lap are pretty
similar. Montoya has to push like no
tomorrow. Montoya wants to win for Acura
for the first time.
Cue the “Jaws” music.
Montoya had to go really wide, going off the road, almost. Ooh!
This is ugly. Pippo Derani has to
give it up in the #22 Nissan DPi. 20
minutes on the board. But, time is of
the essence here. Derani was focusing on
the WeatherTech #63 Ferrari 488 GT3.
Ricky Taylor has a clear road ahead of him. Acura really wants this win at Mid-Ohio. Can they pull it off? Back in 1962, this track was built, and they
used to run this track in the opposite direction, after they ran it in its
proper configuration. So, now, we have
less than 15 minutes left, and Pippo Derani does not want to give it up. The marshals need to decide what to do with
Derani. Stephen Simpson has just run the
fastest lap of the race in the #99 GAINSCO Red Dragon. He is chasing the other Prototype for
PR1/Mathiasen, with Sebastian Saavedra at the wheel of it. This is Saavedra’s first IMSA start at
Mid-Ohio. He also ran here in IndyCar.
Ricky Taylor has to pass one of the BMW’ M8’s. Now, Pippo Derani wants to catch Ricky
Taylor, and here comes Juan Pablo Montoya!
Acura wants a 1-2. This is the
closest the gap has been since the drop of the green flag. The #22 car is the only obstruction to a
battle for victory. Montoya is going to
make a move it seems. Ricky Taylor has
run away from everyone else right now.
Taylor is back in go mode as Montoya has had a mess made of trying to
catch Derani. It is an eternity to claw
a second back from someone you are racing.
Be patient. Manage the traffic. Montoya has Felipe Nasr in the #31 Whelen
Cadillac to contend with. They had a
great race going last time out on the streets of Long Beach. Laurens Vanthoor is being caught by Connor De
Philippi who has fresher tires on the BMW than the ones the Porsche has. Less than eight minutes to go. Time is running out. More traffic ahead. This could be the race. Ricky Taylor and Juan Pablo Montoya have all
sorts of traffic to deal with.
Filipe Albuquerque is up to fourth, on a weekend where they
need points. Helio Castroneves has a
busy month of May, as he will race at the Indianapolis 500 at the end of this
month. Ricky Taylor has picked up time
on Montoya. A battle for the loed is
simmering in GTLM. The gap is closing
with five minutes remaining. Another
three minutes to run. RLL is based in
Columbus, Ohio. They want it. BMW wants it.
Porsche has 55 minutes on their tires for the stint. Connor De Philippi is reeling in Laurens
Vanthoor. Corvette #4 pits for a splash
and dash on fuel. Ricky Taylor has ten
seconds over Montoya. Montoya has used
up his tires. Nothing to gain, and
nothing to lose. First, second, and
third, are running the way they qualified.
But, Ricky Taylor was shuffled to fourth for a while. There are races, and there are
championships. The #5 Cadillac will
score more points and stay in the championship lead with the #5 car. Team Penske has stepped up. One lap to go.
Take your time. No
pressure. No challenges from your team
mate, or the ESM Nissan. Through Madness
one more time. Now, in GT Daytona, can
Lexus hang on and get their first win?
Baumann is sliding and Parente wants it.
Now, Ricky Taylor and Acura Team Penske win at Mid-Ohio. Alvaro Parent e all over Bumann. Here they come. Parente is going for it. Porsche wins GTLM. This is it.
Dominik Baumann, Kyle Marcelli, and 3GT Lexus win at Mid-Ohio! Porsche and Laurens Vanthoor along with Earl
Bamber, win GT Le Mans! What a race!
Overall/Prototype: #7 Taylor/Castroneves Acura ARX-05
GT Le Mans: #912 Vanthoor/Bamber Porsche 911 RSR
GT Daytona : #14
Baumann/Marcelli Lexus RC F GT3
This race ran caution free. We are definitely back at
Mid-Ohio, and back, at a wonderful track.
No yellows, and just one retirement. GTLM has a break until after Le Mans. Next up, for Prototype and GT Daytona, is a
race on the streets of Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan, coming up in less than
a month.
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