BRASELTON, Ga. - The second four-hour run at tonight’s Petit Le Mans is complete, with eight hours down and two hours to go.
A couple key items of note have occurred in the last few hours:
STARWORKS WINS PC TITLE
Despite fighting brake and suspension issues, ultimately retiring from the race for the latter issue, Peter Baron’s Starworks Motorsport has clinched the Prototype Challenge title with Renger van der Zande and Alex Popow. David Heinemeier Hansson shared the No. 8 Oreca FLM09 this weekend.
The title was clinched when, ironically, the team’s sister car - the No. 7 car - retired to end seventh in class. It ensured there could not be enough points for the No. 8 car to lose even if the rival No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports car of Robert Alon and Tom Kimber-Smith (and third driver Jose Gutierrez) won the race.
We have a PC champion! Congrats to @starworksmotor @AlexPopow & @Rengervdz! What a great season!! #PLM pic.twitter.com/dWy0RK9KcE
— Continental Tire (@continentaltire) October 1, 2016
SCUDERIA CORSA SURVIVES INFERNO
Scuderia Corsa was on fire metaphorically when it won the championship in GT Daytona earlier in the race, past the three-hour mark. It was on fire literally when its No. 68 Ferrari 488 GTE caught fire during a pit stop owing to a fuel leak.
The part-time GT Le Mans class entry’s crew, however, worked incredibly well to extinguish the flames.
2h10m to go. Big fire in the @Scuderia_Corsa pit. Great work by the crew and officials to extinguish quickly. Hope all the guys are OK! 🔥😮 pic.twitter.com/BYCNalmhfF
— Michelin Racing USA (@MichelinRaceUSA) October 1, 2016
TAYLOR VS. PIGOT BATTLE, THEN TAYLOR HAS A QUICK SETBACK
The on-track highlight in the last few hours was the clean, fun battle between two cars in their final races - the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP driven by Ricky Taylor and the No. 70 Mazda Prototype driven by Spencer Pigot. Pigot hounded the significantly more experienced Taylor, although the two longtime friends from Orlando matched bout-for-bout.
Contact between Taylor and sports car racing’s rising star at the moment, Pipo Derani of Tequila Patron ESM, produced a slight bit of right front contact to Taylor’s car.
A GOOD SAVE AND A WARNING FOR THE NO. 5
Filipe Albuquerque saved the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP from near disaster after contact produced a left rear puncture, and the Portuguese driver limped back to the pits.
But a later warning assessed for blocking helped set it back a bit.
HERE’S HOW IT SETS UP FOR THE FINAL TWO HOURS
It's about that time... #PLM pic.twitter.com/DFxwzwqAsa
— #IMSA (@IMSA) October 1, 2016
Ozz Negri led overall in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda as he and Olivier Pla have driven the lion’s share of the race. John Pew hasn’t driven much in his final start.
Beyond Negri, here’s the class leaders at the 8-hour mark, when the second points in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup are awarded, are:
- P: 1-60-Ozz Negri, Ligier JS P2 Honda, 2-10-Ricky Taylor, Corvette DP, 3-70-Spencer Pigot, Mazda
- PC: 1-52-Jose Gutierrez, 2-38-Kenton Koch, 3-85-Stephen Simpson
- GTLM: 1-62-James Calado, Ferrari 488 GTE, 2-66-Dirk Mueller, Ford GT, 3-4-Tommy Milner, Corvette C7.R
- GTD: 1-33-Jeroen Bleekemolen, Dodge Viper GT3-R, 2-44-Andy Lally, Audi R8 LMS, 3-48-Bryan Sellers, Lamborghini Huracán GT3