Lime Rock Park is not known for being easy or smooth sailing for any
series, let alone the cutting edge of technology prototypes on the same
short 1.53-mile slower cars one can buy in a showroom. The American Le
Mans Series teams always put on a show here, drawing the fans to the
historic road course in the Northeast with its home base in Lakeville,
Conn.
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#66 de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-02a Acura: Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud takes the checkered flag. Photo by Eric Gilbert.
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Two teams have homes nearby. Duncan Dayton's Highcroft Racing and Rob
Dyson's Dyson Racing. While Dayton is based in Connecticut, Dyson is just
across the border from the circuit in New York. One had heartbreak in the
closing minutes of Saturday's two-hour and 45 minute race. The other saw a
true celebration of victory; a first for the team this year and the first
for one of their two drivers.
It was one to go in the record books and one that the fans appreciated.
The end overall result was a difference of 43.776 seconds. Gil de Ferran
and Simon Pagenaud saw the pendulum swing their way as the minutes
ticked off the clock, allowing them to score the victory for the de
Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-02a. team.
"We had a little good fortune today," said de Ferran. "It was an
exciting one."
Their main rival in the LMP1 class were the ones who saw the win slip
from their hands. A puncture on the Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-02a with
13 minutes remaining while in the lead ended their hopes. David Brabham
and Scott Sharp still finished second as the two Acura teams were the
only ones on the lead lap.
Polesitter Pagenaud had the fast lap for a new track record during his
stint for the second half of the race. His flying lap was recorded on
lap 141 at a time of 47.791 (112.992 mph).
"I am going to remember this race forever," Pagenaud said. "I think my
heart rate was at maximum all race."
During the race that covered 184 laps by the leader, there was only one
caution. It came early in the race due to debris flying on the track
when contact was made on the tight circuit.
The battle for supremacy in the top prototype class started from the
start with the two side-by-side on the front row. The start was waved
off due as de Ferran explained, "We had an aborted start. Scott started
accelerating and I saw he got the jump really early. I was like 'ok, go
ahead, I'll stay here'. It sometimes happens.
"On the second start, we were side-by-side at Turn 7 and I got a little
bit of a jump. At that point I don't look in my mirrors, I just put my
head down and go," said de Ferran.
de Ferran was the early leader and held until the pit stop for the
driver change on lap 141. When they exited, it was Brabham in the
Highcroft Acura taking the lead. It was on lap 168 when the tire became
the factor in the final decision of who would take home today's trophy.
Seven laps behind the two Acuras and taking third were Stefan Johansson
and Johnny Mowlem in the Corsa Motorsports Ginetta-Zytek 09SH
Zytek-powered hybrid. The first podium for a hybrid in series history
and in its first race.
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#20 Dyson Racing Team Lola B09 86 Mazda: Butch Leitzinger, Marino Franchitti and #15 Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01B Acura: Adrian Fernandez, Luis Diaz battle. Photo by Eric Gilbert.
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For the first time this season, it was a different LMP2 team that walked
away with the class victory. While Dyson Racing has notched many a win
in the series, this was their first one in a Mazda. The team has been
searching and pushing for the top step of the podium since the opening
race at Sebring International Raceway. Today, they stepped up to that
desired podium finish with Marino Franchitti and Butch Leitzinger .
"I don't think we could have picked a better place for the first win
(this year)," smiled Franchitti. "It was a combination of a lot of hard
work for the No. 16 and No. 20. Last year, the worst feeling was when
Butch was taken out on our 25th anniversary -- that win was the one we
wanted for Rob (Dyson)."
The two Mazda Lola B09 cars were strong in qualifying so it was not a
surprise to see them push the Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01b to the
limit. While the Acura ran into trouble, so did both Dysons. Sixty-three
laps from the wave of the green flag, the No. 16 Dyson was out with
electrical issues.
Despite a clutch problem, Franchitti was able to not only take the P2
lead but also set the fastest lap in the class. His hot lap came on
25th lap when he laid down a 49.727 (108.593 mph). The critical moments
for the Dyson team was the pit stops. In ALMS, the engine must be shut
down and without a clutch, both Franchitti and Leitzinger had an added
challenge. Yet in the end they did their job, along with the No. 20
crew, and took the class win.
"This is not the way we like to win a race," said Leitzinger. "We like
a straight shot, but this is how it was going. The battery is stellar
and the starter motor is fantastic." Leitzinger's final comments were
reflected on how the team got thorough the pit stop situations without a
clutch.
It was a sweet victory. Lime Rock is Dyson's home race and today
Franchitti earned his first ALMS career win. It was the first victory
for the Mazda powered prototype and the first win of the season for the
Dyson Racing team and they ended the 2009 win streak that belonged to
their main rivals.
"To have my first win is great," Franchitti said. "I have been so close,
either overall or in class, it is really a sweet victory. I'm getting
a sore face from grinning. From the moment you join Dyson Racing, you
are part of the family. You cannot believe the passion and commitment of
this team."
His teammate Leitzinger added, "Marino did a a stellar job. It is the first
of many for him, I am proud to drive with him. We are happy to be a part of
this first win. This means a lot for our team and the guys who put so much
pride into their racing. Their friends and family come here and it is
fitting that they can share this home win with them. "
John Doonan, Manager of Motorsport Team Development for Mazda, commented
that "when you combine the Dyson tradition and commitment with the passion
for motorsports at Mazda, BP and Castrol, it is a strong combination. When
you see the number of media and fans who came out for this race, it is a
great statement about what the American Le Mans Series stands for. It was a
good day all the way around."
Finishing second was the team that had won the first four events this
season. Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz fought back after their earlier
mishap with the gearbox. Fernandez was in the car in the final stint and was
pleased to score the points in the fifth round. They, of course, keep the
championship lead.
"This was our first mechanical problem of the year. I can't blame anybody.
We have been very strong all year," said Fernandez. "Even with the problem
we had we finished strong and never gave up and I think that speaks well
about the team."
Third in P2 was taken by the van der Steur Racing team with team drivers
Adam Pecorari and Gunnar van der Steur in the No. 19 Radical SR9 AER.
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#45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR: Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Long. Photo by Eric Gilbert.
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Finishing fifth overall and taking the LMGT2 victory was the No. 45 Flying
Lizard Motorsports team. Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister scored their
fourth-consecutive win in the team's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
Long started the race, second on the grid to their main rivals for this
year's championship, the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 430 GT. Pierre
Kaffer started on the GT2 pol and took the early lead. Long gave chase but
then so did the No. 90 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing M3 and other GT2 cars,
forming a very tight on-track fight.
While they found their way around th slower IMSA Challenge Porsche GT3s, they
also had to keep their heads with the faster prototypes already lapping
them. It is a normal scenario but on a shorter and tighter track, it
leaves no margin for any errors.
Long was able to overtake Kaffer and move into the GT2 lead and from that
moment on, it was truly smooth sailing for him and later Bergmeister. "Lime
Rock made us all earn our paychecks today," said Long.
"It was a tough environment out there - so much traffic. In some of those
corners it's almost impossible to even look in your mirrors to see what's
coming, not to mention what's in front of you," Long added. "At race start, I knew I had a
racecar which could win the race, and had the power to pull away from the
field. Starting second, I had to pick my time to make a move because the
traffic was so difficult. Pierre was fighting hard and made it very tough
but I was able to get by to take the lead."
The first caution allowed the Lizards to make their pit stop for service and
a driver change but did a short fuel stop to make it back out before the
overall P1 leader. At the restart, Bergmeister had a bit of a gap, this time
it was Jaime Melo in the No. 62 Risi Ferrari.
"When I got in the car, my job was to manage that gap to Jamie. He was
pushing really hard so I couldn't rest too much," said Bergmeister. "It was
such a constant fight with traffic and everything you had to be extremely
careful out there."
When the Risi team received a stop and go penalty for a pit lane speed
violation that allowed the German Porsche factory driver to relax a bit.
"After Risi's penalty, I was now 30 seconds ahead of Jamie so I had some
breathing room. I had new tires and low fuel so the car was pretty hooked up
- I was having fun and I did the fastest lap of the race in that final
stint," Bergmeister said. "But I had to take it a little easy at the end to conserve fuel.
Thanks to the crew and engineers for putting together a really good racecar
today. Four in a row!"
For the Risi team, later learning that the pit lane speed limiter had a
malfunction, it was not a happy ending but racing is racing as Melo
expressed the team's disappointment, "I'm quite disappointed really but, you
know, we tried hard all the way through and just tried to close the gap. It
was going okay but then we had the penalty on the final stop and that was
that.
"I did have a lot of problems overtaking the GT3 cars during the race; they
are difficult for us in these events because every single one was closing
the door on us," added Melo.
Kaffer reflected on what he termed the team's bad luck today. "I suppose you shouldn't be disappointed with second, but we
all want to win here and we knew we had a good car. It was a really tight
race and it was just unfortunate that Patrick [Long] hit me in T1 and put me
off line; it was just our bad luck and I don't think he did it on purpose.
"It was also our bad luck, or their good luck, that they got the wave by and
gained a lap on us under the Safety Car. We were 20 seconds behind them
then, and lost a position as well to BMW in the pits. It was good motorsport
today but if the result had been the other way round we would be happier."
The team challenging for second was the BMW with Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand
in the M3 E92. While they ended up in third, they had a great race
including a comeback after Hand was hit and spun off the track.
"As I had hoped, today we were as strong as we have ever been. We fought
some adversity but kept the M3 in good position. The crew helped us get two
positions in one pit stop! Outrageous! At one point, I ended up somewhere
way out in the grass where I shouldn't have been, but somehow got the car
back on track. I didn't want to let this team down. Today was a great day
for us," Hand said.
Auberlen commented on the close racing, "It was a dogfight today, but Scott
(Roembke) called a perfect race. His strategy was flawless. I came into the
pits in fourth and Joey went out in second. He dropped back a little and
made it up with a great race and here we are on the podium. Thanks to
everyone who worked so hard today. Hopefully you'll see us up on the podium
a lot more soon."
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#47 Orbit Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: John Baker, Guy Cosmo, #36 Gruppe Orange Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: Wesley Hoaglund, Bob Faieta. Photo by Eric Gilbert.
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The IMSA Challenge is based on the series Porsche GT3 Cup with teams and
drivers selected to compete at selected races with the ALMS top guns.
This weekend from qualifying on the pole to earning their first win, it seemed
to be a perfect venue for the No. 36 Gruppe Orange. Bob Faieta and Wesley Hoaglund
came home the victors with a bit of luck. The leading class team who won
the first challenge at Miller Motorsports Park had a starter failure on
their final pit stop.
"The track is tight and technical but you couldn't ask for a better race
track," Faieta said. "The weather was awesome, the track was great. Gruppe
Orange put together a great team. Traffic really wasn't an issue. These guys
are so professional that they never put me in a bad spot."
The Snow Racing husband and wife team, Martin and Melanie Snow, was out of
the race, allowing Orbit Racing's Ed Brown and Bill Sweedler end up with
second in class and the No. 02 Gruppe Orange team with Nick Parker and
Donald Pickering finishing third.
Prior to the start of today's sportscar race, the teams, drivers, series
officials, media and the spectators paused for a minute of silence to honor
the memory of Walter Cronkite who passed away on Friday at his home in New
York at the age of 92.
Known as "the most trusted man in America" and the one who informed the world
when man took their first step on the moon. NASA showed their own respect
to Cronkite when they gave him a Moon-rock award, he was the only civilian
to receive the honor.
He was a reporter and he graced the homes of many Americans via the
television from 1962 to his retirement in 1981. He ended his broadcasts with
"And that's the way it is".
There was another side of Cronkite which involved motor sports. A sport he
not only enjoyed but one he participated in. The same type of racing that
we all witnessed today at Lime Rock Park. In the 1950s, Cronkite took a
career path that did include racing.
Like many Americans wanting to race sports cars, Cronkite joined the Sports
Car Club of America. Living in the Northeast, one of the tracks he raced at
was Lime Rock.
In 1959, he was in a Lancia Appia Zagato Coupe competing in the GT5 class in
the Twelve Hours of Sebring with fellow American Warren Rohlfs and Swiss
racer Peter Baumberger. The trio finished fifth in class and 40th overall.
We end today's race story with reflection on those racers of the past who
gave us memories on and off the track.
