It turned out to be a perfect day for a race at Road America on Saturday, August 20, 2011.
The forecast showed a good chance of rain throughout much of the day and the skies looked a little angry. The practice session was a little wet, but the rest of the day was beautiful.
The Muscle Milk Aston Martin took pole in the P1 class, and Joey Hand took pole in the BMW for the GT class.
The closing laps were exciting as I watched from turn 3. The Dyson Mazda caught the Aston Martin but was not able to pass. After 4 hours of racing the gap between first and second place was only 0.112 seconds – a record in ALMS racing.
The #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 took first in GT, with BMW taking second and third in class. Joey Hand and Dirk Muller maintain a firm lead in the points standings, making BMW fans very happy.
The complete official race results are HERE.
Since the race is long over I don’t have to worry about being a spoiler.
Congratulations to Rahal Letterman Lanigan for taking the top two podium spots in GT at Sebring. On more than one occasion it looked like BMW were doomed to an unfortunate finish, but the result could not have been better. BMW took first and second in class this year, after having taken second and third in the the same race last year. This time around it was the Priaulx/Mueller/Hand team taking the top spot, with Farfus/Auberlen/Werner in second.
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I’m reflecting on one of the remarkable moments in ALMS racing this last year. Scott Sharp crashed the Patron Highcroft Acura race car in a horrific shunt while preparing for the Petit LeMans at Road Atlanta. The car needed a new tub and had to be completely rebuilt in record time in order to make the race. Two videos for your entertainment: The crash, and the time-lapsed rebuild.
