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Grand-Am Communications
http://www.grand-am.com
06/22/2008 - 01:13 AM
Lexington, Ohio
The rain suited Jon Fogarty just fine, as he and co-driver Alex Gurney surged to victory. (LAT photo) » More Photos
While it rained – and sometimes poured – during Saturday’s EMCO Gears Classic for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, defending series champions and race winners Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty found a ray of sunshine at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in their first victory of the 2008 season.
Gurney passed Matt Plumb with nine laps remaining of the 76-lap, two-hour and 45-minute race and went on to win his and Fogarty’s first race of the season. Gurney, in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley, crossed the finish line 1.347 seconds ahead of Plumb. The defending Daytona Prototype champions had not visited the podium since finishing second in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
It was a fitting end to the pair’s day, as Fogarty led the opening nine laps before spinning and falling to the rear during the first round of pit stops. Last year, the pair led all but six of the 111 laps.
Rain started shortly after the green flag flew and let up midway through the race, but the track stayed wet and spins into the gravel traps were frequent. Overall, eight cautions for 37 laps – including several for many of the top competitors in the standings – slowed the race’s average speed to 62.317 mph.
A sudden cloud burst early in the race resulted in a multi-car spin involving several contenders in both classes. The incident began when Tom Kimber-Smith spun the No. 16 Cheever Racing Crown Royal Pontiac Coyote after contact. John Pew spun the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley to avoid Kimber-Smith, but Brad Jaeger slid the No. 77 Doran Racing Ford Dallara into Pew.
Series point leaders Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas struggled throughout the day and were among the spin victims. Though Rojas led 22 laps, he spun while leading under the third caution period. Pruett made his way back to third before pitting for the final time, and dropped out of the top 10. He moved back to eighth – the team’s first finish off the podium this season – although the pair still hold a 37-point advantage in the standings ahead of Gurney and Fogarty. The pair jumped ahead by two points over Marc Goossens and Jim Matthews in the No. 91 Bob Stallings/Riley-Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley.
Darren Law (58) made a pass for second place with just under two laps remaining, but he couldn’t make up enough ground on Gurney before the final caution. (LAT photo) » More Photos
Plumb led a race-high 31 laps before Gurney’s winning pass, and Darren Law made a pass for second-place with just under two laps remaining. Though one of the fastest cars on the track, he couldn’t make up enough ground on Gurney before the final caution – which came when Jeff Segal, Bryan Sellers and Steve Johnson hit the wall on the main straightaway. The caution came with less than five minutes remaining, and workers could not clear the track in time for a restart.
Law and polesitter David Donohue finished second in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley, while Plumb and Sigal advanced 15 positions to third in the No. 7 Rum Bum Racing BMW Riley. Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins were fourth in the No. 61 AIM Autosport Exchange Traded Gold Ford Riley, while Joao Barbosa moved to fifth on a late-race run in the No. 59 he shared with JC France.
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