The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship concluded this weekend at Road America Sunday afternoon. Rain was forecasted to hit in the final hour of the race. As predicted, the weather came into play in the final hour of the race, with the race being red-flagged, and the clock was stopped with 30 minutes left. All four classes competed in this race.
On the poles for Road America were Ricky Taylor for Team Penske (DPi), Patrick Kelly for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports (LMP2), Laurens Vanthoor for Porsche Motorsports (GTLM), and Aaron Telitz for AIM Vasser Sullivan (GTD).
In the DPi class, only eight cars competed in this race. One of the main stories coming into this race was that Team Penske and Acura would be going their separate ways after the season as they were looking for their first win. Early in the race, Team Penske dominated the race running one and two with the Mazda’s three and four.
With over two hours left, Dane Cameron was defending the sixth position when Harry Tincknell got into Cameron, causing damage to the left rear of Cameron’s Acura and a flat left rear tire. With an hour and thirty minutes left, Helio Castroneves split the Mazda’s at turn five to take the lead.
The Mazda teammates of the number 77 and 55 cars were battling one another for the second position while chasing Castroneves for the lead. After pit stops, the number 10 Cadillac Dpi car of Renger Van Der Zande led the race.
The 77 Mazda of Oliver Jarvis and Castroneves were battling each other for positions behind Van Der Zande. Then the rain began to fall and claimed the 31 Cadillac DPi car of Pipo Derani.
With under seven minutes left, Castroneves caught the ten car when Van Der Zande made a mistake at turn 14, allowing Castroneves to retake the lead. Helio Castroneves would deliver the first win of the season for Team Penske under caution.
In the LMP2 class, there were only four cars in this race. The number 18 Era Motorsports Oreca LMP2 07 car of Dwight Merriman got loose entering the Fangio Chicane and went in the grass with no damage. Patrick Kelly, in the number 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports Oreca LMP2 07 car was leading with under two hours left of the race.
As the rain was pummeling the track, the 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports car, now driven by Simon Trummer, suffered damage to the left front of the car and was carrying the WeatherTech sign from the track on his hood. The number 81 DragonSpeed USA Oreca LMP2 07 driven by Ben Hanley would take the win in the LMP2 class.
In the GTLM class, there were six cars in the field. The battle for the lead was between Jordan Taylor in the number three Corvette and the 912 Porsche driven by Laurens Vanthoor. With under an hour left and the rain falling hard, the 912 Porsche car of Earl Bamber was leading the race when he tried to apply the brakes and slid off into the grass across the track and into the gravel pit that would bring out the caution.
With under a minute left, the 24 BMW of John Edwards and 911 Porsche of Nick Tandy went off into the wall at the Cunningham Corner, allowing the number 3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia to take the lead and the win as the race would end under caution.
The GTD class had the most cars in this race at twelve. The teammates of AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus cars were running one and two with Robert Foley in the BMW in third. The only time the AIM Vasser Sullivan cars would not be out front was when they were pitting.
With under an hour left of the race as the rain pummeled the track, the 57 Heinricher Racing w/Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 of Alvaro Parente smashed the front of the car and came to a stop at the gravel pit. Townsend Bell would get by the number 86 Acura car of Mario Farnbacher just as the caution would come out to take the win the GTD class.
The next stop for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is a trip to Virginia International Raceway in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Saturday, August 22nd, at 1:40 pm on NBC Sports Gold Track Pass.
