LMP3 class championship leader aims for more in the first sprint race of the year

JUPITER, Fla. (9 May 2022) – Sean Creech Motorsport (SCM) looks to continue its podium streak this weekend as the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s LMP3 class shifts gears from the two endurance classics that began the season to Sunday’s sprint race, the Lexus Grand Prix at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2:00 p.m. ET, USA Network).

After scoring a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the team took a breakthrough result in the toughest event of the year with the No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsport Exelixis/Focal One/Alta Equipment Ligier JS P320 racing into Victory Lane after 12 grueling hours at Sebring. With more hours of racing than some series contest all season long in the rear-view mirror, drivers João Barbosa and Lance Willsey prepare for the different challenges involved in the much shorter two-hour and 40-minute event.

Both drivers appreciate the ways the team has continued to develop its WeatherTech program since debuting in the top IMSA category last year. With three podiums in five races, the team has continued to deliver a high degree of professionalism and preparation both at the shop and on the racetrack.

“The mindset does change in that until you accomplish the feat of winning in IMSA, there’s always an element of doubt,” said Willsey, who will also compete in the IMSA Prototype Challenge race on Sunday morning with co-driver Parker Thompson, who is contesting the Porsche Carrera Cup North America this season. “We knew we had everything we needed in place, but we had to execute flawlessly to win in this extremely competitive class. We didn’t do that at Daytona, but the tables turned at Sebring. Now there’s no doubt that we have all the ingredients to win. But we have to be perfect, because if we aren’t, another one of these outstanding teams will be. And of course, there’s always an element of luck involved, though you often create your own luck.”

With a roster that boasts decades of experience on both sides of pit wall, SCM will arrive at Mid-Ohio looking to continue the momentum that the Sebring victory and Daytona podium have created this year.

“We’ve approached this entire season in a better position,” said Barbosa, who has three podium finishes in 13 races at Mid-Ohio, including a victory. “We were even better prepared than last year coming in – everyone on the team knew what to expect and what it would take to succeed. We were competitive at Daytona and got the win at Sebring and that shows how prepared the team has been from the outset this year. There’s still a long way to go in the season but we come into Mid-Ohio as the points leader and that’s a good pressure to have.”

“Preparation” is the word that continues to surface when talking about what it takes to win in the LMP3 class. Does that preparation change when the race is less than three hours long, as opposed to 12 or 24 hours?

“There is a bit of a difference in the mental approach to a sprint race as opposed to the endurance events,” said Barbosa. “Any mistake is so costly, since the chances of catching up are slim, so it’s important to be more precise and avoid mistakes. You have to keep the car in a good spot through the entire race to be able to fight up front at the end. It’s not like an endurance race, where you can bide your time until the last two hours – here, it’s flat out the entire way.”

“In a 12-hour race, you’re fighting for every position you can get, but we’re also very conscious of risk versus benefit – and that’s amplified in a sprint race like this,” said Willsey. “If you make a mistake, you’re looking at points not victory, and we’re not here looking for points.

“Coming out of big, fast racetracks like Daytona and Sebring to a track like Mid-Ohio which is very low-grip and weather dependent, factors like getting heat in the tires and pressures up quickly need to be approached a bit differently,” said Willsey. “You have to know what you can and can’t get away with in regard to grip level – and rain is the wild card. It’s also quite physically demanding in the LMP3 car: there’s nowhere to catch your breath, especially with the size of the field. But João knows the track well, he’s had a lot of success there, so we’re quite optimistic.”

Team owner Sean Creech has competed at Mid-Ohio since his early days in racing, with Jim Busby Racing’s Nissan GTP car. While winning his home race at Sebring was a milestone in his 30-year career, the celebration time was short as the focus turned quickly to the task at hand.

“We packed up Sebring that Sunday, took Monday off, and Tuesday we were back in the shop, tearing the car apart and getting ready for Mid-Ohio,” said Creech. “We’re starting from scratch as far as we’re concerned – you have to look forward, always focusing on preparation. It’s a shorter race, but the prep is the same. We’ve had a few test days over the past week to prepare, to work on the balance between speed and consistency, so we know we’re ready. Sunday’s race will be hinge on our ability to work through traffic and stay out of trouble. That will be the biggest challenge.”

SCM would like to thank partners Alta Equipment and Focal One for their continued support.

The Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio takes the green flag Sunday at 2:10 p.m. Eastern. The race will be broadcast live in the U.S., in its entirety on USA Network and Peacock TV. International viewers can watch via IMSA.tv, with IMSA Radio also available at IMSA.com.

About SCM
Team leader Sean Creech has competed in a multitude of sports car series from 1990 until the present day, includingGroup C, IMSA GTP, WSC, Grand-Am, SRO World Challenge, and IMSA. SCM will contest the full WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2022 with João Barbosa and Lance Willsey. http://seancreechmotorsport.com/

About Alta Equipment
An industry-leading material handling and construction equipment company, Alta Equipment is an innovator of solutions, delivering diverse products and unrivaled support centered on building lasting customer relationships. Alta Equipment began in 1984 with a single location in Detroit and has grown to 57 locations throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and Florida.
https://www.altaequipment.com/

About Focal One
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime in the United States. The Focal One® HIFU Prostate treatment offers patients a non-invasive outpatient procedure to target prostate tissue while avoiding the common side effects such as loss of urinary continence and sexual function. The Focal One treatment uses high performance, high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to precisely target and ablate the prostate, allowing patients to quickly return to normal activities.

Mooresville, NC (May 9, 2022) – SRX Racing announced today Chase Elliott will join the competition for the 2022 season finale at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio on July 23.

“I’m excited to get back in one of the SRX cars this season,” said Elliott, who outdueled Tony Stewart and his father Bill Elliott to win the SRX Nashville race last July. “Last season was a lot of fun and a cool memory for me competing against my dad. The opportunity to race at Sharon Speedway and compete on dirt against the likes of Ryan and Dave Blaney and some guys I’ve looked up to my entire career is really appealing. I’m looking forward to the race, seeing all of the fans come out and hopefully I do well again.”

In addition to the eight championship contenders competing again Elliott in the season finale, SRX previously announced Dave and Ryan Blaney will join the field at Sharon Speedway in front of their home crowd.

Elliott’s previous appearance on the SRX series came last season at the Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee where he finished the first heat in second and the second heat in eighth before winning the feature event.

“When I started at SRX, one of my goals was to get Chase to re-sign and run again in the SRX 2022 season,” said SRX CEO Don Hawk. “Chase is a man that can drive anything and also I knew he would have a huge impact on tickets sales for Sharon Speedway and on the television ratings on CBS. I’m very happy he was able to make this work for us and for the fans of his and SRX.”

For the more information on SRX Racing and the 2022 season, please visit SRXRacing.com and follow on social media.

GP3 win on Saturday and late race run to the podium Sunday highlight tough weekend at home track

Elkhart Lake, Wis (7 May 2022) – Looking to add to the team’s promising start to the 2022 World Racing League powered by Hagerty season, Round 3 Racing (R3R) took to the National Park of Speed to do battle with all four cars this weekend with a double-header at Road America. The high speed Wisconsin circuit put the R3R fleet to the test, but the team emerged from the weekend with two podium finishes despite a challenging event.

No. 401 TEAM HAGERTY MOTORSPORTS BMW M4 GT4 (GTO)

The No. 401 team started on pole Saturday after Cole Loftsgard ran the fastest lap on Friday. Loftsgard led the team in the first stint before handing the car over to Brad McCall. After a red flag incident, the team came in under yellow for fuel and for Sarah Montgomery to take the wheel. Sarah fought to the finish, ending the race in second. Unfortunately, the team ran into post-race inspection issues, causing forfeiture of their race result. While the outcome was a disappointment, the small infraction left the team looking forward to once again performing on Sunday.

In race two, Montgomery brought the car to eleventh from the 29th starting position before bringing the car into the garage due to the engine overheating. The weekend that showed so much promise for the squad once again delivered disappointment, as the entry was forced to retire just two hours into the race.

“It’s tough to put the disappointment of this weekend into words,” states McCall. “Going from the incredible high of capturing pole position to finishing 2nd on track, only to have it taken away in post-race tech, was incredibly painful for the whole team. The crew and drivers work so hard and put their heart and soul into these events. I guess the consolation is knowing that we have the team and the car to compete for wins at every race. We’re going to shake this off and look forward to a big comeback at Daytona.”

No. 609 TEAM SENTINEL BMW M4 GT4 (GTO)

The No. 609 team launched the effort at the National Park of Speed from the third starting position. James Candelaria, Brian Ghidinelli, and Christian Maloof kept the car in the front of the pack. But the champagne aspirations were derailed by an engine failure with less than two hours left to run. The setback saw the No. 609 Sentinel BMW step aside from competition for the rest of the weekend.

“Despite a lot of hard work from the mechanics and crew, both in the shop and at the track, we had a problem in the race and weren’t able to run on Sunday,” said Maloof. “My teammates and I never put a wheel wrong, driving clean and smart to ensure we would have a good car for the end. I cannot hide my level of disappointment on the unfortunate amount of bad luck we seem to be having.”

No. 701 TEAM COOPER TIRES PORSCHE CAYMAN (GP1)

Mo Dadkhah, who hails from Chicago and is quick to claim Road America as his home track, started the first stint on Saturday. Dadkhah kept the car in a top position before passing the 701 Cayman to Zack Ping. Saturday’s race didn’t play out as planned as the runners were halted by a red flag, initiated by an off-track excursion for Ping as he went off at the Kink. The incident forced the car out of the remainder of the race.

Determined for a rebound, the 701 Cooper Tire team returned for vengeance on Sunday. Loni Unser started the first stint in fifth. Due to an exhaust issue, the car had to make its way down pit road a couple of hours into the race. Ping was next in the Cayman, helping make up time lost earlier in the race.The teamwork and focus on a strong result went all the way to the breathtaking closing moments of the race, as Dadkhah brought home a second-place finish by three-hundredths of a second over third place.

“That last stint was one of the most fun stints I’ve ever driven in a race car,” said Dadkhah, who has used ambition, talent and hard work to build a career both on and off the track. “The car behind me did a great job of coexisting with me. We went back and forth quite a bit. We were only three-one hundredths of a second ahead of him, and the car was running out of fuel!” exclaimed Dadkhah.

“From everything that has happened this weekend, with the accident in the kink yesterday (Saturday) and the exhaust that broke off due to someone hitting us today, it was a nice, fun surprise to earn P2. Thank you, Brad, Buz, Marc, Aaron, and everybody else at Round 3. These guys work day and night to allow us to be able to fight for a podium; they are the heart and soul of the team.”

No. 605 TEAM HAGERTY DRIVERS CLUB PORSCHE BOXSTER (GP3)

The No. 605 team, made up of Carter Pease, Dennis Neel, and Buz McCall from the pole position, maintained the top position throughout the race. Facing challenges of three red flags, the team persevered to bring home the first-place trophy in the GP3 class on Saturday.

After having the fastest lap in their class, the 605 Hagerty Drivers Club Boxster started on pole for the second day in a row. The car ran into a power steering issue early in the race but was able to rebound to finish fourth from falling to tenth.

“Luck was not on our side today as a group. The 605 car had a power steering issue early in the race that put us nine laps down and last in class,” expressed Pease. “The team was able to get the issue diagnosed and repaired quickly to get us back out on track. Dennis, Buz, and I put it all out there to get laps back and came home with a fourth-place finish, an amazing comeback for the team.”

Round 3 Racing will compete next on June 10-11 at Daytona International Speedway as the World Center of Racing plays host for a fourteen hour race.

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