| June 30, 2019 Staff Report IMSA Wire Service WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team and drivers Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande moved into sole possession of first place in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Daytona Prototype international (DPi) standings after three hours in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The duo came into the race tied for the lead with the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi team and its driving trio of Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani and Eric Curran. However, Taylor and the No. 10 team moved ahead by virtue of running second in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at the three-hour mark behind race leader Jonathan Bomarito in the No. 55 Mazda Team Joest RT24-P DPi. The No. 31 team, meanwhile, was running three laps down to the leaders in ninth position at the three-hour mark after an uncharacteristic incident within the first 20 minutes of the race that also included the Action Express Racing team car, the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi. The No. 10 team now leads the No. 31 team in the Michelin Endurance Cup standings by two points, 32-30. The next points-scoring opportunity comes at the checkered flag in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. There also will be three intervals to score points in the season-ending 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans on Oct. 12 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. In the LMP2 class, the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports ORECA team and co-drivers Cameron Cassels and Kyle Masson extended their Michelin Endurance Cup lead to nine points, 33-24, over the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports team and the team’s full-season driver Matt McMurry. Cassels held the class lead after three hours in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. In GT Le Mans (GTLM), it was the No. 911 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR and the driving duo of Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet extending their Michelin Endurance Cup lead as the class race leaders at the three-hour mark. With 26 points, the No. 911 team now stands three points ahead, 26-23, of the No. 912 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR and co-drivers Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber. Vanthoor was running second in the GTLM race standings to Tandy at three hours. In the GT Daytona (GTD) class, the No. 33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 and co-driver Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Felipe Fraga continued lead the Michelin Endurance Cup standings, but their lead is shrinking in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. The No. 33 was involved in an opening-lap incident, forcing the team to retire from the race. Nevertheless, it earned the minimum two points at the three-hour mark to run the team’s season Michelin Endurance Cup points total to 27. Toni Vilander led GTD after three hours in the No. 63 WeatherTech Ferrari 488 GT3 that he shares with Cooper MacNeil and Jeff Westphal to earn the maximum five Michelin Endurance Cup points. That moved the No. 63 team into sole possession of second place with 23 points. Live streaming coverage of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen continues on the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com, as well as IMSA Radio on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and SiriusXM Radio (Sirius Channel 218/XM Channel 202/Streaming 972). The race will be shown at 7 p.m. EDT on NBCSN. NOTES:– Both Mazda Team Joest RT24-P DPi cars dominated most of the first three hours of the race. The No. 55 shared by Jonathan Bomarito, Harry Tincknell and Olivier Pla led, with the No. 77 co-driven by polesitter Oliver Jarvis, Tristan Nunez and Timo Bernhard was running third on a slightly different pit strategy. The team is looking for its first WeatherTech Championship victory. – The top five cars in the DPi class were on the lead lap after three hours in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. In LMP2, Cassels was one lap ahead of McMurry. – The race got off to a disappointing start for the No. 4 Corvette Racing squad and the No. 33 Mercedes-AMG Team Riley Motorsports team. Just after the green flag flew to start the race, Tommy Milner spun and crashed in the Esses after contact with Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 912 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR. Milner was then collected by Ben Keating in the No. 33 Mercedes. Both cars were forced to retire due to damage. “It’s disappointing and unnecessary,” said Milner. “It was the first lap of the race and going side-by-side which should have been and is possible. Hindsight is 20-20. Knowing the Porsche didn’t check up enough to allow us to go two-wide… he said he gave some consideration, but it wasn’t enough. I’d love to say we could rewind it. I’d give up the position and we’re still racing. And if he had given me a little more room than we’re also still racing, too. It’s these split-second decisions we have to make.” – After podium finishes each of the past two years, including a Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen overall victory last year, a repeat for the JDC-Miller Motorsports and co-drivers Stephen Simpson and Chris Miller doesn’t appear to be in the cards. Simpson spun and hit the tire barrier in the No. 84 Cadillac DPi at Turn 5 after contact with John Potter in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 in the second hour. The No. 84 was nine laps down to the leaders after three hours. – In the GTLM class, all seven running cars were running within 9.5 seconds of the class lead at the three-hour mark. – The top seven cars in the GTD class were still on the lead lap at the three-hour mark. |
