6 HOURS OF CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS

After yesterday’s Qualifying, Car 44 started from P2 of the LM P2 class for the 6 hours of Circuit of the Americas with Roberto driving first. Roberto made a good start and was P1 when he came round after his first lap but after 20 minutes he was back to P2.

After 45 minutes Roberto pitted for a full pit stop and a driver change to Matt, when Matt returned to the track he was P5 but after a good stint he got back up to P2, at this point we pitted for more fuel and Matt continued his stint completing a double stint, during which he had some great battles.

At around the 2 hour mark the car pitted for a full pit stop including driver change to Roberto who then ended his double stint in P2 again. At this point the team decided to do a full pit stop including a driver change to Richard. Unfortunately shortly after a Ford GT made contact with car 44 so had to return to the pits for a front end change, when the car returned to the circuit it was P4.

With 40 minutes to go the team made a final pit stop that included a driver change to Matt. Unfortunately shortly after this the team had to retire the car with suspension damage which was sustained during the race.

Graeme Lowdon, President and Sporting Director

“We can take a lot of positives away from Austin. I am pleased that the brake problems that have robbed us of so many good finishes have been solved. That has allowed us to focus on performance again and the team have showed that we can run consistently in the podium positions. It is a shame we had contact from another car during the race because I think we had a good finishing position on the cards which would have been a reward for all the hard work that the team have put in.”

Roberto Merhi, Driver

“The start was really good, I was into first just after the first corner. But during the traffic I lost the lead and was into P2. When I came in for my first stop we were in a good position close to the lead. When I came back into the car I had strong pace and felt comfortable in the car. I am disappointed with the result as I think we showed the pace for a podium today.”

Richard Bradley, Driver

“Overall a good weekend even with the DNF today. We have once again showed that we have really good pace and were looking very strong all weekend. I am now looking forward to Fuji in a few weeks time.”

Matt Rao, Driver

“I am very happy with my own performance, I really enjoyed battling from P5 up to P2 in very hot and humid conditions. It’s a shame that the cards didn’t fall into place and hopefully we can get past this run of bad luck and show our true potential in Fuji.”

Ends