EMCO-Gears Classic, Mid-Ohio – Race Report
Spinnin’ In The Rain

Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty broke their 2008 duck at Mid-Ohio on Saturday evening, when the defending champions claimed victory in the #99 GAINSCO Pontiac Riley, having taken the lead on lap 68 of 76.

The race took place in conditions better suited to ducks than racing cars, with heavy rain leading to numerous spins and a fractured race; eight caution periods leaving the 2008 version 35 laps shorter than its 2007 counterpart (also won by Fogarty and Gurney) and with an average speed of just 62mph.

Joey Hand and Bill Auberlen didn’t even get the opportunity to spin; Hand having to park the #23 AJR Porsche Crawford with a broken drive train on the formation lap. But things were looking more positive for Fogarty as the green flag flew, when he ended David Donohue’s lead after just six turns of the 2.258 mile course.

As the #99 driver started to pull out a small lead, Michael Valiante further demoted Donohue as the #10 SunTrust racing Pontiac Riley took second at the Esses. In GT, Nick Ham was making good early progress in the #70 SpeedSource Mazda RX-8, having passed two cars in the first four laps to claim second place behind Lawson Aschenbach in the #72 Autohaus Pontiac GXP.R.

On lap seven, however, heavy rain started to fall and things were about to go awry for several teams.

Tom Kimber-Smith, in the #16 Pontiac Coyote tagged the rear of Mark Wilkins’ #61 AIM Ford Riley and spun. This triggered a chain-reaction among the pursuing pack, as cars pun in avoidance, hit one another, or went off. Jim Matthews and JC France found themselves beached in the gravel, while Aschenbach lost the GT lead after also spinning as he came across the melee. This incident prompted the first full-course yellow and the safety car would stay out for nine laps.

Memo Rojas took the lead when the #01 Brumos Porsche made it out of the pitlane faster than Fogarty, as the field pitted on lap ten; and the sight of Fogarty spinning on his out lap indicated just how treacherous conditions were.

Green racing conditions started and ended on lap 17 with Guy Cosmo’s #09 Porsche Coyote initiating a second caution period as it sat in the Turn 4 gravel. This corner was to prove to be the site of many incidents during the race.

The lead changed again on lap 21 when Valiante took advantage of Rojas running wide at Turn 2 – Nic Jonsson following through in the #76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola – but Rojas was back in the lead two laps later with a pass at Turn 4.

Guy Cosmo had by now developed an intense dislike for Turn 4 and on lap 28 had a second spin at the corner, this time missing the gravel but clouting the concrete barrier and causing both rear end damage and a third FCY.

Yet more spins were seen at the restart six laps later, with Rojas losing the lead to Jonsson and Robin Liddell spinning from fifth in GT in the #57 Stevenson Motorsport GXP.R.

Matt Plumb, meanwhile, saw an opportunity in the #7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley, moving from third to first in two laps and taking the lead from Jonsson between Turns 1 & 2 on lap 36.

The race continued in this stop/start vein for a further 28 laps, until lap 64 saw the start of the longest unbroken period of green-flag racing; a whole 11 laps.

Matt Plumb still led at this point in DP, but Robin Liddell saw his lead in GT taken from him by Leh Keen in the #86 Farnbacher Loles Porsche at the restart. The Scot never yields ground easily, however, and stayed with the Porsche. Three laps later, he found a gap at the Esses and was back in front.

Alas for Liddell, on lap 69 his Pontiac ran wide at Turn 13 and Keen pounced; taking back the lead and hanging on to the end of the race to take the first Porsche victory of the season. "This was incredible, the crew awesome, Eric incredible,” enthused Keen. “When I first went out, the conditions were so bad. At the beginning of the race, everybody struggled so much, so Eric did an awesome, awesome job. He's awesome in the rain. I got in and just tried to keep everything together. At the end, it started to dry up and I was fighting with the 69 car and 57 car, but their tires started to fall off. Mine started to fall off a little bit, but the car just held together for me. I've got to thank the Farnbacher Loles team. I'm just so happy!"

“I had a great battle at the end with the 86 car,” said Liddell.  “We were leading up until that last restart.  The 01 cost me some time and that allowed the 86 to close up.  We were too close to winning, so second is a little disappointing.  The car ran well and the Stevenson guys really worked hard this weekend on the setup.  We ended up in front when it counted and it was a good points day for us.  The tires performed well in the wet and we were able to get some rain time on the car.”

One lap earlier, Alex Gurney had also found a gap at the Esses and took the overall lead from Plumb. Shortly afterwards, Brian Frisselle took third from Michael Valiante in the #61 AIM Ford Riley, with Darren Law claiming the same place in the #58 Brumos Porsche two laps later - at the same time as Joao Barbosa took fifth for the #59 sister car.

Law kept his foot in and on lap 75 took second from Plumb. Before the BMW Riley could react, however, the final FCY came into effect after an incident involving two GT cars, and the race finished under caution one lap later.

“It was a wild race,” said Gurney.  “I was thinking there was going to be a red flag.  Then I thought there would be a yellow all day.  We got the driver change done early.  I focused on not putting it off the road and picking guys off.  We had a good strategy.  It was fun and satisfying.  The expectation to win has been high.  We have had top finishes, but it is nice to win one.  The seven car I think was struggling with his tires toward the end.  I could see him hang it out as it got drier.  Our car was working really well in the in-between conditions.”

“The car was just really good and it was hooked up,” said Law. We were on rain tires and trying not to slide the back end. But it was hooked up off the corners. I could see everyone sliding around out there, but I was just making good time at the end there.”

The relentless Grand-Am schedule next sees the series return to its spiritual home of Daytona for the 250 mile night race on July 3rd.

DP Points

225 Memo Rojas
225 Scott Pruett
188 Alex Gurney
188 Jon Fogarty
186 Jim Matthews
186 Marc Goossens
171 Mark Patterson
171 Oswaldo Negri
158 Nic Jonsson
158 Ricardo Zonta
157 JC France
157 Joao Barbosa
153 Brian Frisselle
153 Mark Wilkins
152 Darren Law
152 David Donohue
151 Ian James
151 John Pew
145 Matt Plumb
144 Max Angelelli
144 Michael Valiante

GT Points

239 Kelly Collins
239 Paul Edwards
208 Nick Ham
208 Sylvain Tremblay
207 Andrew Davis
207 Robin Liddell
188 Emil Assentato
188 Tim George Jr
182 Lawson Aschenbach
182 Tim Lewis Jr
177 Jeff Segal
177 Spencer Pumpelly
177 Ted Ballou
172 Leh Keen
162 Eric Lux
161 Bryce Miller
148 Diego Alessi
135 Dirk Werner
135 Leighton Reese
133 Craig Stone