Category: IMSA

• John Allen, Kris Wilson and Gary Ferrera Co-Drive No. 60 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 to 17th Place in Competitive Grand Sports (GS) Field in IMSA and Watkins Glen International Debut
• Capstone Supports University of Alabama College of Engineering Sports Car Racing Internship Program in 2021 and Beyond

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 29, 2021) — Capstone Motorsports, a new-for-2021 sports car racing and motorsports company headquartered in Parker, Colorado, checked a major box on the team’s list of first year goals with a solid finish in its first visit to Watkins Glen and IMSA debut in Saturday’s four-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.

Surviving a caution-plagued race that many of their more experienced competitors didn’t, John Allen, Kris Wilson and Gary Ferrera co-drove the No. 60 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 to a 17th place Grand Sport (GS) class finish.

“We looked at 2019, which was the last four-hour here, and saw all the mayhem that happened in that race,” Wilson said. “We decided we would try to get as much experience as we possibly could and do as many laps as we could. We also wanted to try to finish on the lead lap, but we knew our strategy was probably going to keep us down a lap or two, which was OK. We got all the pit stops well done within reason and got both John and Gary lots of laps in a four-hour race.”

Capstone principal and driver John Allen enjoyed his new team’s first foray into the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

“I was very pleased with the first IMSA outing for Capstone Motorsports,” Allen said. “Most of our crew had never worked with one another but came together as if they had been a team for years. They executed flawlessly during pit stops while other seasoned veteran teams struggled on pit lane. Most importantly, we all had fun, everybody is safe, the car is unscathed and we learned a ton. We can’t wait for our next IMSA event.”

Starting driver Ferrera and Allen traded off driving shifts in the first half of the race.

“Gary had never gotten into a race in the middle of the race,” Wilson said. “Even though he started the race, everyone was like ‘why is he getting back in?’ It’s because he’s never done that before. That was the whole idea and point of this weekend. We wanted to learn as much as we could and get everybody experience doing different jobs.”

Ferrera partnered with Allen and Wilson for the first time in a Capstone driver lineup at The Glen, which joins the season-opening four-hour at Daytona International Speedway as the two longest races on the Pilot Challenge event schedule each year.

“It was my first race of 2021, it was good to get back in,” Ferrera said. “I hope to do a couple of more races with these guys this year, but it is really about preparing for next year. The team was great this weekend. No screw ups, I was super impressed and the interns were fantastic.”

The Glen four-hour brought Capstone’s growing University of Alabama College of Engineering Sports Car Racing Internship Program to the IMSA paddock for the first time. Capstone continues an evolution for Allen and the UA Engineering internship program which has been an at-track technical curriculum the last couple of years. Allen is a 1979 UA College of Engineering graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and was named in 2018 a UA Distinguished Engineering Fellow in acknowledgement of his vast professional, military and philanthropic achievements.

“The University of Alabama College of Engineering interns got thrown into key roles at The Glen and they stepped up and performed very well,” Allen said. “The interns are very much a part of what happens on track, and their efforts are extremely important to the outcome of every race. All in all, I think it was a great weekend and a great start for Capstone in this endurance format.”

About Capstone Motorsports: A professional sports car racing team headquartered in Parker, Colorado, Capstone Motorsports competes with the support of the University of Alabama College of Engineering, Class VI Partners, K3 Energizing Beverages, Long Game Financial, NuCalm, Orion Consult Group, Pocono Outdoor Adventure Tours and Dr. Sanjay Jatana.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., June 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi RT24-P trio of Harry Tincknell, Oliver Jarvis and Jonathan Bomarito turned back a stout DPi field to win the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday. The six-hour endurance race was the fifth round of the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Sahlen’s Six Hours is also the third of four WeatherTech Championship races that count toward the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.

The six-hour endurance race win came during a Mazda 30th Anniversary celebration for its historic win at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, becoming the first and only rotary engine manufacturer and first Japanese manufacturer to take overall victory at Le Mans. “Thirty years ago from this week for the Le Mans win,” said a beaming Harry Tincknell after the race. “That (win) is an incredible way to celebrate an anniversary.”

After qualifying P6, and starting P7 due to a pre-race engine change, the Idemitsu No. 55 Mazda battled at the front of the field for the full six hours, with Tincknell taking the lead for the last time with just over 45 minutes remaining in the race. A pit strategy decision to only take fuel when everyone else took fuel and tires, gave Tincknell the lead he would not give up.

During the final 10 minutes of the race, a win would come down to Tincknell, the performance of the Mazda, and whether the car would have enough fuel to finish. Tincknell left it all on the track, literally, as he won the race and then ran out of fuel during the cool-down lap.

“Fantastic! Here we are again, two years on, back-to-back wins,” said Tincknell. “Unbelievable job by everyone at Mazda Motorsports and Multimatic . . . a proper team effort. We improved every single session. At the end of the race there I was getting some numbers there to save fuel. But the calculations were spot on. It was amazing that we came back for the win.”

About Idemitsu and Contact info:

Idemitsu Lubricants America is the Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) official factory-fill lubricants partner and the bulk oil program supplier for the Genuine Mazda Premium Oil Program, as well as a primary Mazda Motorsports USA sponsor.

About Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. Founded in 1911, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (IKC) is a Japanese petroleum company and the second-largest refiner and lubricants supplier in Japan. In order to evolve into a resilient business entity, Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. will continue to, both domestically and abroad, operate and expand in the following five business segments: Petroleum Products, Basic Chemicals, Functional Materials, Electricity & Renewable Energy, and Resources. The company’s Functional Materials segment covers the production and sale of fuel oil and lubricants.

About Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation (ILAC) is a premier lubricants manufacturer and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., committed to providing quality, innovation, and service to customers across North America. ILAC offers unmatched production quality, ensuring peak operating performance from a full range of lubricants for the automotive and industrial sectors. Idemitsu Lubricants America Corporation provides environmentally-friendly, cost-effective lubricant solutions that help maximize performance efficiencies and minimize cost.

About Mazda North American Operations Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees Mazda vehicles’ sales, marketing, parts, and customer service support in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers. Mazda Motor de Mexico manages operations in Mexico in Mexico City.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Hard-Fought IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Pro-Class Victory Sets Stage for Premiere of Steven Racing Feature Film “The Pursuit of Speed” Saturday, July 10 in Century City

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 26, 2021) – Steven Aghakhani and Jacob Eidson charged to their first race win of the 2021 IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season Saturday at Watkins Glen International in the No. 6 SADA Systems US RaceTronics (USRT) Lamborghini Huracán Evo.

The hard-earned overall and Pro-class victory came after another pair of competitive drives by starter Eidson and race-closer Aghakhani that bookended a typically spot-on pit stop by the USRT team. The great pit work ultimately put Aghakhani back in the race in first place, and he skillfully defended the lead to the end of the 50-minute sprint for a 0.462 of a second margin of victory.

“The overall win here was amazing,” Aghakhani said. “Jacob had an amazing first stint and kept the car where we wanted it. I hopped in, did exactly what I had to do, and just went out there and held everybody off. We are putting in extra time and extra practice and the results show. We had a very unlucky first race Friday, and we weren’t in the brightest mood today, but we had to pick ourselves up. We have a whole war to win, and this is what our actual pace should be.”

Eidson took the green flag at the start of the race from third on the grid and never ran out of the overall top-three in his race-opening stint.

“The start got a little bit hairy but we all got through there clean,” Eidson said. “I just put my head down and handed the keys to Steven. Thankfully, through some poor decisions by other drivers, we were able to get the lead and finish off with the win. That’s exactly how we wanted to complete the weekend.”

Aghakhani took over from Eidson shortly after the race’s halfway point and dealt with bold challenges from the competition while even in pit lane.

“I got in the car and Richard Antinucci, our main competitor this year, decided to slow down and manipulate the pit speed in the fast lane,” Aghakhani said. “I knew that’s not allowed, so I just kept pushing him forward and forward to stay on our timing. We were the only ones playing by the books, he got a penalty and we got the lead.”

Saturday’s victory made up for a disappointing DNF (Did Not Finish) after a left rear tire blow out in Friday’s first 50 minute Lamborghini race at Watkins Glen.

The breakout win also sets the stage for the private red-carpet premiere of the documentary movie “The Pursuit of Speed” in two weeks in Aghakhani’s hometown of Los Angeles. The full-length feature film is an inside look at Aghakhani’s 2020 IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo season that also delves into the intricacies of the dual team director/driver and father-and-son relationships between Steven and his father, Armik Aghakhani.

The film by Jeffrey John Hart is set for its premiere on Saturday, July 10 at the AMC Century City 15 on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Next up on track for Aghakhani and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America is Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2021 championship in another weekend doubleheader schedule of 50-minute races at Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 6 – 8.

Aghakhani’s Lamborghini racing programs run with the support of several key sponsor partners in 2021. SADA Systems, Inc. is a privately held global leader in providing business and technology consulting services that transform organizations through cloud-based solutions at www.sada.com. Insignia Mortgage focuses on providing flexible portfolio lending options for clients with non-traditional lending needs. Learn more at www.insigniamortgage.com. Magic Laundry Services (MLS) is one of the largest independently owned hospitality linens and dry-cleaning operations in the country, catering primarily to the hospitality industry. Learn more at www.magiclaundryservices.com. TKX Associates specializes in consulting and staff augmentation at www.tkxassociates.com, Shegerian & Associates is a Los Angeles based firm at www.shegerianlaw.com. The Tax & Business Consulting Group is a Los Angeles-based public accounting firm at www.alllp.com. Equeduct provides capital funding solutions for small businesses at www.equeduct.com. O’Gara Coach, at www.ogaracoach, is a luxury and high-performance auto dealer in Beverly Hills, Westlake Village and San Diego. Additional valued partners include Forgiato Wheels at www.forgiato.com, Speed Society at https://speedsociety.com and the Pro Automotive Repair Center in Glendale, California.

Eversley Takes Over Point Championship With Win, While Brian Hendrson and Robert Noaker Also Earned a Top Five Finish in the Sister Car

WATKINS GLEN, New York (June 26, 2021) – Ryan Eversley and Todd Lamb earned Atlanta Speedwerks’ first IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge win on Saturday at Watkins Glen International, which was Lamb’s first career victory in the series and Eversley’s first since 2018. While the No. 94 Dinner With Racers/Lemons of Love Honda Civic TCR crossed the stripe first, the team’s No. 84 Sabelt/Pagid Honda Civic TCR driven by Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson scored a fourth-place finish.

Lamb and Eversley averaged 87.642 mph in the 104 lap, 353.599-mile race that was slowed five times for full-course cautions. Eversley crossed the line 6.435 seconds ahead for the win.

Lamb started the race in second place beside the pole-sitting Noaker and ran solidly in the top five during his stint, including the fastest TCR-class lap of the race in 1:57.489 (104.179 mph), with one notable exception. Early in the race, Lamb felt the Honda Civic lose power. A full course caution came out one lap later, and the team was able to quickly diagnose and reattach the boost pipe without losing much ground.

The narrow lap time gap between the traditionally quicker GS class cars and the longer fuel stint of the TCR cars at Watkins Glen meant that Lamb led one lap overall before his pit stop – as did Noaker, who pitted one lap earlier.

“It’s so awesome,” Lamb said. “Ryan’s a great teammate, we’ve got an amazing team and we just keep getting better and better as the season’s gone on. To win as not only a driver but as a team owner is a very special thing to me. We’ve been plugging away at this for three years now, and to get our first win after being so close so many times is really, really special. I’m thankful to the crew and to Honda and everyone involved.”

In addition to Lamb’s lap led during this stint, Eversley led a total of 21 laps – including the final 12 after the final pit stop and full course caution. Eversley restarted third, passing Henderson in second place and another competitor to take the lead and never look back, earning his eighth-career IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge win, taking over the Drivers’ Championship and the Team Championship point lead after four races, and earning Manufacturers’ Championship points for Honda.

“We’ve had a great season so far, and the Honda Civic TCR has been competitive at most places,” Eversley said. “I’ve had a few different teammates, and Todd and I have been friends for a long time. I was pretty excited to be able to win. The Michelin Pilot series has some big, talented names, so it’s been a lot of fun racing this class. To be able to do it with Honda every year is a true honor.”

Noaker led 42 laps in his nearly two-hour, 30-minute stint before handing the car to Henderson to finish the race. He lost the lead not on the track but during the pit sequence, and later regained it through a fantastic stop by the Atlanta Speedwerks crew. The 17-year-old held the lead, including his lap as the overall leader, until his green flag pit stop to pass the car to Henderson.

Henderson led two laps of his own and was second on the lap 92 restart, giving chase to the leader. Henderson fell as low as sixth in the difficult final stint and climbed all the way back to fourth, passing for two positions in the closing laps.

The 44 laps led for the No. 94 Honda Civic were the most of the race, earning them their second VP Fuels Front Runner point of the season and taking the season-long lead in that category.

“There are a lot of really good things to take away from the race today,” Henderson said. “We had a good bit of speed and were really competitive. We were in the top three most of the race. There are a few more things we can still improve on for the race next week but overall I’m really glad we ended up in fourth place. We probably could have taken a few more risks and maybe we’d have gotten second, and maybe we wouldn’t have finished the race. I’m really happy with a solid fourth-place finish, and at the same time a little disappointed to not be up there with Ryan and Todd. But there’s a good shot we’ll be up there next week and that’s what I’m looking forward to now.”

Atlanta Speedwerks and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge have a short turnaround to defend or improve on their position, running a two-hour race again at Watkins Glen in just six days, on Friday, July 1. Eversley will be joined by Scott Smithson, who co-drove to a podium finish with Eversley at Mid-Ohio, in the No. 94 Honda Civic TCR, while Noaker and Henderson will return to action in the No. 84 Honda Civic TCR.

About Atlanta Speedwerks
Atlanta Speedwerks is a professional road racing team and prep shop, providing road racing services, car builds, roll cages, arrive and drive programs, and performance parts. Headquartered near Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the company runs winning arrive & drive programs in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Mazda MX-5 Cup, Porsche Club of America and SCCA Spec Miata, among others. Professional coaching and driver development round out the company’s offerings.