ALMS, Road America - Race Report

The race this last weekend at Road America was just what the doctor ordered – a distraction from the rumor mill concerning the future of the series and those involved.  The event was top notch, thanks to the scenic beauty and the efforts of the crew at Road America.  Best of all, the racing was beyond any reasonable expectation – this may have been one of the best races of all time for the series.  And it wasn’t just because of the finish up front, which was the closest margin for the overall win ever in the history of the ALMS.

While the final laps were definitely edge of the seat stuff, there was so much more to this race.  But following convention, we’ll start with the race for the overall win…

The LMP1 class started with only four cars, but the number really didn’t matter, as tthere was action all race long.  At the start, Lucas Luhr had the pole winning Muscle Milk Aston Martin up to speed quickly, but Steven Kane, in the No. 20 Dyson was all over him and got by under breaking in turn 3 on the first lap.  Luhr fought back and the pair switched the lead back and forth in the opening stint, with the Dyson Mazda leading the majority of the laps.  This was with Kane reportedly feeling under the weather…

Unfortunately the battle up front for the No. 20 came to a premature end due to radiator issues.  The team was forced to replace a leaking radiator, which dropped them out of contention, while an off course excursion eventually put them out of the race.

Kane - “The (opening) stint went very well. We were able to fight back every time the Aston got close and when he passed I fought back right away and kept him at bay. It is great to be competitive and we are doing better than our expectations were to start off with.”

This handed the lead to the Muscle Milk team.  Chris Dyson, who was also feeling quite unwell, did well to keep his car on the lead lap, giving Guy Smith the opportunity to try to bring home the win for Dyson Racing.  He gave it everything he had, including going three wide down the somewhat narrow start straight, in a successful attempt to get through traffic.

As the race went on, it appeared the Klaus Graf was in control of the situation, but nobody told Guy.  He doggedly did everything in his control to try to get past, but it wasn’t meant to be.  As good as Guy’s drive was, Klaus was right there.  He was in the lead, but he had to contend with not just the pressure from Guy, but the traffic as well as being told to “push hard but save fuel”.

Lucas and Klaus had actually built a decent sized lead early in the race, but a couple of cautions late in the race bunched the contenders up, setting up the final dash to the finish.  Guy did everything in his power to get the lead, but every time he pushed, Klaus was able to hold him off.  It was a classic finish, winning by only .112 seconds.  Never was the adage that you only need two cars to have a race better demonstrated than here.

Last season, Muscle Milk lost here very late in the race because of traffic, but this time Klaus was not going to let it happen again.

Klaus - "I think this is one of the best days for the Muscle Milk team, to have such a close finish after four hours, it's unbelievable. We had to push the entire race as much as we could. At one point it was save fuel, save fuel and push. We ran almost mistake free, because I had to push so hard I had a couple of really close calls but I had to push like that otherwise there was no way we were going to make it and we had to stay in the lead, it was very critical. We did that in every pit stop.  This was a special day for the team and Greg and Penny after coming so close last year. This is a fun day and this is what racing is all about and why I think Greg has such a passion for it."

Guy – “The car was awesome at the end.  The last set of Dunlop tires was fantastic. A couple of times Klaus would get really good breaks in traffic and we would drop five or six seconds back but I kept charging and would catch up again, only to have to repeat it again as we went through traffic. I am disappointed because it was so close, but it shows that even after four hours of hard racing, how strong the Mazda is.”

Both co-drivers, Lucas and Chris were forced to sit and watch their teammates battle out there knowing there was nothing they could do.  It was especially difficult for Lucas - "Today, for me, the hardest part was watching the end of the race! It's not that I don't trust Klaus but you never know when something can happen with traffic and then it's just hard to get it back. But he drove extremely well, very clever and a big part of the victory goes to Klaus today. I think it's a good day for the Muscle Milk team especially after the way they lost the race last year in the last three corners, it's a good reward, a good payback. So, it's a good day for all of us and I'm really happy."  

Autocon persevered for third in class, seventh overall and five laps back.  It was evident that the restrictor break was a positive for the team, but it also appears as if they could use a bit more help to even consider being competitive.

In GT, the winner was again a first time winner for the season, but it was not a team that is a stranger to the top step of the podium.  Risi has won 21 times in the ALMS, but none have been sweeter or possibly more deserving, especially after struggling through a drought of success thus far this season.

To make matters even more rewarding for the team, it was witnessed by Ing. Amedeo Felisa, the CEO of Ferrari SpA and Mr Marco Mattiacci, President and CEO of Ferrari North America as well as two of their fellow directors.
 
For team principle Guiseppe Risi, “today is probably one of the crowning moments of Risi Competizione. For us to be able to give the F458 its first victory in the US is wonderful. We’ve been close but this was really exceptional. The team did a fantastic job; the drivers were both outstanding and Jaime Melo demonstrated clearly just what an incredible driver he is, while Toni was superb during his stint. At the last pit stop, the crew were unbelievable. All our calculations turned out perfectly and the tire change was amazing. It was a great day for us.”

“The other crowning moment is that the Ferrari 458 is Ing. Felisa’s ‘baby’, so to speak, as he has taken a special interest in its development. For he and Marco to witness this car win for the first time in the US, which also happens to be the biggest market for Ferrari, is very special. Ing. Felisa came here specially from California, disturbing his holiday to do so, so this is all one very happy Ferrari family.”

This was very much a team victory, as everybody did their jobs – the drivers, crew and team management all came together for a very special win.

Jaime - “It’s been a tough year for us as we have had many problems with the car at the beginning of the season, but we finally got the win which is really important for us and for Ferrari. It’s also important for this new model and it won’t be the last one. It just proves we must focus and never give up.   We were using Michelin’s new mid-season development tires throughout the race and they were very consistent. It was quite hard to keep the pace, with the different temperatures during the race, and at the beginning it was pretty hard; we had a big battle between us and Corvette and BMW. I knew I had to put in everything I had because they always have something more. Luckily we were able to keep a good pace, Toni did a good job and the strategy was just great. Once again Risi showed we are here to win and we never give up. Now we’re looking forward to the next one.”

Surprisingly, this was Toni Vilander, first ALMS victory – and because of that, he was properly drenched in podium champagne. “First of all I want to thank Jaime for really great work – the speed he had at the end was incredible- and the Risi team’s pit strategy was awesome. The speed the guys refuelled and changed tires was something special and it meant we could overtake many cars, especially with the last yellow.”

Finishing second and third in class were the Bobby Rahal led BMWs.  While it won’t go down in the record book as a win for BMW, in almost all instances it was.  A late charge by Dirk Mueller strengthened his championship leading position, as he didn’t just pass Jan Magnussen in the championship rival Corvette, he also got past the No. 45 Lizards Porsche, gaining even more points.

The pace of the eventual 3rd place finishing No. 56 late in the race was stunning, gaining gobs of ground on the straight and eventually passing the fast Lizard Porsche around the outside of a curve.  You have to wonder how much grunt these Bavarian machines have in hand.

For the Lizards, this track has never been kind to them, and a 4th place finish is not just reward for their efforts.  They were there all race long, but just didn’t have the ability to finish any higher.

This was not the case for Corvette Racing.  They lead and challenged all race long, only for the No. 4 car to fall back in the race late, dropping back to 5th overall when the 4-hour race finally ended.  Mags, after the race stated, "my first stint in the car was quite good, then as the temperature cooled down, the balance of the car changed and I backed off to bring the car home. Fifth place is absolutely not satisfying in any way; it's not where I thought we were going to finish."  It was especially frustrating after running so strong early on and only to fall back so far in front of a very large contingent of Corvette fans at the track.
The top 8 finishers in this uber-competitive class all finished on the lead lap, which just shows how hard fought any finish in the points is.  That is the current state of GT racing in the ALMS.
In LMPC, Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco combined to bring home the PR1 Mathiesen car home first in class and a commendable 3rd overall.  In gaining this win, it means that Butch has now won in LMP1, LMP2, LMP 675, GTC and LMPC over his distinguished career.  “The PR1 team is excellent, and very inviting. It was the first time he's (Rudy) run for them, and the first time I've driven an LMPC car. They are an efficient team, no bells and whistles and they just get things done. It was a great race to push the entire time and the car held up. At any one point in a restart, we were all together, there is never a car you can think, oh well I'll be able to get around him. You have to be careful around every driver because they are so completive. This is a very proper racecar, but because you can't change a lot between cars, it really comes down to how well the team works together, your strategy and how well the drivers can race and get the car set up.”

It was with about 30 minutes left in the race that Butch passed Eric Lux for the class lead, and he eventually brought the car home just over 20 seconds clear of the eventual 2nd in class Christian Zugel.

Later this season, Butch will return to a team from the past for the final two races of the season.

The last few laps of the GTC battle were as eventful as many complete races have been.  Pole earner Sean Edwards helped bring the NGT Porsche from a back of the grid start to the lead with only laps remaining.  His rear wing was full of Spencer Pumpelly (TRG) and Jeroen Bleekemolen (Black Swan).  Bleekemolen got past Pumpelly for second, then Edwards cut a tire and was also hit with a penalty for blocking, dropping NGT from the lead to eventually be classified as the 3rd place finisher.  Black Swan won the race, gaining a few points over the second place finishing TRG entry in the points championship.

Coming after the controversy and deluge at Mid Ohio, this race was both desperately needed and to be honest, it was somewhat unexpected.  Racing lately in the States has been a downer (witness the horribly ran Loudon Indy Car race) and a race like this simply restores one’s faith and appreciation in racing.

On a personal note, it was a joy to have my daughter Shayna with me at the track on race day.  It sucks that she has moved so far away.  Thanks to those that spent a few minutes of their time making her feel welcome.

It was also a pleasure to be able to enjoy the beauty of Lake Michigan from the comfort and coziness of the kis haz.  Thank you Janos, Otto and Laurel.

Next up – Baltimore.  I hope you enjoy it Fiona…

Gary Horrocks