 |
Prototype, Prototype Challenge, and GT Daytona cars in Turn 4 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix. Image Credit: 2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images
|
|
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Moves to Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca
By: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images
Two weeks after the hotly contested street
race in Long Beach the full complement of TUDOR United classes took to the
track at the fabled Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Having its first race in 1957,
what was then known as Laguna Seca Raceway, and actually part of the Fort Ord
military reservation, has always been a favorite of fans and drivers
alike. With its 11-turns (most moderate to high speed) and elevation
changes the 2.238-mile circuit has hosted events including Can-Am, Trans-Am,
Formula 5000, IMSA GT, Champ Car, American Le Mans Series (ALMS), and the Rolex
Monterey Motorsports Reunion.
The Corkscrew is both a fan and driver
favorite. This famous left-right hander has an initial grade of 12% that
quickly transitions to 18% and drops a gut wrenching 59 feet within the complex
turn. The total elevation change from Turn 8 to Turn 9 is 109 feet, all
within a distance of 450 feet. For most drivers, when the car is set-up
correctly, there is only a slight tap of the brakes as they enter the left-hand
Turn 9. They accelerate all through the Corkscrew and on the way to Turn 9.
For those not totally familiar with the
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship (TUSCC) it is comprised of four classes of
cars. Prototype (P) is the flagship class featuring the fastest and most
technologically advanced cars in North America by combining Grand-Am Daytona
Prototypes with the ALMS P2 class prototypes and Deltawing cars.
Prototype Challenge (PC) is a spec-class
carried over directly from ALMS featuring open-cockpit Le Mans Prototype cars built
by ORECA with engines supplied by Chevrolet and tires by Continental. These
cars are driven by a team of two drivers, one a full-time professional and the
other a part-time "amateur" driver.
Grand Touring Le Mans (GTLM) is a
continuation of the ALMS GT class of cars using the same technical regulations
as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Based on production models, they are engineered to
produce the maximum performance.
GT Daytona (GTD) is a class that combines
the Grand-Am GT and GX classes along with the Porsche GT3 Cup cars, all built
to FIA GT3 specifications. These, like the PC cars, are driven by professional
and amateur drivers.
In order to keep all the cars within a
class comparatively equal the TUSCC uses what is called the "Balance of
Performance" (BoP). This is a formula that mandates a level of performance
for all competitors by using restrictors and weight. Whether due to the BoP or
not there have been 14 different drivers to claim the GTLM class pole in the
first 14 races. That trend did not change at Mazda Raceway when
Dirk Werner became the 15th different GTLM driver to capture the class pole in
the No.25 BMW Z4 GTE.
 |
| The No.10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP during it's Pole Setting qualifying run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: 2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images |
Other class pole sitters were; Jonathan
Taylor in the No.10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP, Chris Cumming in the No.11
ORECA FLM09 (PC), and Patrick Lindsey in the No.73 Park Place Porsche 911
GT America (GTD).
 |
| The winning No.90 VisitFlorida.Com Corvette DP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: 2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images |
On race day the conditions were almost perfect with the temps in
the mid-60's. Unfortunately, for the drivers, they had little time practicing
and qualifying in that type of weather. Friday was blistering hot and
Saturday was cooler.
The start of the race was exciting with all the DP cars vying for
the lead at the same time. The inevitable occurred when the No.10 Wayne Taylor
Corvette and the No.01 Ganassi Ford EcoBoost Riley had contact in Turn 2
causing both cars to lose time and some aerodynamic bits which allowed the
No.90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP to take the lead. While the pack of 35
starting cars was still tight, the No.3 Corvette C.7R (which had to start at
the end of the pack due to an engine change) had contact with rear of the No.90
Corvette DP in Turn 3 causing the Corvette to lose part of the right front
fascia which effectively put an end to their race. A few laps later the No.33
Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT, still on cold tires, went wide at the exit
of Turn 6 hitting signage which broke the right front suspension. Fortunately, Keating was able to make it back to the pits
thereby averting a full-course yellow.
The first
full-course yellow came out when the No.16 BAR1 Motorsports ORECA FLM09 driven
by Todd Slusher spun across the track in Turn 2. The long yellow brought
out a flurry of pit stops. Shortly after the re-start at the 40-minute mark the
No.45 Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS driven by Patrick Byrne went wide on cold tires
in Turn 5 and got mired in the gravel bringing out the 2nd full-course yellow.
The yellows allowed for early pit stops with most of the teams doing their
driver changes at that time.
By mid-race most
of the action had stabilized and the top runners were Jordan Taylor in the
No.10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP with an 8 second lead over the No.90
VisitFlorida Corvette DP. In PC, Chris Cumming in the No.11 RSR Racing Oreca
FLM09 had a 45 second over Mikhall Goikhberg in the JDC/Miller Motorsports car.
 |
| The PC class winning No.11 ORECA FLM09 at Mazde Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: 2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images |
 |
| The 2nd Place No.54 CORE autosport ORECA FLM09 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: 2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images |
For GTLM the No.24 BMW Team RLL Z4 driven by John Edwards held an
18 second lead over the No.62 Risi Competizone Ferrari driven by Giancarlo
Fisichella. The tightest race at that point was in the GTD class where Patrick
Lindsey in the No.73 Park Place Porsche 911 GT America was just 0.44 seconds
over Christopher Haase in the Paul Miller Racing No.48 Audi R8 LMS.
 |
The No.24 GTLM winning BMW Team RLL Z4 GTE at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: 2015 Motor Driven Images
|
|
One thing that was noticed during the green flag pit-stops was
that the Mazda SkyActiv Prototype was able to go 26 laps further than any of
the other competitors. The fuel economy which made the diesel formidable at Le
Mans will certainly have an effect in TUSCC once Mazda picks up the speed it is
currently lacking.
 |
| The fuel efficient Mazda SkyActiv Prototype at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: 2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images |
The racing continued to be close and exciting for the next half of
the race. The running order remained essentially the same as at the mid
point. Close to the 30-minutes to go mark the No.10 Corvette DP came in
for a splash of gas coming out in second place. A few laps later the
No.90 Corvette DP also came in and re-entered the race just 1.4 seconds ahead
of the No.10 setting up the final half-hour as a nose to tail battle with
mistakes or traffic going to be the deciding factor. Neither driver made
any mistakes and although there were a few times when traffic was an issue both
cars were able to thread there way through without loosing or gaining any time.
The last two minutes were definitively a "nail biter".
The race could
have essentially ended 6-minutes earlier when the No.22 WeatherTech Porsche 911
GT America and the Turner Motorsports Z4 came together in Turn 5 with both
sliding off track and into the tire barrier. Both were able to re-gain forward
motion and limped back to the pits thereby averting a full-course yellow.
 |
The WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America leads the Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 through the Corkscrew prior to their coming together in Turn 5 a few laps later. Image Credit:2015 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images
|
|
On a sad note, all the Michelin crew were wearing a black armband
honoring Francois Michelin who had died earlier in the week. Michelin had been
Co-Chairman of the tire manufacturer from October 1959.
The next TUDOR
United event will be on Saturday May 30 in Detroit on the Belle Isle Park
circuit. The event will be a 100-minute speed fest which will host the
Prototype, Prototype Challenge, and GT Daytona classes.
TAGS: TUDOR United Sports Car Championship, Continental Tire
Monterey Grand Prix, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, American Le Mans Series,
Prototype, Prototype Challenge, Grand Touring Le Mans, GT Daytona
No comments:
Post a Comment