da Matta made a return to racing for the Gainsco team but not all went well
Pontiac
Lexus
Michael Shank Racing
Stevenson Motorsports
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Pontiac
Edwards and Collins Banner Pontiac GXP.R Wins At Laguna
Goossens and Matthews second in DP
Monterey, CA, May 17, 2008 -- The Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R driven by Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins won the GT race today in round five of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In the Daytona Prototype (DP) category the No. 91 Riley Matthews with Jim Matthews and Marc Goossens finished second.
Kelly Collins started the No. 07 from the second row and was able to avoid the early carnage to hand the car over Edwards on lap 48. Edwards proceeded to drive according to strategy as well as miss the wayward cars throughout his stint. The race was marred with eight cautions periods for 32 laps. Edwards was going into the last lap running in second, when the leading Mazda got loose in the Corkscrew and went off the track. The off handed the lead and the win to the Banner team. The win is the second for the No. 07 car, the first coming in the second race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"It was a lucky day for us," Edwards said. "We backed off a little at the end because it was getting really crazy out there. The last yellow came out and I thought we may have backed off too much, but Grand-Am made a great call and let the three lead GT cars by the leading DP so we could race. The Mazda went up the hill and into the Corkscrew and he must have hit the dirt up there on the track and just got loose. I was able to just drive under him and take the win."
Chris Prey, Setup II reality racing show winner, started in the No. 06 Banner Pontiac from his ninth place qualifying position. Prey was able to move up a couple of positions and then was hit in the side by a competitor. The contact caused him to spin and stall the car. By the time he refired the LS2 motor he had lost valuable track position. At the races mid-point he turned it over to Leighton Reese who brought the car home in ninth.
"I had a good start," Prey said. "About six laps into the race the 32 car came inside me late going into turn five and hit me right in the door. The car stalled. I got it started and then had to wait until the traffic cleared and lost a few positions. The contact didn't hurt the car at all and I got back going and focused on running clean fast laps. Leighton did a good job to finish out the race in ninth place. It was a great opportunity and a really fun weekend. It was an education working with a professional team like Banner and the guys from Pratt & Miller. I will take this experience and use it in my future racing plans."
Stevenson Motorsports, the winners of the last two GT races, had their race go wrong on lap 33 when Andrew Davis was hit in the rear by the 32 car. The resulting damage had the team from North Carolina making repairs on pit road and sending them eight laps down. Robin Liddell took the car back out to finish the race in 17th position.
"I was excited to get in and drive," Liddell said. "The contact was unfortunate, but the guys did a great job to fix the car and I wanted to finish the race for myself and for the team. The handling of the car was compromised, but I was still able to put down some pretty fast times. It was important to bring the car to the checker today."
In the No. 72 Autohaus Motorsports Pontiac, Tim Lewis Jr. started the car from the third row. Lewis was running fourth in GT when he handed over to Lawson Aschenbach. Team strategy and strong pit work as well as fast lap times catapulted Aschenbach to second in class around lap 75. Battling for the lead with the 87 car, he found himself avoiding the 87 as it went off the track in the Corkscrew. Aschenbach took evasive action and then the car came back on the track in front of him resulting in heavy front contact.
"I was battling for the lead when he went four wheels off in front of me," Aschenbach said. "I went under him and followed a DP car and then he came back across the track in front of me. I couldn't react and it caused heavy damage to the front. The car was heating up and we had to come to the pits."
In the DP class the Riley-Mathews Pontiac with Goossens and Matthews once again showed their consistency by finishing second. Matthews started the car and handed it over to Goossens solidly in contention. Goossens used the many cautions to make up track position and put himself in a place to win the race. Goossens was able to get a run on the leader going into the Corkscrew, both cars went off track and when they recovered he was still in second place.
"I had a run on him in traffic and he came over to defend his position and I slid into him up in the Corkscrew," Goossens said. "I was able to get a run on him because he slid wide coming out of turn six. He made a clean pass on me before that and we had some more contact a few laps later. It was good hard racing and that is what this series is all about. We are doing a good job of finishing on the podium every race."
The Number 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team had Jon Fogarty starting from the front row. Fogarty was running in the top three when he turned the Pontiac Riley over to Alex Gurney. After shuffling through the pit stops, Gurney was able to bring the car home in fourth.
"We had an up and down run today," said Fogarty. "We found ourselves in a bit of a pickle, kind of not anticipating some of the yellows, you know, just strategy mix ups. But we made a good recovery from where we were. We finished one spot behind the No. 01 car, our main opposition, and I think we are coming forward a little bit in the points. Ryan is a good friend and an excellent driver and I know how it feels when you get your first win. I am happy for him."
In the team No. 98 GAINSCO Pontiac Cristiano da Matta and Jimmy Vasser looked like they were going to have a story book day. Vasser drove strong opening stint running in the top five. He turned the car over to da Matta, who made his return to competitive racing after suffering a head injury in a collision with a deer while testing a Champ Car in 2006 at Road America. Da Matta was able to lead 10 laps on the day before becoming ill in the car and pulling in.
"Man, it felt like I had a cat in my stomach," said da Matta. "It started feeling bad right when I got in the car on that very first yellow, but just a little bit, a very little bit. Under green, it was fine, but with all of the yellows, my stomach just started feeling worse. It was very strange. I am fine now, but I know we could have done much better, not just me getting sick, but some of the other things we did. It's just all part of racing, but for a comeback race, it went very well. It is important that I could see the performance is there now and for the future."
Michael Valiante and Max Angelelli continued to have their streak of tough weekends. The SunTrust teammates were running in the top five when a penalty relegated them back to eighth place. Angelelli was called into the pits for a stop-and-go as a result of pit road contact earlier in the race.
"A car that is coming is responsible because it can see what is happening in front of him," Angelelli said. "I can't. It's that simple. I followed exactly the rules they told us in the driver briefing. They explained it in the briefing several times that no car is allowed to occupy the middle lane on pit road. The 23 car was in the middle lane with a car next to it in the outside lane. It made contact with me with me from behind, but I am the one who got penalized. That is not consistent with the way the rule was explained to us. I don't understand why we got penalized. But, unfortunately, we have to suffer the consequences we do."
Nic Jonsson started the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac from the fourth row. Jonsson put together strong laps running consistently in the top six. Ricardo Zonta took over the car and drove through the late cautions to finish in ninth.
"The car was perfect today," Zonta said. "There were so many yellows today that we became out of sequence on strategy. We had too much fuel in the car at the end. When you lose track position with so many caution laps it is hard to make them backup. This track is also difficult to pass on."
In the companion Krohn No. 75 car, Eric van de Poele started from the 16th position. Van de Poele, not satisfied with his qualifying effort brought his A-game today. On lap 37 the Belgian found himself in DP lead. On the next restart he spun the car exiting turn 10. Tracy Krohn took over and brought the green Riley Pontiac home in 13th place.
"It was a tough call," Krohn said. "I got a penalty for spinning in the first turn. There is so much dirt on the track that I just got in too deep and spun. I am not sure why they insisted on penalizing me for that. There was so much dirt and pickup on the track that it takes three turns to get the tires clean. The car was good today and we were able to lead a few laps."
The No. 16 Cheever Racing Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Pontiac Coyote was started by Matteo Bobbi. Bobbi turned over to Antonio Garcia who returned to the fray. Garcia had to come back to the pits with a vibration in the left front. The team had to chisel off the wheel nut and remount the wheel. On the next lap the wheel came off. Garcia limped the car back in for repairs. The team finished the day 14th.
"We had a tough day with the wheel," Garcia said. "Besides that I think we showed we could match the times of the front running cars. I was in a tight group and it was very competitive. We were a few laps down and I did not want to take a chance on ruining someone else's race so I let them go. Without our problem I think we had a top five car."
Lexus
PRUETT, ROJAS GIVE LEXUS FIFTH STRAIGHT PODIUM AT LAGUNA ROLEX
MONTEREY, Calif. (May 17, 2008) -- Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas drove the #01 Telmex Lexus to their fifth consecutive top-three podium finish with a third-place today in the Rolex Sports Car Series' Rumbum.com 250 at Laguna Seca Raceway.
In a race marred by yellow flags, the duo used an off-sequence pit strategy to work their way to second just after the mid-way point of the race. Pruett, seeking the team's fourth win of the 2008 campaign, then dove under Cristiano da Matta on a Lap 69 re-start to move into the lead. The 2005 Rolex Series champion then held the point position for the next six laps. As Pruett battled Marc Goosens for the lead, third-place Ryan Dalziel was the beneficiary as he dove under the two leaders to take the lead, subsequently dropping Pruett to his eventual third-place finishing position.JThe third-place showing gives the team three wins, a second and a third in the season's first five races. They maintain their lead in both the Drivers and Team championships with a 19-point advantage over second. Likewise, Lexus continues to lead the hotly-contested Manufacturer's Championship by 10 points. No less than four different manufacturers placed in the top-five today with BMW, Porsche and Pontiac all joining Lexus.
The #3 Southard Motorsports Lexus driven by Shane Lewis and Bill Lester were in contention for a top-five finish before a mis-hap in the pits dropped them back in the field. Lewis had climbed as high as third-place and was running in the top-five when his car slid through some gravel on the way into his pit and ended up a little too close to the pit wall, hindering the team's stop as Bill Lester climbed into the car. They would eventually place 12th.
The Rolex Sports Car Series returns Saturday, June 7 for the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in a race that will be televised live on SPEED.
Memo Rojas, #01 Telmex Lexus: "The car was alright today. I don't think we have the fastest car today, but we have a good race car. The Lexus engine ran very well. It's tough to pass without taking chances and we really can't afford to take big chances because we're doing well in the championship and can't afford to risk that. This track is about track position, and we went out of sequence with our pit decisions, so it was really more about strategy. Traffic was very tough with the GT cars."
Scott Pruett, #01 Telmex Lexus: "We just ran our race. We knew what we wanted, strategy-wise. You never know how it's going to turn out. There were actually less cautions at the start of the race than we had expected, and probably more cautions at the end of the race than we had expected. It had to be great for the fans because we kept jamming it up and we would be in line -- all the top Daytona Prototypes cars -- and all hell broke loose for a couple of laps until we stretched it out. Our goal is to finish on the podium every race. That's what our goal is for the whole season. So far we have been doing what we needed to do. We didn't have the fastest car today, but we made the most of it and everybody did a great job."
Shane Lewis, #3 Southard Motorsports Lexus: "Our first run was awesome. This Lexus Riley was just a great car to drive. Obviously, there was a lot of traffic out there and the track was pretty dirty and we had to be really careful. Our race strategy was perfect and we were able to make our way to the front. Unfortunately, on our last pit stop, I slid through some gravel in the pit ahead of us and just got a little too close to the wall and ended up costing us spots. So I put Bill in a really tough spot with the positions I lost."
Michael Shank Racing
(Monterey, CA) 17 May 08 -- Michael Shank Racing added another top ten to the team's tally for the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series season as John Pew and Ian James combined for a run to tenth place in the Rumbum.com 250 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley.
The sister No. 60 Ford-Riley entry of Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri enjoyed a strong start to the two-hour and forty-five minute event as Patterson moved up into fourth position before turning the car over to Negri. Unfortunately the race effort suffered a setback when an apparent suspension problem forced the Michael Shank Racing crew to rally for repairs to the machine to take the finish, closing out the day 16th in the Daytona Prototype order.
"We just didn't have the level of performance that we've shown that this team is capable of operating at, so today was disappointing," said team owner Mike Shank. "But we fought back with the 60 car, and John and Ian keep working their way up in the points with top tens like they had today, so we'll put this one in the rear view mirror and get ready for the Glen."
Pew started the race from eleventh on the grid, but soon had his work cut out for him after a turn-one coagulation didn't play out the way he hoped.
"We all went in there and everyone in my line just came to a complete stop," said Pew. "So the whole outside line was gone, right by us, just like that! But at least we didn't make any contact there and I was able to get back into some battles after that. The track was pretty dirty and just kept getting messier all day long, so Ian did a great job to bring home another top ten today."
"The car was very good but our only weakness was the restarts, and unfortunately, we had a lot of them!" said James. "It was good to run up in the top three like we did for a while, but our strategy just didn't play out to keep us up there. But it was another solid day and now we'll look forward to the Glen weekend in June."
"I hate letting these other cars by because we have a great race car here," said Patterson after he rejoined the field, but kept his sportsmanship credentials intact by allowing the lead lap cars to race through after the car rejoined the battle. "The car was great on full tanks and we had a good start going but unfortunately we had that problem, but that's racing."
The team has good reason for optimism ahead of the Watkins Glen Sahlen's Six Hour event, having regularly scored strong finishes at the track and established a remarkable record of long-distance success including fourth in the 2007 Glen 6 as well as the team's 9-Hour triumph at Miller Motorsports Park in 2006.
Stevenson Motorsports
Stevenson Pontiac GXP-R Knocked Out At Laguna Seca
After setting a winning pace two races in a row, the #57 Stevenson Motorsports -- BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP-R, running in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, suffered a debilitating blow when another GT car collided with them on track during the Rum Bum.com 250 race at Mazda Raceway -- Laguna Seca.
On lap 34, Thomas Merrill, driving the #32 PR1 Motorsports Pontiac GXP-R, ran into the left rear of the Stevenson Pontiac. The impact put Merrill into the gravel trap and severely damaged the rear suspension of the Stevenson car. Andrew Davis was aboard at the time of the impact and he had no choice but to bring the wounded eagle-adorned Stevenson car into the pits for repairs.
Davis: "I was hit by the #32 Pontiac entering turn 11. It was an awfully optimistic move on his part so early in the race. The guys did a great job to replace the left rear corner, but we obviously lost any chance for a decent finish."
A review of the SPEED coverage of the incident shows Merrill simply driving straight into the left rear wheel of Davis' car as they were braking for the left hand turn. Merrill then went straight off into the gravel trap while Davis was able to keep the car moving forward on the road surface, eventually nursing the car back to the pits for repairs.
Davis' co-driver, Robin Liddell commented on the incident and the resultant impact on the team's overall performance when he said, "The damage was pretty extensive, especially to the left rear suspension, but the Stevenson mechanics did an awesome job to get us back into the race again. We lost over six laps getting repairs made but, despite the handling of the Pontiac being tricky after the shunt, we importantly brought it home to earn some valuable points in the championship."
The time lost to repairs was felt most in the 17th place finish, the second lowest for the team this season. They finished 24th at Homestead-Miami Speedway due to a faulty bushing in the steering rack. The team then took back to back wins at Mexico and Virginia, and they were running extremely well at the season opening Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona before being pushed off track by a Daytona Prototype with just a few hours remaining in the race.
The car has been competitive at every race and when not impacted by a mechanical miscue, or the miscue of another driver impacting the #57 mount in a physical manner, it has been in contention each time.
The disappointing result at Laguna Seca temporarily pushed the Stevenson Team down one place in the overall Team Championship standings, moving them from 3rd to 4th. And Davis and Liddell also dropped down from a three way tie for 3rd place in the driver standings to 7th place overall. With eight races left on the GT class schedule, starting with the Lime Rock GT Classic 250 on May 26th, there still remains many opportunities for this resilient team to bounce right back into serious contention for the overall championship.