Mishap Scrambles IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Field At Laguna Seca

Mishap Scrambles IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Field At Laguna Seca
Words By: Brandon J. O'Brien
Images By: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images unless otherwise specified

Within seconds of the Green Flag dropping at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship the No. 99 JDC-Miller Motorsports ORECA LMP2 being driven by Misha Goikhberg, in an attempt to get past slower cars, made contact with the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi  driven by Joao Barbosa sending cars scattering all over the front straight.

Dirk Mueller in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT clipped the Cadillac tearing off his right front suspension.  The Cadillac was then T-boned by the No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR driven by Nick Tandy.

Although damage to many of the cars forced an early retirement, and for some in the GTLM class, Championship hopes dashed there were no injuries.

Championship hopes dashed!  The battered No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Ford GT after the opening lap incident.Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

Starting the No. 22 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan DPi Johannes van Overbeek at the back of the Prototype field managed to avoid hitting the airborne No. 66 Ford GT and it's bouncing right front tire.   He pitted to turn the car over to Pipo Derani 22 minutes into the race.

After a restart following the third full-course caution 46 minutes into the race Derani spun in Turn 2.  Derani then worked his way forward moving into the top five and stayed there for most of the remainder of the race.

The race winning No. 22 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan DPi exiting the Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

He was running second when race leader Harry Tincknell spun the No. 55 Mazda Team Joest Mazda RT24-P DPi while attempting to pass a slower car.  Derani inherited the lead and was not challenged for the rest of the race.  He won by 10.9 seconds over Colin Braun in the No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA LMP2 car.  Followed in third by the No. 6 Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 DPi co-driven by Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Jubilant winning drivers Pipo Derani (L) and Johannes van Overbeek (R) along with their team after their win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca . Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The second place No. 54 CORE autosport ORECA LMP2 co-driven by Jonathan Bennett and Colin Braun.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The third place Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 DPi co-driven by Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya exiting Turn 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

In GT LeMans (GTLM) Conner De Phillippi and Alexander Sims co-drove to their second consecutive victory in the No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE.  De Phillippi was able to conserve his fuel over the final hour of the race taking over the lead when the sister BMW driven by John Edwards was forced to make a dash into the pits for a splash of fuel.  Laurens Vanthoor finished 2.488 seconds back in the No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR followed by the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R co-driven by Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen.

The GTLM winning No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE driven by Alexander Sims and Conner De Phillippi braking for Turn 6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

GTLM second place No. 912 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR co-driven by Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber in the corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

Third place for GTM went to the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R co-driven by Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen.Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

For the GT Daytona (GTD) class Alvaro Parente took the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX-GT3 from fourth to the lead in the final 10 minutes of the race.  He was followed by the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R co-driven by Patrick Lindsey and Jorg Bergmeister.

First place in the GT Daytona class went to the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX-GT3 driven by Katherine Legge and Alvaro Parente.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

Second place went to the No. 73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Patrick Lindsey and Jorg Bergmeister exiting the corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

GT Daytona No. 33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen seen here leading the No. 63 Ferrari 488 GT3 into the corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The final podium spot went to the No. 33 Mercedes-AMG Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen.




TAGS: Acura ARX-05 DPi, Acura NSX-GT3, Acura Team Penske, Brandon O'Brien, BMW, BMW M8 GTE, Chip Ganassi Racing, Continental Monterey Grand Prix, CORE autosport, Corvette C7.R, Corvette Racing, Ford GT, GTD, GTLM, IMSA, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Mercedes-AMG GT3, Mercedes-AMG Team Riley, Meyer Shank Racing, Motor Driven Images, Nissan DPi, ORECA LMP2, Park Place Motorsports, Porsche 911 GT3-R, Porsche 911 RSR, Prototype, Tequila Patron ESM

A Fifth Place Feels Almost Like A Win

Jesse Krohn with the BMW M8 GTE on the Pre-Grid for the BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach.  Image Credit: 2018 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images

"A Fifth Place Feels Almost Like A Win"
Words By: Brandon J. O'Brien
Image Credits: 2018 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images unless otherwise specified.

Due to another Balance of Power (BOP) adjustment imposed by IMSA after Sebring on the new BMW M8 GTE, BMW Team RLL went into the event at Long Beach knowing that for them to succeed it would all come down to strategy.

Even though the 1.968 mile Long Beach course with it's 11 Turns is a course where braking and handling make a difference, the long start/finish straight and the two shorter straights require a lot of power and speed to bring home a win.  With BMW being able to come up with only two out of the three necessary components this was not going to be a easy weekend for BMW Team RLL.

Team Principal, Bobby Rahal stated prior to the weekend, "We have had good fortune at Long Beach over the years.  We have won three times and had a number of podiums.  In fact, we have had at least one car of the two on the podium every year since 2009 except the past two years and we were a contender in those so overall we have a pretty good track record in Long Beach."

After qualifying on Saturday the No. 66 Ford GT driven by Joey Hand was on the GTLM pole with a time of 1:16.869 minutes. The best BMW could do was to secure the 7th and 8th GTLM class starting positions. The No. 25 driven by Conner DePhillippi posted a 1:18.153 minute best lap followed by the No. 24 driven by Jesse Krohn with a 1:18.224 minute time.  Rahal's mood was not as hopeful, "We are obviously disappointed with qualifying as everyone on our team is doing the best they possibly can, given what we've got to work with." Now it was down to strategy.

The No. 25 BMW M8 GTE entering Turn 6 being closely followed by a Prototype at Long Beach.  Image Credit: 2018 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images

Conner DePhillippi starting in the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE was the first car in the GTLM class to pit on lap 17 just as the fuel window opened.  Alexander Sims took over and re-entered the race on new tires and enough fuel to make it to the finish.  A prototype brought out a yellow minutes later which allowed Sims to save more fuel and cycle to the front of the class as the rest of the field made pit stops.

After leading nine laps he was "passed" by the No. 912 Porsche in the fountain complex.  He was still in good position for a podium finish when, on lap 37 he tagged the wall exiting the Turn-10 hairpin exerting enough damage to the left front of the car to crawl to the pits and retire.

The No. 24 BMW M8 GTE in the Fountains Complex at Long Beach.  Image Credit: 2018 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images

The No. 24 BMW M8 GTE which was started by Jesse Krohn maintained his 8th place position through the pit stop where he turned the car over to co-driver John Edwards.  Edwards was able to pick up places as other GTLM cars were forced to pit or retire due to damage. He was able to work his was up to 5th place and held on to that position for the remaining 20 minutes of the race.

Bobby Rahal stated after the race that, "A fifth place almost feels like a win.  Our strategy worked out well initially, pitting early and getting one of the cars into the lead after the yellow.  It was obvious that it would be very difficult for us to stay in the lead however."

The Podium for the BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach GTLM Class; (L-R) R. Briscoe, R. Westbrook, T, Milner, O. Gavin, D. Mueller, and Joey Hand.  Image Credit: 2018 Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images

For the GTLM class the final outcome was: 1st-place to the No. 4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R driven by Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner;  2nd-place to the No. 67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT driven by Ryan Briscoe and Richard Westbrook;  and 3rd-place to the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Ford GT driven by Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller.

Round 4 of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be held on May 6th at Mid-Ohio.



TAGS: Alexander Sims, BMW, BMW M8 GTE, Bobby Rahal, BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix, Conner DePhillippi, Corvette C7.R, Ford GT, GTLM, IMSA, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Jesse Krohn, John Edwards, Long Beach, Porsche, Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

BMW M8 GTE Races To First Podium Finish At Sebring

GTLM BMW Team RLL Drivers, Bill Auberlen, Alexander Sims, and Conner De Phillippi Celebrating Their 2nd Place Finish at Sebring.  Image Credit: 2018 BMW Group

BMW M8 GTE Races To First Podium Finish At Sebring
Article By: Brandon O'Brien | Images By: BMW Group

The weeks between the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12-Hour race at Sebring were busy for BMW Team RLL.  The team was successful in getting a positive Balance of Power (BoP) adjustment from IMSA which will allow the new BMW M8 GTE's to be more competitive. This was followed by the  successful testing of the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE at Sebring.  Unfortunately, the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE did not fair so well  and was extensively damaged in an accident while being driven by Alexander Sims (UK).  Instead of making hasty repairs to the car the team decided to build up a new chassis.

Bill Auberlen (USA) made his 25th start at the classic event this year.  Prior to the race he stated, "I am really looking forward to my 25th start at Sebring.  I am betting on the number 25.  BMW's first endurance racing victory in North America came at Sebring in 1975 with BMW 3.0 CSL number 25. This year is my 25th Sebring and I am driving number 25.  25 - all the way."

BMW Team RLL experienced successful GTLM qualifying sessions.  With a time of 1:55.839 minutes, Conner De Phillippi (USA) claimed pole position for the No. 25 car.  De Phillippi stated, "I could not be happier to score the pole in my first qualifying drive for BMW Team RLL.  The car was spot on and it all came together on the first flying lap.  We have a really good racing car."

Conner De Phillippi after placing the No. 25 BMW M8 GTE on the GTLM Pole for the iconic 12-hour race at Sebring.
Image Credit: 2018 BMW Group

In the No. 24 car, Jesse Krohn (FIN) recorded the third-fastest time, finishing just 0.146 seconds behind his team-mate. Jesse had this to say, "Great job by Conner to score the pole.  It ended up to be a one lap qualifying for me because of the hot track temperature.  I made a bit of a mistake on my first lap.  I thought I could make it up on my second lap, but was unable."

De Phillippi, Sims, and Auberlen did flawless jobs after starting from pole position.  The BMW M8 GTE mastered the tough 12 hours of racing without major technical issues.  Following a brake change the No. 25 BMW lost a lap to the leaders but managed to fight it's way back into the group of front-runners.  Sims was able to secure the first podium finish for the newly developed BMW M8 GTE as the final-stint driver.  In total, it was the 69th podium for BMW Team RLL and the 26th runner-up finish since 2009.

The No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE on its way to a podium finish at the classic 12-hours of Sebring.  Image Credit:  2018 BMW Group

The No. 24 BMW M8 GTE, driven by Jesse Krohn (FIN) John Edwards (USA) and Nick Catsburg (NED), had to retire in the final hours of the race.  Four hours and seventeen minutes into the race Edwards was involved in a collision with the No. 66 Ford GT.  The car was extensively damaged and lost nine laps while in the pits for repairs.  Although their day did not end on a high note the No. 24 BMW M8 GTE showed it's potential by leading the GTLM class for a period of time and also scoring the fastest GTLM lap - a 1:57.622 set by Krohn.

These were not the only BMW's to be out on the track at Sebring this weekend.  In the GTD class the Turner Motorsports team No. 96 BMW M6 GT3 driven by, Don Young (USA), Dillon Machavern (USA), and Markus Palttala (FIN) progressed through the GTD class from their starting position of 16th to 11th.

In the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race on Friday, Classic BMW's Toby Grahovec (USA) and Jayson Clunie (USA) finished 2nd with their No. 26 BMW M4 GT4.

Jen Marquardt, BMW's Motorsport Director, had this to say about the weekend, "We have seen another exciting and extremely tough 12-hour race here at Sebring - and we can take many positives back home.  Congratulations to BMW Team RLL and our BMW Motorsport crew on the maiden podium finish for our new BMW M8 GTE.  The 12 hours here is more demanding than many 24-hour races on other circuits.  That makes this result even more special.  Far more important than the result are two other findings: On the one hand, the BMW M8 GTE was able to show its potential, which is underlined by the fact we recorded pole position and the fastest race lap.  On the other hand, the GTLM field was far better balanced than it was at Daytona.  The fans saw a thrilling race with close battles and excitement to the very last lap.  This is what we all want.  We are now looking forward to the upcoming races.  At Long Beach we will go flat out again."




TAGS: Alexander Sims, Bill Auberlen, BMW, BMW Motorsport, BMW M4 GT4, BMW M6 GT3, BMW M8 GTE,  BMW Team RLL, Classic BMW, Conner De Phillippi, Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Jen Marquardt, Jesse Krohn, John Edwards, IMSA, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Nick Catsburg, Sebring