Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global
Race report

Michael Marsal finishes 2013 season with two top-10 finishes at Lime Rock

The New York native, Michael Marsal , secured a fifth place finish in the GT class of the GRAND-AM Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park.

#93 Turner Motorsport BMW M3: Tom Kimber-Smith, Michael Marsal

#93 Turner Motorsport BMW M3: Tom Kimber-Smith, Michael Marsal

Art Fleischmann

Lakeville, Conn. - Michael Marsal turned in two strong performances Saturday to end the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series (CTSCC) with double top-10 finishes. The New York native secured a fifth place finish in the GT class of the GRAND-AM Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park presented by BMW after finishing eighth in the stand-alone GS race of CTSCC earlier in the morning.

#93 Turner Motorsport BMW M3: Tom Kimber-Smith, Michael Marsal
#93 Turner Motorsport BMW M3: Tom Kimber-Smith, Michael Marsal

Photo by: Art Fleischmann

“I’m really glad to be back at Lime Rock,” said an excited Marsal before the race’s green flag. “Not only is this my home track, but it’s a circuit I genuinely love to drive, so it’s going to be great to be able to run two races here today.”

Teammate Tonis Kasemets qualified the No. 71 Multimatic Aston Martin Vantage and turned the car over to Marsal with an hour and a half left in the morning’s CTSCC GS race. Marsal re-entered the track in 11th place, and worked his way up to third in the middle portion of the race. As his tires began to go off at the end of his stint, Marsal had close battles with eventual race winner Billy Johnson, and GS season champion Matt Plumb who caught up using fresher rubber.

“Having been on the Rolex Series podium with Billy [Johnson], it was fun to be back to racing against him this week in Continental,” said Marsal.

After his final stop, Marsal reentered the race in 10th position, but the fast, caution-free nature of the event made it difficult to make up any ground on the track. In the closing stages, Marsal managed to gain two positions to bring the No. 71 Multimatic Aston Martin Vantage home in eighth place.

After a short break, Marsal was back in another car—this time the No. 93 Turner Motorsport BMW M3—to start the final race of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Championship, and the final race of the series’ history.

Marsal made quick progress starting from the back of the GT field, moving up four positions in the first two laps. After a long, early caution period, he continued to make forward progress, running as high as fifth before pitting to turn the car over to co-driver Tom Kimber-Smith. Kimber-Smith remained behind the wheel for the rest of the race, and managed to bring the car home in fifth place, securing Marsal’s third top-5 finish in the last four races, and marking a strong finish to the 2013 Rolex Series season.

“I’m really happy with how we finished out this season, with two podiums and a fifth place here at Lime Rock,” said Marsal, who has been a key fixture at Turner Motorsport since his breakout 2010 rookie season. “Thanks to Tom (Kimber-Smith) for coming and driving with us this weekend, and to the whole Turner Motorsport crew for all of their work over the past year. With the way this season ended, I’m already looking ahead to Daytona in January.”

Marsal Racing

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Disappointment for Spirit of Daytona Racing in series finale
Next article Action Express Racing closes out GRAND-AM era at Lime Rock Park

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global