For the first time since running at Daytona International Speedway in January, the IMSA Prototype Challenge kicked off a busy day in racing Saturday afternoon at Sebring International Raceway. JJ Jorge and the number 47 Forty7 Motorsports Norma M30 was the pole-sitter, and alongside him was the number 64 K2R Motorsports Norma M30 driven by Naveen Rao.
The number 75 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P3 driven by Max Hanratty moved up to the third position getting by the number 23 Gilbert/Korthoff Motorsports Norma M30 driven by Jon Brownson. The first caution came out when the number 60 Wulver Racing Ligier JS P3 car driven by Tonis Kasemets hit the tire wall at turn 17. It took several minutes for the track crews to repair the tire wall. Naveen Rao was the leader at the time as the race resumed with an hour and twenty-four minutes left in the race.
During the green flag, David Grant, in the number 40 Forty7 Motorsports Norma M30, took the third position from Max Hanratty. Another good battle was for the sixth position when Dan Goldberg got by Steven Thomas. Goldberg would then take the fifth position away from Jon Brownson. Brownson fought Goldberg hard until Goldberg completed the move for fifth and pulled away.
Brownson got into trouble when his car got loose and spun at turn 17. He was able to get the car going again, and the race stayed green. David Grant then challenged his teammate JJ Jorge for the third position. Grant got by his teammate with an hour and seventeen minutes left in the race.
The second caution would come out with an hour and thirteen minutes left after the number 11 car of Steven Thomas went too wide heading to the start/finish line and smacked the wall hard, ripping part of his left front nose off. The number 9 JDC MotorSports came to pit road as Scott Andrews took over for Gerry Kraut.
The race restarted with an hour and three minutes remaining with Naveen Rao still in the number 64 K2R Motorsports Norma M30 car. Rao would pit to make a driver change as Matthew Bell took over the ride. Joel Janco was added to the list of getting loose at turn 17 and went around. He was able to get his car going again, and the race stayed green.
With under 50 minutes left, Rasmus Lindh came to pit road to change the nose of the car. The third caution would come out as Keith Grant got into Cameron Cassels heading into turn seven as both drivers spun out battling for the fourth position.
Scott Andrews led the field back to green with under 30 minutes left. During the green flag, Joel Janco spun around and could not get his car restarted, bringing out the fourth caution of the race. Once the race resumed, Andrews was gone, and Stevan McAleer and Matthew Bell were left fighting for second place. Bell got loose, allowing McAleer to take sole possession of second place. Scott Andrews would go on to win the race by 14.810 seconds over Stevan McAleer.
The rest of the top ten finishers were Matthew Bell third, Dakota Dickerson fourth, Eric Palmer fifth, Rasmus Lindh sixth, one lap down, Anthony Simone seventh, one lap down, Keith Grant eighth, one lap down, Bud Grossenbacher ninth, one lap down, and Steven Thomas tenth, two laps down.
The next race for the Prototype Challenge will on Saturday, August 1st, from Road America at 11:35 am on NBC Sports Gold Track Pass.
