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CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES-ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR INDYCAR MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
MID-SEASON CHEVROLET RACING CATCH-UP
ROB BUCKNER CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 27, 2021

ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR INDYCAR MET WITH MEDIA VIA CONFERENCE CALL TO DISCUSS CHEVROLET’S PERFORMANCE IN THE 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON THROUGH NINE OF 16 RACES, AND OTHER FUTURE LOOKING TOPICS. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

ROB BUCKNER: “Good morning everyone. Thanks for joining us. Hope everyone’s had a great race season so far and happy to answer any questions on the Chevrolet IndyCar side.”

ROB, HOW HARD IS IT TO FOCUS ON ENGINES FOR 2022 AND ALSO WORKING WITH THE 2.4 PLANS FOR 2023? HAVE YOU HAD TO DOUBLE THE STAFFING SIZE? OR DO YOU JUST SAY, HEY, HERE’S 2022 AND IT’S GOING TO BE MILD IMPROVEMENTS ON 2021, AND FULL FOCUS ON 2.4L (FOR 2023)?

ROB BUCKNER: “Luckily there are a few things that help us there. It’s primarily the homologation table for 2022 is pretty minimal (in terms of changes), so there’s few things we can revisit. The fundamental engine architecture is very similar, and the rulebook is quite similar from purely internal combustion side of things.

“There’s things that as we continue to learn and develop on the 2.4L, from the (2.2L) we’re running now, that could be rolled out for the 2.2L next year in its final year of competition – and vice versa. So there’s more engines running, and the staff is kind of looking after these projects at the same time. Since we know the (2.2L) expiration date is quickly approaching.”

DO YOU THINK THE 2.4L HYBRID, SPEAKING TO VARIOUS INDYCAR MEMBERS, THAT IT’S SEEMING TO BE ON TRACK IN FIRST QUARTER NEXT YEAR, DO YOU THINK THAT’S A FEASIBLE TARGET FOR YOU GUYS?

ROB BUCKNER: “I think so. That’s what we’ve been working towards for our first track test. We’ll keep plugging away at that the second half of this year. The final deciding factor for when it goes on track is going to be integrating the new engine into the car, the cooling system that goes with that, and there’s a lot of parts and pieces that have to come together before we go on track. I think everyone on our side and our competition, there’s been a lot of collaboration to be ready to test for the first time.”

LOOKING AT THE PERFORMANCE OF TEAMS ACROSS THE BOARD THIS YEAR BEYOND TEAM PENSKE, ARROW MCLAREN SP AND ED CARPENTER RACING HAVE STEPPED UP. FOYT AND CARLIN HAVE HAD THEIR MOMENTS. HOW HAPPY YOU HAVE BEEN WITH OTHER TEAMS IN THE ARSENAL?

ROB BUCKNER: “That’s a good one, because that’s an area we have worked hard to address is the depth of the Chevy program. (Rinus) VeeKay in the 21 car and everyone at Ed Carpenter Racing have had their heads down and been digging the last couple years, so it’s been great to see them get some results with the 21 car. That was a really big win – seeing an Ed Carpenter Racing win at Indianapolis was really special for all of us being involved with him since 2012, Tim Broyles and that whole group. Really happy for them; their month of May performance wasn’t just great for them but it was great from the Chevrolet perspective.

“You mentioned Arrow McLaren SP, and that program has turned out to be pretty much everything we had hoped for when we laid that out a couple of years ago and where we could go. We’ve always been excited to have Pato (O’Ward) in a Chevy in IndyCar; he’s a remarkable talent, and we’re hoping we can keep him in the Chevy family for a long time.

“Carlin and Foyt, we try to be very supportive of them and helping them improve.

“Across our whole program, I wouldn’t say we’re satisfied; the results and struggles during May speaks very clearly that there’s a lot of work to be done. Trying to custom tailor our support package to each of our teams to make sure in some instances turn things around and in others keep them going in the right direction. A lot to be working on at the moment.”

HOW DO THE CONVERSATIONS GO WITH PENSKE? NEITHER ONE WANTS TO BE IN THE POSITION THE TEAM IS IN WITHOUT A WIN THIS YEAR, SO HOW DO CHEVY AND PENSKE DISCUSS THAT?

ROB BUCKNER: “The good news is over the last few events is we’ve shown up with quick race cars. Having been involved in motorsports for such a long time, if you keep showing up with fast race cars, eventually it’s going to be your day. So especially leaving Road America; I wish we weren’t coming up to an off weekend! I wish we were going to Mid-Ohio today to keep plugging away at it. We’re so close to getting a win with them; it just seems like the last few events haven’t unfolded in our favor.

“I don’t know how I could task the Chevrolet group with preparing for Detroit or Road America any differently. It’s just circumstance, and eventually we’re going to get there. Both camps are operating that way. Chevrolet, we’re going to help them the best we can and I know from talking to Tim Cindric and Ron Ruzewski, that side is putting in the most effort possible to make sure we can close out the year strong. So far it’s all been very positive dialogue with them. One, if we keep showing up with fast race cars and no one’s style is out of control, we’ll get some wins.”

THESE ENGINES HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE 2012. HOW MUCH DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IS LEFT IN THESE ENGINES? IS THERE STILL SOMETHING MORE TO FIND IN THE LAST YEAR?

ROB BUCKNER: “For either side, Chevy and our competition, if you stopped now, you’d be left behind next season. For 10 seasons, both sides have been on the path of continuous improvement. You always think you’ve updated and found something to give you a clear advantage, and then you find it’s almost on par with the competition. Each one is driving the other one forward, relentlessly. So we really can’t stop. No doubt if we stopped now, and raced this engine 20-something more times, we’re going to be behind at the end. So there’s always improvements to be made.

“Four or five years ago we could have said, ‘That’s it. Oh, we’ve explored enough and that’s all we can get out of the 2.2L.’ If we would have done that then, we’d be massively behind right now. You have to keep the development process going; running engines on the dyno, revisiting old ideas, maybe hardware development calibration. We won’t consider the 2.2L development officially 100 percent done until it’s raced its final event.”

IF YOU WERE TO PUT A 2012 SPEC ENGINE AND RACE IT AGAINST A 2021 SPEC ONE THAT JUST COMPLETED ROAD AMERICA, HOW MUCH WOULD YOU SAY HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST DECADE?

ROB BUCKNER: “You’d be making a 2012 engine, probably in the neighborhood of 100 horsepower down to current race engines, while being massively inefficient in comparison with poor drivability. It’s not a very refined package. I think if you could take a 2021 race engine and race it against a field of 2012 cars, it could probably lap the field! It would be unbelievable, and that would be a remarkable performance difference. But that shows how both suppliers have really pushed each other in development and have to continuously be getting better.”

IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE FOR A DO-OVER IN TERMS, NOT IN TERMS OF RESULTS, BUT IN TERMS OF ENGINE CHARACTERISTICS. WE’VE GOTTEN USED TO THE CHEVY BEING STRONG AT THE TOP END AND THE COMPETITION HAVING SLIGHTLY BETTER TORQUE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED, OR DID THAT ALMOST DEFINE THINGS, AND IS IT SOMETHING YOU CAN DO OVER WITH THE 2.4L?

ROB BUCKNER: “Our focus has always been on high-speed performance, and I don’t think we’ll drastically change that approach with the 2.4L. You spend the majority of wide-open throttle time in high-rev range in an IndyCar event. So some of our fundamental decisions will be similar. Some things in engine design you lock into earlier in the program, like the entire inlet system, engine block, cylinder heads. Some big decisions you make early on; you then carry those forward for years because you don’t get to re-homologate.

“The 2.4L does allow us to do a full clean sheet redesign. Early on, we’ve learned over the 2.2L to make some decisions that could have produced compromises. But engine design is pretty much all about compromises, and the rulebook framework and packaging limitations of the car. I have good faith in our group that we’ll address some of our weak points and the 2.4L will be a good package. I have no doubt our competition is too. The 2023 debut, you’ll see our best and our competition’s best baked in right from the beginning.”

DO YOU EVER REGRET LETTING THEM GO TO TWIN-TURBOS, AFTER THEY STARTED SINGLE TURBOS? OR WORRYING ABOUT CONCESSIONS ON AERO KITS?

ROB BUCKNER: “I always try to be very forward looking, so back in 2012 I was working on production small-block engines for C7 Corvette and some of our light trucks. Chris Berube was around then. I got into IndyCar in 2013 and remember some heartburn around “turbo-gate” – these things become heavily political. For the 2.4L program, we’ll both be twin-turbo, and the rules are slightly adjusted.”

YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH KEVIN MAGNUSSEN THIS WEEKEND. WHAT WAS HIS FEEDBACK ON THE INDYCAR ENGINE FRONT?

ROB BUCKNER: “I feel for Kevin because his seat fit was in the middle of last week and then Road America is a tough place to go into without a test. A 45-minute session, you might get 2-3 representative laps. He was drinking from a firehose all weekend. The team really enjoyed working with him.

“His engine feedback was interesting. He had a lot of similarities to others; he said our package can be a little difficult to drive, nothing too surprising. It’s very impressive he drove the car for 45 minutes and basically gave us the same summary of strengths and weaknesses like guys like Bourdais and Pagenaud, who have driven this package on-and-off since 2012. That speaks to the talent he is.

“It was huge for the Cadillac DPi program to get the win with Kevin, Renger and Ganassi in Detroit. We hope to see him around some more. He’s a great talent. Both Haas (F1) drivers have shown that once they get in equal equipment to their competition, they’re very talented.”

IT’S A PRETTY CLOSE MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE. AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE END OF THE YEAR, SOMETIMES CARS CAN’T SCORE POINTS, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT AS THE YEAR GOES ON?

ROB BUCKNER: “The best thing we can do on our side is keep our entries to four engines or less for the year, because that keeps them points eligible. So there’s a big focus on making sure the 11 full-time entries are eligible to score points, particularly for the West Coast swing towards the end of the year. Because if some are on engine five, the situation could be close enough where that’s the deciding factor. The easiest way to ensure it is to go 1-2 and sit on the pole, and score the maximum 96 points. Focus on winning races and the manufacturer’s stuff will take care of itself!”

TO THAT END, WAS IT A RELIEF THAT TORONTO WASN’T REPLACED?

ROB BUCKNER: “All of us were disheartened by that news (of Toronto being canceled). Not so much that Toronto is not being replaced. It was very sad that the event was canceled. That’s one of my favorite events of the year.

“I understand the logic behind them not replacing it, and not doing a doubleheader. For us it was decided early enough that it gives us more flexibility; engine mileage will be down, so that helps from going to engine three to engine four, and makes engine five less likely to happen. No pushback from us on not doing a doubleheader at Mid-Ohio or Gateway. We honestly got tired of doubleheaders in 2020, so this was the right thing to do.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN IS CHEVROLET’S ONLY FULL-TIME ROOKIE THIS YEAR WITH TEAM PENSKE. HOW HAVE YOU EVALUATED HOW YOU THOUGHT HE’D DO AGAINST HOW HE’S FULLY DONE?

ROB BUCKNER: “I can’t think of a harder year to be a rookie because of the depth of teams and drivers! It’s unbelievable when you look at the top 10, and how hard it is to practice, qualify or race in the top 10. There’s not a lot of testing. Scott’s transition is very similar to Jimmie’s, but coming from a grand touring, heavy car with small tires to an open-wheel car. Scott’s been his own biggest critic and a bit hard on himself.

“All of us on the competition side think once he figures this out, he’ll be one of the top talents in the series. We’re just supporting him all we can with simulation time. He’s got great teammates to lean on at Team Penske. Imagine being a rookie with those three experienced drivers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the podium or winning a race before the end of the year.”

DOES WINNING AT MID-OHIO CARRY MORE SIGNIFICANCE AS IT’S AN EVENT SPONSORED BY YOUR COMPETITION?

ROB BUCKNER: “Ha! There’s some of that with both sides, and they love to be successful in Detroit with our banners all over the place. We feel the same way when we go to Barber, or Toronto, or Mid-Ohio. We don’t circle the event, let’s go test here or spend a bunch more time in the simulator. But yes, it’s gratifying when you’re successful there!”

DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY EXTRA CARS THE REST OF THE SEASON AT SELECTED RACES?

ROB BUCKNER: “There’s been a lot of interest, which is good. It’s remarkable the interest level around Nashville. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a pretty big car count there. Long Beach is always of big interest as well. It goes to the health of the series. Sponsors want to be at these events. For us, leaving the Indy 500, we have quite a few low-mileage engines due to our car count at Indy, so doing one-off entries later in the season is pretty easy for us from an engine perspective. We just need the people to be able to support that. We have a few teams talking to us about additional part-time entries, and hopefully they announce it soon on their end. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some really healthy car counts at some of these big events.”

WHEN GANASSI RAN WITH CHEVROLET FOR THREE SEASONS, 2014-2016, ONE OF THE DEFINING QUALITIES THAT DIXON DESCRIBED BETWEEN THE TWO WAS THAT CHEVROLET HAD FEWER OPTIONS TO TAILOR TO A SPECIFIC DRIVER’S OUTPUT. WHEREAS THE OTHER COMPETITOR COULD HAVE DIFFERENT MAPS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT’S CHANGED OVER THE YEARS AND MAY CHANGE GOING INTO THE 2.4L ERA?

ROB BUCKNER: “It’s always interesting the 2 groups. Our group tries to be pretty controlled and don’t like running things on the track we haven’t run on the dynos; I don’t see that changing too drastically. I think it’s easy to overlook the challenge of running 11 cars nearly all the same and expecting them to be reliable. So that’s one of the reasons we don’t let our trackside engineers go too crazy on calibration changes. You’d end up with 11 cars on different calibrations and probably hurt some hardware. Clearly there are other ways to do it, but we always prioritize proven options to minimize our risks to hurt performance or reliability. We’ve changed a lot since 2016, yes, but overall we go to the track with proven concepts backed by data.”

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Meyer Shank Racing Heads Home to Mid-Ohio for Honda Indy 200

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#60: Jack Harvey, Meyer Shank Racing Honda

Pataskala, Ohio (28 June 2021) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) will make its second trip this season to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – its home track – but this time for the NTT INDYCAR Series, Honda Indy 200 on Sunday (12:00pm ET, NBC).

Heading back to the site of his first victory in North America (Indy Lights), Jack Harvey will look to do the same in INDYCAR competition this weekend with the No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda.

Harvey has shown considerable pace this season that has seen him compete at the front of the highly competitive Indy Car field. Harvey’s last outing at Mid-Ohio saw him finish seventh, his best career INDYCAR finish at the central Ohio circuit.

Although MSR is still aiming to capture its first INDYCAR podium at its home track, the team has scored three podium finishes in IMSA competition at the track where team co-owner Mike Shank first started the team.

“Everyone at MSR is looking forward to racing at Mid-Ohio, the obvious reason being that it’s the home race for the team and the home race for Honda,” said Harvey. “We’ve had some good success and good potential at Mid-Ohio in the past, and it’s where I got my first win (Indy Lights), so I’m excited to be headed there this weekend. We’ve shown a lot of pace this year with the 60 car and our focus is to bring home the result that I know we are capable of.”

The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio will be broadcast live on NBC starting at 12:00pm ET on Sunday, July 4. SiriusXM will provide IndyCar Radio coverage on XM Ch. 205.

Alex Sedgwick to make NASCAR Whelen Euro Series return at Brands Hatch with support from NBA 2K

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The Brit will drive the #24 Chevrolet Camaro for Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsports

As NWES returns to the UK in 2021, Alex Sedgwick will also return to the EuroNASCAR PRO championship in Brands Hatch on July 3-4. The Brit will pilot the #24 Chevrolet Camaro for Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport with support from NBA 2K sporting a special livery in the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers as a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.

“I’m super excited to return to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with the support of NBA 2K for my home race, American Speedfest. This event is one of my favorites on the European motorsport calendar and it’s one you just can’t miss,” said Sedgwick. “It’s a real honor to carry the NBA 2K branding with the Lakers colors and number 24 as a tribute to Kobe Bryant, and to be trusted to fill in for Jacques whilst he is away with other commitments. My most recent race in the Euro Series at the end of 2019 was my best result to date with a win in class. This time I’ll be looking to fight for the overall win!“

At just 22 years of age, Sedgwick already amassed 3 top-5s and 10 top-10s in just 17 EuroNASCAR PRO races. His last race at Circuit Zolder in 2019 coincided with his best results of fourth under the checkered flag. In four appearances at his home track of Brands Hatch, Sedgwick boasts one top-5 and two top-10s.

Sedgwick and NBA 2K previously partnered for the ARCA Menards Series pre-season test the British driver took part in January at the Daytona International Speedway with very positive results.

Greg Thomas, President of Visual Concepts and the creator of NBA 2K said, “We supported Alex earlier this year when he tested at the Daytona International Speedway, and we are proud to support his efforts at Brands Hatch in England. Alex is a highly competitive race car driver, and we are looking forward to seeing his career grow in the NASCAR Series here in the United States.”
Alex’s manager Ryan Johnston of InterPhase Entertainment said, “We are extremely grateful for NBA 2K and for this opportunity that team Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport put together for Alex with a competitive car and team with the help of Jérôme Galpin, CEO of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to coordinate all efforts.”

“Academy Motorsport/Alex Caffi is proud to welcome in its lineup a fast driver as Alex Sedgwick, we will do our best to help Alex compete for the top positions in the highly competitive racing weekend in Brands Hatch. Our Team Owner Federico Monti is pushing all the team to be the best and Alex Caffi is the right person to lead the group,” said Piero Paolo Ciceri, Team Principal of

Academy Motorsport.
The NASCAR GP UK at Brands Hatch will take place in the context of the eighth edition of the hugely popular American SpeedFest. Qualifying and all races will be streamed live on the EuroNASCAR social media profiles – YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitch channel – as well as on Motorsport.tv.

M&M’S Minis Racing: Kyle Busch Pocono Race #2 Recap — BUSCH WINS

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Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota Camry
Race Recap for the Pocono 350

Date: June 27, 2021
Event: Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 (Round 19 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps)
Start/Finish: 19th /1st (Running, completed 140 of 140 laps)
Point Standing: 5th (650 points, 111 behind leader)
Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-30):

● Kyle Busch started 19th and finished 28th.
● The M&M’S Minis driver raced into the top-10 within the first eight laps. He reported that the car was handling on the tight side at the exit of every corner and that he needed help getting it to turn from the center of the turns to the exits.
● On lap 20, Busch cracked the top-five. He reported that overall the car was handling more tight than it had during Saturday’s race and that he specifically needed help getting the left front to turn better.
● Busch made a green-flag pit stop on lap 27 for a chassis adjustment, four tires and fuel. He returned to the track in 29th place and picked up a position by the time the first stage concluded.
● The team stayed out during the caution, placing Busch in fifth to start the second stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 31 85):

● Busch started fifth and finished seventh, earning four bonus points.
● Prior to the start of Stage 2, Busch reported that the shifter in the car kept popping out of fourth gear. He said he would need a plan to get the car to the end of the race.
● The Las Vegas native quickly went to work, picking up third place on the opening lap of Stage 2. He was second two laps later and took the lead on lap 47.
● As green-flag pit stops neared, Busch reported that the adjustment helped the car’s handling a little in the center of the turns but that he still needed help to be able to exit the turns better.
● Busch surrendered the top spot on lap 74 to make a green-flag pit stop for an air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel. As he was coming to pit road he reported that the shifter was now stuck in fourth gear, which meant he would need a push from his crew members to get off of pit road. After completing service, the team went to work to push the M&M’S Minis Toyota the allowed three pit stalls. Busch was slow to come up to speed but did so and was scored in ninth place.
● Stage 2 concluded with Busch in seventh place.
● During the break the team made a trip to pit road for four tires and fuel. Once service was complete a team member climbed into the car to try to fix the shifter. It was determined that the problem was most likely an internal issue, which meant Busch would have to complete the race only using fourth gear.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 86-140):

● Busch started 28th and finished first.
● Because the No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota was compromised with a transmission issue, the team elected to top off the car with fuel and attempt to finish the race without making further trips to pit road. Busch made a stop for fuel only, but the process was hampered by the transmission issue and the fact that the clutch had been used up trying to get the car up to speed.
● Despite the issues, Busch was back among the top-20 by lap 100. He broke into the top-10 just 10 laps later.
● The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion continued to log laps and to conserve fuel as best he could. He was scored in seventh place by lap 115 and was up to sixth at lap 120.
● As the laps continued to tick off, cars running in front of the No. 18 either ran out of fuel or were forced to make quick trips to pit road for a splash of fuel.
● With three laps to go, only teammate Denny Hamlin was in front of Busch. When Hamlin made a trip to pit road for fuel as the field came around to take the white flag, Busch took over the top spot and maintained it to the end to score the win.

Notes:

● Busch’s win in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 was his 59th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his fourth at Pocono. His margin over second-place Kyle Larson was 8.654 seconds.
● Busch led two times for a total of 30 laps en route to the victory.
● Busch now has two wins, eight top-fives and 12 top-10s in the 19 races contested thus far in the 2021 NASCAR season.
● This marks Busch’s fourth win, 11th top-five and 18th top-10 finish in 34 career starts at Pocono. He’s led a total of 522 laps.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

“Sometimes you have to have a little bit of luck on your side, and today, we had some luck on our side. It felt good. I think the biggest thing this week – everything was second, and if that was all we had for today, we will take it. It’s pretty cool to win up here at Pocono. It’s such a tough racetrack, and all of the guys and everyone with this package, it’s so hard to pass sometimes. We had to fuel save that whole last run to be able to get everything we could out of that gas tank. No clutch, no leaving pit road, extended time on pit road – to come back and be at full song by the time the field went green, that was an ordeal. I don’t know. Thanks to M&M’S Minis, Rowdy Energy drink, Interstate Batteries, Toyota, Stanley, Sport Clips, the fans of course – Rowdy Nation – all of those guys up there. My family, (son) Brexton, (wife) Samantha – they are here too, so I will celebrate with them.”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Jockey Made in America 250 on Sunday, July 4, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Team Alegra Motorsports Secures Season-Best Fifth-Place Finish Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen

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WATKINS GLEN, New York – The No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 team, co-drivers Michael de Quesada, Daniel Morad and Billy Johnson, secured a season-best fifth-place finish Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Morad started the race on the outside of the second row after qualifying fourth on Saturday, and joined de Quesada and Johnson in never running out of the top five throughout the six-hour race on the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen road course.

The Alegra team and drivers arrived to Watkins Glen determined to shake off a streak of bad luck in the first four races of the year, including a pair of contact-related retirements at the Detroit Grand Prix and early in the 12 Hours of Sebring.

At The Glen, however, the Alegra team and drivers never put a wheel wrong and avoided the bad luck that hampered some of their competition on Sunday.

Morad pitted the No. 28 from third after his opening shift and handed off to de Quesada, who raced in the top-four throughout his double stint behind the wheel.

Johnson anchored the middle portion of the race before Morad returned to the No. 28 for the final run to the finish. Morad was in a podium position for a late-race restart with 30 minutes to go but was taken high in turn one by the race leader and then lost positions when another competitor checked-up on him later in the same lap.

Morad maintained his focus and defended the fifth-place position to the finish, sealing the season-best result and giving the Alegra team some strong momentum heading into Friday evening’s second IMSA WeatherTech Championship race at The Glen in six days.

The IMSA WeatherTech 240 is a two-hour and 40-minute race scheduled to start at The Glen this Friday, July 2 at 6:10 p.m. EDT. Live coverage for the entirety of the race begins at 6 p.m. EDT on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN).

The No 75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 team of Kenny Habul, Mikael Grenier and Maro Engel also competed in Sunday’s six-hour race only to be retired after an early suspension issue dropped them from contention.

Three Mercedes-AMG GT4 teams secured top-10 finishes in Saturday’s hard-fought IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race, a four-hour battle that was slowed by a string of contact-related caution periods for more than 90 minutes and 31 of the race’s 104 laps.

A pair of Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries and one of Winward Racing’s two Mercedes-AMG GT4 challengers were among the top-10 finishers.

No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Jeff Mosing and Eric Foss crossed the line in sixth place after leading four laps.

Murillo’s sister No. 65 Mercedes-AMG GT4 entry of Brent Mosing, Tim Probert and Kenny Murillo finished 10th.

The Murillo duo was split by the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Bryce Ward and Alec Udell, climbing back from a first-lap spin to lead four laps and finish ninth.

The Michelin Pilot Challenge series joins the WeatherTech Championship for this Friday’s quick return engagement at The Glen. A two-hour Pilot Challenge sprint race at 2:35 p.m. EDT is the opening round of Friday’s doubleheader that concludes with the WeatherTech 240 at 6:10 p.m. EDT.

Daniel Morad, Driver – No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It was a great day. All three drivers did their job. The team executed every pit stop perfectly and the strategy was awesome. We had a really great call by Cole Scrogham, our strategist, and a fantastic Mercedes-AMG GT3. Well done to the engineering team for getting this thing dialed in from the moment it came off the truck. We had a great weekend. We qualified top five and ran in the top five all day. On the last restart, when it was really tight, a lot of traffic was coming through with faster Prototypes and GTLM cars. Going through the last corner the car in front of me completely checked up and caught me out. There were cars to the left and right of me, and I just had to check right up, and the competition had free reign and the momentum to ease by down the straight. It is still just a great result all around, and good momentum going into the next one.”

Michael de Quesada, Driver – No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s definitely been a tough season so far. We’re a privateer team, we have a limited budget, and to go from race to race is already a struggle, not to mention crashed cars. It’s like climbing Mount Everest but coming here this weekend we all felt good. We made no mistakes. Every single driver did an incredible job, and the strategist especially, giving us that jump at the last yellow. I think everybody is excited to carry the momentum to the sprint race next week.”

Billy Johnson, Driver – No. 28 Alegra Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3: “It’s great to finally get the monkey off our back and have a solid race. The team really deserves a win for all of the bad luck and the hard work they’ve put into running this car, into this season and coming back race after race. It’s definitely a huge accomplishment to get our first top-five. We look forward to moving up the finishing order even more and getting to the top step of the podium, because that’s what this team deserves. I’m excited and happy for everybody, it’s great to be a part of it and be back in the Alegra Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the Michelin Endurance Cup series. We’re moving in the right direction. The team did an awesome job, and the handling of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is the best it has ever been.”

Eric Foss, Driver – No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “We knew we were going to have to do something a little different. We got out of sync on the pit strategy, and it was really working out for us. Even at the end there we were in a good window, so we were able to just take a little bit of fuel and sneak some tires on the rear of the car. That put us in a really good position on the last restart. Our Mercedes-AMG GT4 was just on point, our strengths are in the corners, and the consistency and the reliability are what is so amazing. You can drive the Mercedes-AMG GT4 at 11/10ths all day and it never complains.”

Alec Udell, Driver – No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “Overall, it was a good race for us. We moved forward which is always nice. We had a bit more in our Mercedes-AMG GT4, but I made a small mistake when I was fighting Eric on the last restart and went wide in turn one and lost a few spots. I was able to claw back two or three places and got back to ninth. The Winward team was great, and we had really awesome pit stops. I think we had a really good strategy going. We were just about to come in before the last caution which, would have put us perfectly on strategy. We’re going to head back home to Houston for a little bit, we’ll come back on Wednesday and hit it again.”

Kenny Murillo, Driver – No. 65 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4: “It was challenging, for sure. We just focused on staying out of trouble and doing the best we could do to see where we ended up. I can’t thank Tim and Brent enough for the opportunity to drive this great Mercedes-AMG GT4 for two hours and 10 minutes out there against the pro drivers. It was a huge learning opportunity. We did pretty well but, unfortunately, got some damage that hurt the performance for the last 30 minutes. We really felt like we could have run right there with Eric and worked as a team, but I’m super grateful to be here racing in IMSA. It was an absolute blast, and I wouldn’t change anything.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION: Norwalk Post-race Recap and Driver Quotes

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CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT MOTORSPORTS PARK IN NORWALK, OHIO
RACE RECAP
JUNE 27, 2021

Chevrolet drivers make strong statements at Norwalk

• Erica Enders denies Greg Anderson from tying Pro Stock record
• Brittany Force sets track record, finishes runner-up in Top Fuel

NORWALK, Ohio (June 27, 2021) – For the second consecutive National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock final featuring a pair of Chevrolet Camaros, Greg Anderson was denied a milestone victory.

Reigning class champion Erica Enders, driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS, defeated Anderson’s HendrickCars.com Camaro SS on a holeshot at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. Eliminations were delayed by rain twice for a total of nearly four hours.

Anderson, aiming to tie Warren Johnson’s 97 career Pro Stock wins for most in the category and second all time to John Force’s 153 and counting, was also runner-up in the last NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event.

Brittany Force was equally disappointed by a holeshot loss in the Top Fuel final. Force, the No. 2 qualifier in the Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, reset the track Top Fuel elapsed time record of 3.696 seconds in the semifinals and ran 3.730 seconds in the final match with points leader Steve Torrence. Despite a tick slower pass, his .058-of-a-second reaction time edged Force’s .078 to take the win.

“Very frustrating to get beat in the final the way we did,” said Force, runner-up for the second time this season. “A holeshot loss is not easy, but I’m going to use that to step up at the next one.”

John Force Racing’s three-race Funny Car winning streak ended abruptly. John Force’s elimination round win streak ended at five in the second round of eliminations. Force, who qualified fourth in the PEAK/BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS, lost in a close race to top qualifier Bob Tasca III in a matchup of the Nos. 1 and 2 drivers in the standings.

Robert Hight, the No. 2 qualifier in the AAA Ohio Chevrolet Camaro SS, also fell in the second round to eventual event winner Cruz Pedregon.

Anderson will have to wait until the July 23-25 event at Sonoma Raceway to try again for win No. 97. Pro Stock is not on the schedule of the next event ‑- the Dodge/SRT Mile-High Nationals Presented by Pennzoil on July 16-18 at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado.

“I’ve never quit in my life and I never will. I’m going to get this deal done,” said Anderson, who added to his points lead. “I’ve been a little snakebit the last few races.”

Anderson, who claimed his sixth top qualifier honor in the seven races and 112th of his career, recorded a 6.594-second pass with a .030 reaction time to Enders’ 6.606 and .005. Enders, earning her second victory of the season and 31st of her career, won in Norwalk for the first time in seven years.

“It’s huge mojo,” said Enders, who is one of the 2021 ESPY Award nominees for Best Driver. “We’ve had a little bit of luck not go our way, losing by just a couple thousandths here and there. But my team always steps up to the plate.”

Don Belles of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, was runner-up in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro in Stock Eliminator. David Barton, winner of the previous the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown race and the No. 1 qualifier at Norwalk, and Scott Libersher advanced to the semifinals in their COPO Camaros.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT

TOP FUEL:

BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 qualifier, runner-up): “Very frustrating to get beat in the final the way we did. A holeshot loss is not easy, but I’m going to use that to step up at the next one in Denver. Incredible job to my Flav-R-Pac, Monster Energy team. Consistent runs down the track all weekend long and a track-record 3.969 in the semis. Today’s laps weren’t easy, with tough competitors and changing track conditions we really had to work for it. Runner-up finish isn’t bad and we will be ready for the next one.”

FUNNY CAR:

JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier, fell in second round): “It wasn’t a bad weekend. We had a good car, a really good car and that was a clean run. It did what it was supposed to. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, they have a handle on this PEAK BlueDEF Chevrolet. We qualified well, went some rounds, all of us, Robert with AAA, me with PEAK and Brittany over there with Flav-R-Pac getting to the finals. That was good. The rain was tough but the fans waited. It was great. It’s always good here with the Bader family.”

ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AAA NEW ENGLAND CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier, fell in second round): “Not the result we wanted obviously. Wanted to take this AAA Chevy to another win. We qualified well but we’ve got a lot to do to get us where we want to be. We’ll get there and we’ll be fine. Now is the time to be putting in the work, so I’m not worried.”

PRO STOCK:

ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (race winner): “It’s huge mojo. We’ve had a little bit of luck not go our way, losing by just a couple thousandths here and there. But my team always steps up to the plate. After the semifinals, we knew we had to tune her up and we came back and made a whole bunch of changes. I’m really proud of (crew chief) Mark Ingersoll; he’s really dug deep and fought this race car. I could not be more excited for this team. It’s a win at the closest racetrack to Melling Performance. We’re going to Jackson, Michigan, tomorrow to celebrate with all those great employees and their 75th anniversary.”

GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier, race runner-up; points leader): “I’m so proud of the team and the job everybody does. I’m even proud of the way I drove today; I did not drive bad. She (Erica Enders) got a killer light in the final. She’s a great driver and she came up with what she needed. There’s nothing you can do. Just a great drag race. I’ll move on to the next race and I still feel like I’ve got a great chance to tie that record and who knows set that record. My future still looks bright.”

Dawson Racing D3+Transformers Pleased with Inaugural Outing at IMSA Sahlen’s 6 Hours of Watkins Glen

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(L to R) No. 84 D3+Transformers LMP3 drivers - Theodor Olsen, Dominic Cicero and Ben Devlin

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., June 27 – The No. 84 Dawson Racing D3+Transformers LMP3 accomplished the team’s goal in its inaugural International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen today of being a class contender and just finishing its debut endurance race.

Qualifying and starting driver Theodor Olsen began the race from pit road and in the last position instead of in the fifth in LMP3 class qualifying position after a small rotor issue in the morning warm-up. This included a drive through penalty following the race start for missing the installation lap. The team got a break with a wave by on the first caution and Olsen wasted no time to climb the charts and was up to fourth position by Lap 16. He took a quick fuel only stop on Lap 21 a little over an hour into the race and continued to earn his wings as a professional U.S. sports car racing driver as brought the Ligier up to second in class before his second pit stop.

Olsen relinquished the cockpit to teammate Dominic Cicero on Lap 50, who drove a double stint and watched traffic to have a steady drive with no issues.

Ben Devlin was the third driver in rotation for the team and had a few challenges, including the balance of the car and had lost radio communication with the team. He made an emergency pit stop on Lap 123 because of a big vibration (due to contact with another car) for a tire change and to get the radio communications sorted. He had one additional full pit stop of Lap 151 under caution before bringing it to the finish.

Four full course cautions for 27 laps for various on track accidents gave numerous opportunities for close racing and fierce battles on restarts. In the end, the No. 84 D3+Transformers finished sixth in LMP3 class.

Ian Dawson, CEO/COO, No. 84 D3+Transformers LMP3:
“First of all, it’s great to be back at Watkins Glen after six of seven years out. Amazingly, I was here in the first Group C car in 1981 in July in an IMSA race and was also the year Simon was born. So, there’s quite a lot of history here and not just with the team coming back, but us coming back under our own name was really important. Just seeing the amount of people that have really supported us to get here. Same thing is to come here with really commercial partners, and three great people together in our superb driver line up. I couldn’t be happier that we’ve been able to continue the vision we saw with Theodor five years ago. Ben, we’ve known since he was 12, and here we are with him as our driver as we’ve talked about for so many years. Dominic came into the team new to us, but he just fits so well and he’s such a team player. I think the three of them gelled very well and when you work with a lot of drivers in your life, these three are just a pleasure to be with. It’s difficult when you run a family team as you put everyone in the family under a lot of stress but here, we are with three generations, as Simon’s son, my grandson Dylan, is also here helping us also.

“We were pleased to have two women from the Paretta Autosport IndyCar team, fresh off the Indy 500, that joined us as the front tire changers who did a great job. I’ve worked with a number of women over the years, including Lyn St. James as a driver in her early career, and we wish to continue giving diversity opportunities with our crew.”

“We’re happy with the results because they are what we said. We wanted to go to the six-hour race and our goal was to start and finish the race and that’s what we did. We got up into the podium position level and it proves to me that we can do it and be competitive. We’re learning more about IMSA again and it’s been a real pleasure working with them as they’ve been very helpful. We had an excellent experience with Michelin and tire management was key to be able to pull the car back into contention. We know we can just grow from here.”

Theodor Olsen, driver, No. 84 D3+Transformers LMP3:
“I think the weekend went well. We finished the six-hour race and that was the big thing. It’s really nice to race with all the guys but it’s also difficult with all the GT cars and Prototype. My stint was really nice and I was able to get a good feel for the car. There was so much traffic because I started from the back of the field. I just tried to pass everyone and get up there; then we got the full course yellow so I could get back in the field and behind everyone. Then I continued to overtake them. We were in P2 when I pitted and that was really good. I’m looking forward to getting back on track again next week for Race 2.”

Dominic Cicero, driver, No. 84 D3+Transformers LMP3:
“I feel my stint went very smooth. There was some crazy traffic that was out there. It was exciting, but hard to get used to. It was amazing working with some of the GTLM and GTD cars. We had almost an understanding where they would pass me at certain places or whatever. The DP cars were blindly quick. It was so cool being next to those cars.

“My overview of the weekend is positive. It was good to get a step forward and just putting one foot in front of the other. There was a lot of learning curves and hurdles to overcome as a new team — from driver changes to pit stops to equipment to whatever. All the things as you build a team, in general from business to racing, everyone gets in sync, and I think we did that really well. Hopefully all the partners received good coverage and we’ll try to extend on that for the next race next weekend. We’re on primetime next weekend so that will be huge to activate on that.”

Ben Devlin, driver, No. 84 D3+Transformers LMP3:
“In all, the driver changes and everything went well. The guys did a great job on fueling and tire changes and everything in the pits. We went out, it was a smooth running, but we had slightly contact with the Mazda and I think that damaged the left rear floor. Something didn’t feel right with the car but after the pit stop and new tires the car came alive for the second stint, and we were able to work through the traffic after the pit stop.

“Everybody has achieved such hard work to get here this weekend. We never came here thinking we were going to win on the inaugural outing. It was really important to finish and keep it in a grove to bring it home for Simon, Ian, Dawson Racing and everybody who’s helped get the team here. Theo drove fantastic in the first stint and showed us what we could do. We had the pace to be here today. Dominic then got in and did a great job. I think I got the bad luck unfortunately, but it was a really good effort for everyone on the team. Everyone should pat themselves on the back and go away pleased.”

Dawson Racing partners for the No. 84 entry include Hasbro, Chevron Technology Ventures and Gnarly Jerky.

For more information, please visit www.dawsonracing.com.

About Dawson Racing:
Dawson Racing is a highly competent manager, owner and operator of an international sports car racing team. Its principals, Ian and Simon Dawson, have over 60 years of experience with factory and private global racing teams including engineering, technology, infrastructure and marketing resources.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Team Hold On To Their Championship Lead With A Podium Finish at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen

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Watkins Glen, N.Y. (June 27, 2021) – Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team managed challenging conditions to bring home a podium finish at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. They continue to hold first position in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup DPi Championship with a total of 33 points, and the overall WeatherTech SportsCar Championship lead with 1,733 points and a slim margin of 31 points over the No. 55 Mazda DPi team.

Amidst grueling heat, Ricky Taylor looked competitive from the start at the demanding Watkins Glen International road course. He traded the lead with the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura multiple times in the opening stint. The highlight of the early running was a four-wide dash past lapped traffic by the leading pair of Acuras, culminating in a daring dive by Taylor up the inside of Turn 1 for the lead.

Alexander Rossi climbed aboard with four hours to go. After shuffling back in the pit cycle, his winning experience at the New York venue showed, as he moved from P4 up to P2, challenging for the lead.

As the race wore on, the drivers began to struggle with the front-end balance of the car. Filipe Albuquerque took the wheel with 118 minutes to go and managed the understeer to keep the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 within seconds of the lead. After a late caution, Albuquerque got an excellent launch at the restart and ran door-to-door with Kevin Magnussen and his No. 01 DPi for the entire first sector of the lap. He eventually passed the Cadillac and managed fuel consumption to the end. Ultimately, the team’s fourth podium out of five race starts in 2021 keeps Wayne Taylor Racing in the championship hunt in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive years in recent memory.

“It’s nice when you can be a little disappointed with third,” said Ricky Taylor. “We showed great pace over the weekend. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team did a great job on strategy and execution. We weren’t in a position to take risks, looking at the big picture of the championship and the three-hour mark for the NAEC. That’s the way the cards fell today. My teammates did great. With Alex, once again, we’re able to plug him in and he just does a fantastic job. Filipe did an amazing job on fuel at the end and was able to hold off some cars that were full of gas. We’ll walk away with our heads held high, maintaining the points lead and move onto the next round.”

“Starting from pole we always expect to win,” Filipe Albuquerque elaborated. “In IMSA, it’s been quite competitive between everyone, and the race is always different. We struggled a little bit, and it was a game of strategy with how much fuel to put in. I came fourth from the last pit stop. I still managed to go third which was all we could do, I believe. The first two guys were already off, and we had to fuel save for strategy. I don’t think we could have done much better, we just have to work harder for the next weekend.”

“Watkins Glen is done, and we finished third,” commented Alexander Rossi. “It’s pretty unsatisfying since we started on pole thanks to Ricky. We’ll have to figure out why the Mazda was able to jump us in that last pit sequence which was pretty impressive and set the tone for the race. We had okay pace. It depended on the tire life where I think we were missing a bit of ultimate pace. The car performed well, the team did great in the pit stops, the strategy was good, and the Acura fuel mileage there at the end was pretty phenomenal for us to be able to make it. Great points for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05, for Ricky and Filipe. We’ll go forward to the next one. I won’t see you guys until November, but in the meantime stay tuned, I’ll be cheering these guys on.”

“A podium is always good,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “It was the Mazda that we were racing in the championship, so they recovered good points, but we got the pole and gained some points on them. The No. 60 car was very fast. I was hoping that they would’ve won because it would’ve helped us more in the championship. The guys were strong as usual and now we have to prepare for next weekend.”

The 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Watkins Glen in less than a week’s time for the circuit’s Sprint Cup event, the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at The Glen, taking place July 1-2. Coverage of qualifying airs at 5:35 p.m. ET, July 1 on IMSA.TV. Green flag for the two-hour and 40-minute race will wave at 6:10 p.m. ET with live coverage starting at 6:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports and TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its customers’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), content services, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. Wayne Taylor Racing’s existing lineup of partners that also features Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports , Hammer Nutrition and CIT.

Team Hardpoint EBM Battles To Top 10 Finish At Watkins Glen in IMSA WeatherTech Championship Six Hour Race

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Photo credit Sideline Sports Photography

Rob Ferriol, Katherine Legge and Andrew Davis Fought For a Lead Lap, Tenth Place Finish in the No. 88 Richard Mille/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 27, 2021) – Team Hardpoint EBM continued to improve the No. 88 Richard Mille/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 R throughout Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen International, and at the end drivers Rob Ferriol, Katherine Legge and Andrew Davis scored a tenth-place finish for the team.

The race result came down to the final 37-minute sprint to the finish with Legge behind the wheel. A perfectly executed pit stop timed for fuel and left-side tires allowed her to jump two cars that had been quicker on track. Legge continued that battle through a difficult final run, matching pace with the best GT drivers in the championship.

The endurance racing finish is the starting point for the two-hour and 40-minute sprint race in just five days, again at Watkins Glen on Friday, July 2.

“I’m proud of the team,” Legge said. “They didn’t make any mistakes. We’ve got a little bit of work to do on the car for next week. We had moments where we were pretty strong and we could fight them at the end. We finished and we learned a lot and we’ll move on to the next one.”

Team owner Ferriol opened the race with a solid one hour, 50-minute double stint that kept the team in the top 10 from its original 13th place starting position. In addition to the springboard to Friday’s sprint race, the solid finish was a rebound from an early-race incident at Detroit.

“Six hours is a long race,” Ferriol said. “To finish any of these endurance races is a win. We finished in the top 10. We would have liked to have been in the top five but I’m sure everyone else would have as well. We had a good car to compete and finish the race. We still have some work to do to get it up to the sharp end of the field. But coming off the disappointment that we had at Detroit, I’ll take it and we’ll look forward to the sprint race this weekend.”

Davis joined Team Hardpoint EBM for endurance races for its inaugural 2020 season, and returned this weekend at Watkins Glen. Davis drove a two-hour, one-minute stint and handed the Porsche to Legge on the lead lap with a chance to compete at the finish, filling his role on the team perfectly.

“This team fights so hard, and we had a really good race in the pits, the strategy on track, and no mistakes, but it’s just such a competitive series here that you have to be perfect and be up there,” Davis said. “We were lacking just a little bit of pace, but not for a lack of effort. They don’t have to find very much for the next race coming up next weekend here to put Rob and Katherine up top. I’m just really happy with the effort, and the team is so welcoming having me come in. I was just playing a support rule and did my stints through the middle and tried to save some fuel and take some heat off of both Rob and Katherine so she could show what she could do there at the end. And she did, fighting really hard with some of the best drivers in the world.”

Team Hardpoint EBM has a quick turnaround before Friday’s evening sprint race at Watkins Glen. Practice begins on Thursday with a one-hour session, followed by qualifying later that day at 5:40 p.m. Friday’s race begins at 6:10 p.m. EDT and can be seen live on NBCSN or via TrackPass on the NBC Sports app.

About Team Hardpoint EBM:
Hardpoint Motorsports was founded by Rob Ferriol in 2018 with the vision of combining his experience as a successful entrepreneur with his passion for racing. Team Hardpoint EBM is a joint venture between Team Hardpoint and Earl Bamber Motorsport formed in late 2020 to utilize the resources of EBM and co-owners Earl Bamber and Will Bamber and the early success of Team Hardpoint. Headquartered at VIRginia International Raceway, the team’s 2021 plans include a full-season effort in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and a multi-car effort in the IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America. More information on Team Hardpoint EBM can be found at www.hardpoint.com or through its strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Flawless Performance Nets Wright Motorsports Multiple Podiums at Watkins Glen

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Flawless Performance Nets Wright Motorsports Multiple Podiums at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 27, 2021) – The first of two sports car racing weekends at Watkins Glen International is complete, following the checkered flag of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Wright Motorsports brought five Porsche race cars to the IMSA weekend, securing four podium finishes across the three-race series. While the team ran an error-free weekend and ran brilliant fuel strategy calls, the timing of full course cautions chose the weekend’s winners.

“Everyone did an excellent job this weekend,” said Team Owner John Wright. “We say it often here, but from strategy to engineering, mechanics, and drivers, everyone did exactly what they were supposed to do. I’m very proud of everyone and proud of the organization we’ve built. While a couple of cautions threw a wrench in some of our plans, we still had some great, clean racing, and our cars came home without any damage, ready to fight next week, right back here at the amazing Watkins Glen.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
After securing a second-place qualifying position for the headliner race, hopes were high in the Wright Motorsports camp at the start of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Trent Hindman took the green flag in the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R, staying in second place until the restart after the first caution, taking the lead from the No. 14 Lexus of Kyle Kirkwood, roughly 20 minutes into the race. From there, the blue, black, and white Porsche executed pit stops and racing flawlessly, staying out front as each lap’s fuel targets were carefully calculated.

Hindman raced for two and a half hours, then pitted from first to hand the driving duties over to Jan Heylen. The team’s fuel strategy and a flawless pit stop allowed the Porsche to exit the pit lane with a large gap ahead of the competition. Heylen also enjoyed a smooth, trouble-free stint, hitting his fuel targets and leading the race when he handed the car over to Patrick Long. Playing a different fuel game and short filling their tank, the No. 14 Lexus of Jack Hawksworth exited ahead, taking the class lead. The Wright team never worried, sticking to their fuel targets knowing they’d have the upper hand as the field approached their final stops.

Everything changed when a full-course caution came out with one hour remaining, dramatically shifting everyone’s fuel game. As some cars opted to stay out and risk running out of fuel, the majority of the field came in to pit for fuel. As the final stop cycled through, the Wright Porsche sat sixth in class, but third on their particular fuel strategy. In the end, the cars that stayed out and up front were able to save fuel under the lengthy caution and avoided a final stop. Despite intense racing in the final stint by Patrick Long through a congested field, the Wright Motorsports Porsche finished eighth in the GTD class, a result not reflective of the flawless and highly competitive run by the drivers and crew.

Following the conclusion of the weekend, the team will stay on-site to prepare for another week of racing at Watkins Glen, with the WeatherTech 240 on Friday, July 2. For more information, visit imsa.com.

Driver Quotes | No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R

Patrick Long
I’m disappointed with the end result. It’s not reflective of everyone’s efforts today. Unfortunately, where that yellow fell, it was a game of track position. We couldn’t convert on the first five hours of the day, and we just battled as hard as we could at the end there. The No. 14 Lexus, the No. 9 Porsche, and ourselves were locked in, thinking the other cars would fade or run low on fuel, but that never happened. These are the days where you don’t win championships, but you can sure lose them trying to do something that isn’t there. I had to swallow my pride there at the end and bring the car home.

Trent Hindman
An unfortunately timed yellow flag caught us out on an ideal strategy to fight for the win. The Wright Motorsports guys gave us a great car in traffic, which around here in the heat is always a hard thing to do, no matter who you’re up against. Our execution on pit lane was unreal. No penalties, no mistakes, just an unfortunate situation with a horribly timed yellow for us. Once you get shuffled back in the order with 40 minutes to go on a high-speed track, you really have to wait for people to make mistakes to move forward. It was bad luck all around. Big thanks to the Wright guys. I love working with Patrick and Jan. I’m learning a ton. Big thank you to 1st Phorm, Mountain Motorsports, Una Vida Tequila, and everyone for making it happen.

Jan Heylen
Today was a disappointing result for the whole team after a strong qualifying and a strong start to the race. It just wasn’t meant to be today. The strategy didn’t come our way in the end with those final yellows. Great job by the whole team, and thank you to Ryan, 1st Phorm, Una Vida Tequila, and Wright Motorsports for putting us in this championship.

MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE
Heading into the Watkins Glen weekend, the high temperatures were the focus for Wright Motorsports in Michelin Pilot Challenge. Race day proved to be a hot one, but the No. 16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, with the expert set up by the crew and strong performance from drivers Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen, proved to be strong and ran in the top five, securing a fourth-place finish after starting in sixth. Hardwick ran a long opening stint, a change in strategy based on the cautions that came out as the race progressed. An off-sequence pit stop moved the team from the top ten to 21st position, but Hardwick drove an impressive stint, making his way back up to 14th by the next caution. Jan Heylen took over at the halfway point, with two hours remaining, joining the fight in 16th. As the race clock wound down, the team played an alternate fuel strategy, working their way up to the top ten in the final hour. With just 30 minutes remaining, Heylen turned up the heat, fighting hard from sixth to fourth, without enough time to catch third. The team earned a strong fourth-place finish, moving them up from seventh to fifth in the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS Team Championship standings.

The Michelin Pilot Challenge effort will also stay on-site for the next week of racing. The Sahlen’s 120 at the Glen will take place on Friday, July 2, beginning at 2:35 PM. For event information, visit imsa.com.

Driver Quotes | Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport

Ryan Hardwick
As we crossed the finish line, it shows us in fourth place, and a top-five result was our target. Our car struggles in this heat a little bit compared to some of the other cars in our class, but we were able to run in the top five for most of the race. We had a few challenges, but nonetheless, a top-five finish leaving a four-hour race is good for us and we’re looking forward to the sprint race next weekend.

Jan Heylen
It was a long day. Going into that last yellow, everything was going according to plan. We were off strategy from the rest of the field, and Ryan drove a really good long stint. The car was definitely not the easiest to drive in the heat of the day, so Ryan did great managing that. We decided to go off the strategy to get track position, and the plan came together with a half-hour to go, and we were back in third. It was as good as we could have done, given the pace of the other cars. Then we got passed on the final wave by a few cars and things got a little messy under that full-course caution. We dropped back a few positions and from there it was an uphill battle to get those positions back. Finishing fourth isn’t the worst result, but we were hoping to make some ground in the championship. We did on some cars, but the BMW is one of the contenders and they finished in front of us. Not the best day, but not the worst day. You can’t win them all, but I would have loved to be on the podium. We’ll try to get them next week.

PORSCHE CARRERA CUP NORTH AMERICA Presented by The Cayman Islands
After two attrition-filled doubleheaders to kick off the season, the Wright Motorsports Porsche Carrera Cup North America effort finally shook the proverbial monkeys off their backs at Watkins Glen International. In the opening practice sessions, each car showed strong speeds and consistent improvements, and in qualifying, Max Root secured his first pole position in the Pro class. He went on to secure second place in Race One. In the following round, Root repeated his performance from the day before, earning back-to-back second-place finishes. In Pro-Am. John Goetz celebrated his first podium finishes in the series as well, securing back-to-back third-place results at The Glen.

The next rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will take place August 6-8, 2021 at Road America, again in conjunction with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit porschecarreracup.us.

John Goetz | No. 57 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
I love the Glen. It’s one of my favorite tracks in the country. I love the high-speed corners. I finished third on both days, isn’t ideal but is pretty good. I felt I hit most of my marks. I made a couple of mistakes in the second race but overall, it was a great weekend. Our whole team was so supportive as they always are. We’re leaving the weekend with cars in perfect condition, and it’s great to see everyone on the team enjoy this weekend. I’m thankful to Wright for doing everything so well. I don’t have to worry about a thing; I just get in the car and have fun.

Hutton McKenna | No. 88 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
The weekend went great. We had some good battles. Alan Metni and I had a good last race and I got to gain two positions. I can’t be mad at that. The car ran great, and the team did everything they could to make it perfect. It was my first time here at Watkins Glen and it was a great track. I’m looking forward to the next one.

Max Root | No. 7 Moorespeed-Wright Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
It was a really good weekend at Watkins Glen. I started off strong with a pole position for race one and started second for race two. I managed the gap in race one and second was the best we had. In race two, I got a little optimistic at the start and tried to go around the outside, but unfortunately got a little bit of stuff on the tires and had to come out of it. But all the boys worked extremely hard this week. I’m really proud of the team and thankful to all the sponsors who make this happen.

1st Phorm
1st Phorm is a sports nutrition company based in St. Louis, MO. In 2009, CEO Andy Frisella and his business partner Chris Klein started the brand, and since then, it has become the fastest growing supplement company in the world. 1st Phorm has set the standards in the industry for quality and helping people reach their goals. This new racing partnership is not their first time in the exotic car scene either. 1st Phorm has been the title sponsor for the Gold Rush Rally for six years running. With over a million followers across social media, 1st Phorm has amassed a huge cult-like following known as, “The Legion of Boom.” They stand for a movement in the fitness world. To turn it back to what it was meant to be. Helping others improve their lives, to be a good human… and to drop the excuses and do the work. 1st Phorm is a winning brand and they don’t expect anything less when it comes to their race team. For additional info: www.1stphorm.com

Mountain Motorsports
Mountain Motorsports is a group of motorcycle and powersports dealerships with multiple locations in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by lifelong friends Ryan Hardwick and Justin Price when they opened their first location as a single-line Honda dealership in Sevierville, Tennessee in 1999. The company has since grown into one of the largest retailers of motorcycle and powersports vehicles in the nation, spanning nine dealership locations representing eleven of the industry’s most well-known brands. For additional info: www.mountainmotorsports.com

Una Vida Tequila
Una Vida translates to One Life. That is how this brand started. By people who want to live their “One Life” to the absolute fullest and to their highest potential. A group of guys from the Midwest who love great quality tequila, and want their One Life to have meaning and impact others.

One Life, One Tequila is our CORE BELIEF. We’re building the only tequila brand you will ever need to drink. Una Vida is bigger than just tequila we’re also building a culture of people who want to live their life to their utmost potential.

Our story begins and continues to grow bottle by bottle. It’s a life mission for us to create a community of people who all raise a glass knowing they’re living their ONE LIFE! For more information, visit unavidatequila.com

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series, international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. The 2020 season will see the team return to IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship. For more information, visit wrightmotorsports.com

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