Weekend Recap: Pfaff Wins Again at Lime Rock & More
Catch up on IMSA-sanctioned racing from Lime Rock Park, Toronto...
Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell have extended their GTD Pro points lead with a controlling overall win in Saturday’s FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park.
Jaminet took the No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R to a 1.883-second win over the No. 23 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Alex Riberas in the two-hour and 40-minute contest that saw a late-race yellow.
Having started on pole, Campbell dropped to third following the first round of pit stops although clawed his way back into the lead on Lap 100, getting around the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 of the returning Jack Hawksworth.
The Frenchman then got in the plaid Porsche with 1 hour and 5 minutes to go and stayed out front to the checkered flag.
It marked the duo’s fourth win of the season and second consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory.
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Sellers Revels in “One-of-a-Kind” Last-Gasp GTD Win
Bryan Sellers described Saturday’s FCP Euro Northeast Grand Prix as a “one-of-a-kind” race for Paul Miller Racing, which came away with a last-gasp GTD class win.
Sellers and co-driver Madison Snow picked up their second victory of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season following a frantic GT-only contest at Lime Rock Park that ultimately saw the class leader run out of fuel on the final corner.
While Snow put the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 into the class lead early on, a three-stop strategy shuffled the car down the running order until the race’s only-and-only full-course caution provided renewed hope for the team.
Sellers restarted in fourth and first benefitted from side-to-side contact between the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Philip Ellis and Aaron Telitz’s No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, followed by a pass on Maxime Martin for what was second at the time.
That turned into the lead on the final corner of the final lap when Ellis sputtered with no fuel left in his tank.
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Liddell, DePew Claim Breakthrough Win at Lime Rock
Robin Liddell took the wheel of Rebel Rock’s No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R from Frank DePew and stamped his authority on the second half of the Lime Rock Park 120, claiming the GS class victory in Saturday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge round
Liddell moved from 10th to fourth place before making a green-flag pit stop with 57 minutes remaining in the two-hour contest. Just three minutes later, a full-course caution waved when Eric Foss tapped Matt Plumb into a traffic-induced crash.
After the leaders completed pit stops under yellow, Liddell found himself in third place, trailing Kyle Marcelli in the No. 877 JG Wentworth Racing by PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 and Mike Skeen in the No. 55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosport Mercedes when racing resumed with a little more than half an hour remaining.
Liddell made quick work of Skeen, then set about cutting into a 5.4-second deficit to leader Marcelli.
Once clear of lapped traffic, Liddell closed quickly on Marcelli and the Camaro passed the Mustang exiting Big Bend with 12 minutes to go. Marcelli held tough through the subsequent Left Hander and Right Hander and regained the lead through the Uphill Bend.
Liddell repeated his pass at Big Bend the following lap, and this time, Marcelli was unable to respond. Marcelli and Billy Johnson waged an exciting scrap over the final ten minutes, but both were ultimately passed by Trent Hindman in the No. 7 Volt Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 he shared with Alan Brynjolfsson.
Liddell crossed the line 2.951 seconds ahead of Hindman to earn his 14th career victory in Pilot Challenge competition.
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Estep Sweeps Porsche Carrera Cup NA Weekend in Toronto
Trenton Estep swept the Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by The Cayman Islands round on the streets of Toronto by winning Sunday’s shortened race from pole.
The MDK Motorsports driver added to his Saturday success with a commanding drive from the front of the grid, clearing away from a hard-fought battle for the remaining podium positions between Parker Thompson, Riley Dickinson and Kay van Berlo.
Sunday’s Carrera Cup contest was due to last 40 minutes but instead ran to a significantly reduced 24-minute clock due to an extended cleanup from the preceding Sports Car Championship Canada round.
Estep controlled the delayed race start, whereas fellow front-row starter Kay van Berlo lost two places to Thompson and Dickinson on the opening lap.
The field was kept tight by an early safety car intervention after Travis Wiley, who finished fourth in Race 1, came to a halt against the tire barriers at Turn 3.
Racing resumed with 16 and a half minutes remaining and Estep once again did well to maintain his lead.
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