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Written by:
Marshall Pruett
04/23/2008 - 09:09 PM
Oakland, CA
Dirk's dynamic drive at Long Beach to hold off the advancing Flying Lizard threat while on double-stinted Michelin tires has earned him the SPEEDtv.com 'Drive of the Race' award, as chosen by SPEEDtv.com, ALMS Radio/Radio Le Mans, and Racecar Engineering » More Photos
To pull off the win, two things were needed for Tafel Racing: a daring call by the team to stop for fuel only when all of other teams opted for the more time consuming fuel and new tires option, and for driver Dirk Müller to drive as if his career was on the line.
After scoring his second successive American Le Mans GT2 victory Saturday at the Tequila Patron Long Beach Grand Prix, Dirk Müller cemented the newfound strength of the Tafel Racing team. But what about the risky ‘fuel only’ pitstop that vaulted their #71 Ferrari F430 GTC from 4th to 1st place? Turns out it was anything but a roll of the dice.
“That strategy to go without a tire change was made about two weeks ago, almost straight after St. Petersburg. One of the things you do is play to your strengths and other people’s weaknesses. When we didn’t qualify on pole it is because it was part of a plan. I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. We had to run those tires to get the situation right in the race,” offered Tafel Technical Director, Tony Dowe.
The choice to run the entire race on the same set of tires would prove to be a tactical masterstroke, but both Dowe and Muller knew that as the 1hr 50min drew to a close, their worn Michelin tires would be at a disadvantage to the fresher Michelin rubber on the pursuing Flying Lizard Porsches of Wolf Henzler and Patrick Pilet. For Dirk, maintaining his lead while clawing for grip in the Long beach street circuit would require all of the skills he’d learned over the past decade of GT racing.
“I had to open the whole experience book I have gotten in touring cars the last couple of years. I knew the places where to overtake and I tried to cover myself so not to leave any room. I want to really thank Wolf for racing me so clean. It is a way of racing I appreciate. Our strategy really paid off, it was brilliant. Tafel/Bell Micro Racing did a fantastic pit stop and put me in the lead and I just brought it home. I was a little disappointed yesterday because I thought we could be a little quicker in qualifying but it really paid off. The Michelin tire really did a great job,” Müller said.
Müller's committed and attacking approach to his craft have delivered two wins from three races for the 2000 ALMS GT2 champ. Team mate Dominik Farnbacher has been equally as impressive in 2008. » More Photos
In the ALMS Radio booth, we were completely astounded when we saw the note that Müller would be racing to the finish on the same tires his team mate Dominik Farnbacher had started the race with. Up to that point, the Flying Lizard Porsches appeared to have the measure of the Tafel Ferrari, but as we’d learn after the race Farnbacher was simply keeping pace and biding his time until their no-tires pit stop would leapfrog them ahead of their rivals.
With Müller’s mirrors filled with the red and silver Flying Lizard Porsches, an epic thirty minute battle to the finish was on. With Dirk stretching the limits of late braking into turn one and turn nine, strategically placing his F430 to discourage passing attempts, and the good faith that fellow German Wolf Henzler would wage a fair war in the dying moments of the race, Müller circled the 1.9 mile track with the 911 GT3 RSR’s just inches off his rear bumper.
Although
For the third race in a row, we have a unanimous ‘Drive of the Race’ winner, according to Sam Collins of Racecar Engineering Magazine, John Hindhaugh of Radio Le Mans/ALMS Radio, and yours truly.
A veteran pit strategy call by Technical Director Tony Dowe and Dirk's unflinching will to win blended perfectly at Long Beach. » More Photos
Well done, Dirk, and thanks for the great award acceptance speech!
“I am really delighted to receive the SPEEDtv.com ALMS Long Beach ‘Drive of the Race’ Award. I have seen the two examples of Marino [Franchitti] and Marco [Werner] who have received it before me and, to be honest, I cannot even be close to showing how I feel. It is really, really high on my personal ranking of honors to be nominated out of so many drivers. But, to be honest, this prize should honor the whole team. To get this chance you have to have the surroundings which, obviously, Tafel Racing, Ferrari, Michelin, Bell Micro, Dominik and everyone on the whole team have given me. The last few laps were probably the hardest GT2 laps I have ever done. It was absolutely pure touring car, short-distance high-level racing. I really appreciated having Wolf [Henzler, Flying Lizard, No. 45] and [Patrick] Pilet [Flying Lizard, No. 46] behind me. They raced me hard but absolutely fair the whole time. That was really, really nice. I really liked this kind of racing.
“I had to open my whole experience in touring car to keep them behind me. I knew exactly where I was quicker and where they were quicker and I knew the best overtaking spots and where I had to position myself. I saw the checkered flag at the end but, unluckily, I had to do another lap but I was able to hold them off. It was definitely one of the hardest defenses of position that I have had to do in GT2. It was mentally exhausting and it took me time after the checker to appreciate what we had done. I was able to get to the podium because of the very good car, the very good pit stop, the strategy, the Michelin tires and for sure to have Dom in the car and bringing me the Tafel/Bell Micro Racing Ferrari in that position. I am missing the words in English to express how special this is to me. I am really, really delighted.
“Thank you to SPEEDtv.com, the ALMS Radio Web and Racecar Engineering Magazine for this honor.”
Click Here to read about the tale and acceptance speech of St. Pete 'Drive of the Race' winner Marco Werner. Click Here to read Marino Franchitti's from Sebring.
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