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Race report
Stuttgart. On the storied Road America racetrack at Elkhart Lake in the US state of Wisconsin, the new
In the GTLM class, the most competitive category with five automobile manufacturers, the
Race quotes
Marco Ujhasi, Overall Project Manager GT Works Motorsport: “What a fantastic race, which had it all. We put the pressure on right from the start and we could turn consistently fast laps. Everything that we had planned actually worked. A podium result would definitely have been possible. After the caution phase at the end we were very close to the front and Nick surprised the leader with a bold overtaking manoeuvre that could have handed him the victory. Unfortunately there was not enough room for three cars at that particularly spot, and the podium result that seemed so close was gone. All in all, this race was a ray of hope. We’ll continue to fight. Congratulations to the Park Place Motorsports customer team on achieving second place in the GTD class.”
Patrick Pilet (911 RSR #911): “That was a very intense race. Nick’s move just before the flag was actually great. We could have won. He was holding a solid position – but then he was forced off. In spite of everything, we can all be proud this weekend. We’ve made great progress in terms of performance. Of course we want to continue improving, but we can build on this for the next races.”
Nick Tandy (911 RSR #911): “Obviously I’m disappointed to have lost an almost certain podium position shortly before the finish. But the entire race was really tough with lots of contact. After the final caution phase, it would have been almost impossible to have fitted a piece of paper between the Ford, the Ferrari and me. I was determined to use my chance to win, which proved a little too ambitious and ended with my spin. But I see the many positive aspects. We had a good run right from practice to the qualifying and the race. Our lead underlined that we’re on the right track.”
Earl Bamber (911 RSR #912): “We made progress here, but we still have to work on our performance. A podium result would definitely have been possible. It’s a shame that the race ended like this. Now we’ll concentrate on preparing for Virginia.”
Frédéric Makowiecki (911 RSR #912): “Despite everything, it was a good race. We won’t give up and we’ll take a lot of important insights from this. Our class is so competitive that you simply have to drive at the limit to have any sort of chance. In my view, however, some of our rivals push too hard and are not pulled up for it.”
Jörg Bergmeister (911 GT3 R #73): “That was a hard race. The podium came somewhat unexpectedly for us, but that makes it all the more fantastic. In the final phase I had resigned myself to finishing on fourth, but then two Audis in front of me made mistakes and, of course, I made the most of the situation.”
Round nine of IMSA SportsCar Championship will be held on 28 August on the Virginia International Raceway at Alton in the US state of Virginia.
Race result
GTLM class
1. Gavin/Milner (GB/USA) Chevrolet Corvette, 70 laps
2. Briscoe/Westbrook (AUS/GB), Ford GT, 70
3. Edwards/Luhr (USA/D), BMW M6, 70
4. Bamber/Makowiecki (NZ/F),
5. Fisichella/Vilander (I/SF), Ferrari 488 GTE, 70
6. Magnussen/Garcia (DK/E), Chevrolet Corvette, 70
7. Pilet/Tandy (F/GB),
8. Auberlen/Werner (USA/D), BMW M6, 69
9. Hand/Müller (USA/D), Ford GT, 67
GTD class
1. Bleekemolen/Keating (NL/USA), Dodge Viper GT3, 69 laps
2. Bergmeister/Lindsey (D/USA),
3. Nielsen/Balzan (DK/I), Ferrari 488 GTE, 69
4. Lally/Potter (USA/USA), Audi R8, 69
5. Liddell/Davis /GB/USA), Audi R8, 69
11. C. MacNeil/Müller (USA/D),
12. Farnbacher/Riberas (D/E),
13. D. MacNeil/Jeannette (USA/USA),
Points’ standings GTLM class after 8 of 11 races
Driver
1. Millner, Gavin, Corvette, 264 points
2. Briscoe, Westbrook, Ford, 251
3. Garcia, Magnussen, Chevrolet, 223
4. Fisichella, Vilander, Ferrari, 220
5. Bamber, Makowiecki,
5. Auberlen, Werner, BMW, 219
6. Hand, Müller, Ford, 209
7. Pilet, Tandy,
8. Edwards, Luhr, BMW, 192
Manufacturer
1. Chevrolet, 262 points
2. Ford, 249
3.
4. BMW, 234
5. Ferrari, 230
Teams
1. #4 Corvette Racing, 264 points
2. #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, 251
3. #3 Corvette Racing, 223
4. #25 BMW Team RLL, 220
4. #62 Risi Competizione, 220
5. #912
6. #66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, 209
7. #911
8. #100 BMW Team RLL, 192
This is the IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship is a sports car race series contested in the USA and Canada, which was run in 2014 for the first time. The series was formed from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), P (Prototype) and PC (Prototype Challenge). The
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.