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GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM: Kleinubing Takes Continental ST Race, Title In Lime Rock
Not only did the the Continental Tire Series title come down to the final round at Lime Rock Park, it came down to all of .422-seconds on the final lap.
Once the leader of Acura's World Challenge driving corps, Brazil's Pierre Kleinubing secured the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental ST title for the i-Moto Mazda3 outfit. (Photo: GRAND-AM/Brian Cleary)
Not only did the the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship come down to the final round at Lime Rock Park, it came down to all of .422-seconds on the final lap.
i-Moto driver Pierre Kleinubing further burnished his championship credentials on Friday, winning the GRAND-AM ST Class Championship after fending off a ferocious charge from Andy Lally in the closing moments of the Lime Rock Park 150 to score his second win of the season and with it, the ST Class Championship. Lally finished second with co-driver Mat Pombo, with Billy Johnson and Compass360 Racing co-driver Trevor Hopwood taking third.
The one-day event schedule made for a frantic day as rain disturbed each of the three practice sessions that preceded the race as GRAND-AM set the grid by points.
Derek Whitis, who led the championship with co-driver Tom Long heading into the race weekend, led the way for the opening 10 laps before the BMW of Jess Combs moved to the fore. Contact as he lapped a Porsche ended the strong run out front, with Whitis none to happy to resume the lead.
A round of pit stops on lap 48 saw Johnson, who shared the No. 77 Honda Civic Si with former Series Champion Hopwood for Compass350 Racing, take the point for the next 39 laps.
After his co-driver Jayson Clunie opened the race with an encouraging first stint, Kleinubing scored the point on lap 87.
A final yellow flag on lap 93 set up a championship shootout as Kleinubing, Lally, and Long all had a shot at the championship crown, with Johnson playing the role of spoiler without any skin in the championship game.
Long suffered from an electronics issue that ultimately cost him the pace to fight for the points he needed to lock up the championship.
“It's just frustrating when you see it all start to evaporate and there's nothing you can do about it,” said Long. “It was like trying to hold on to sand as you knew you were losing your chance at a championship. But a championship is about a whole season, and not just one race, so my hats off to Pierre and to Mazda. Hopefully we can come back and be fighting for it again next year.”
Kleinubing gapped the field, only to see the conditions dry out as Lally made an assertive push for the point, closing the distance to Kleinubing’s rear bumper all the way to the checkered flag.
“When it dried out, there were just enough laps where we could hold on,” said an emotional Kleinubing. “You never give up in racing--I learned that a long time ago. I won a few championships on the last race and lost a few there too. This team - I-Moto is unbelievable. The Continental Tires held on perfectly. We had plenty of car left at the end. Mazda has done a fantastic job supporting us all these years. It's unbelievable.”
“I knew I had enough car to hold them off, but I knew he was coming too. So I was just like 'ok I can hang on for a few more if I need to.' It was as close as it gets. I definitely didn't want it to be that close but it made it more exciting for everyone. We deserved it, we earned it and it was ours. We did it. It's unbelievable. Huge thanks to Glenn (Bochinno, i-Moto team owner) - this only happened because of Glen - he's the man!"
“I'm just so happy to see Pierre win the championship and really happy to be a part of it for him,” added Clunie, who ran a select schedule in 2012. “We were together for eight races this year. I wish it could have been more but I love driving this racecar, I love driving with Pierre and I love driving on Continental Tires.”
GRAND-AM settled three of the eight championships up for grabs this weekend, with BMW locking up the ST Class Manufacturer Championship.
SPEED will broadcast the Lime Rock Park 150 on October 13, 2:00 p.m. ET.
With experience at Skip Barber Racing School, Lime Rock Park, and several IndyCar teams, Matt Cleary has covered open wheel and sports car racing for over a decade. Working for Sunday Group Management, Cleary also provides strategic motorsports consulting for a range of clients in the sport. You can follow him on Twitter @sundaygroup
i-Moto driver Pierre Kleinubing further burnished his championship credentials on Friday, winning the GRAND-AM ST Class Championship after fending off a ferocious charge from Andy Lally in the closing moments of the Lime Rock Park 150 to score his second win of the season and with it, the ST Class Championship. Lally finished second with co-driver Mat Pombo, with Billy Johnson and Compass360 Racing co-driver Trevor Hopwood taking third.
The one-day event schedule made for a frantic day as rain disturbed each of the three practice sessions that preceded the race as GRAND-AM set the grid by points.
Derek Whitis, who led the championship with co-driver Tom Long heading into the race weekend, led the way for the opening 10 laps before the BMW of Jess Combs moved to the fore. Contact as he lapped a Porsche ended the strong run out front, with Whitis none to happy to resume the lead.
A round of pit stops on lap 48 saw Johnson, who shared the No. 77 Honda Civic Si with former Series Champion Hopwood for Compass350 Racing, take the point for the next 39 laps.
After his co-driver Jayson Clunie opened the race with an encouraging first stint, Kleinubing scored the point on lap 87.
A final yellow flag on lap 93 set up a championship shootout as Kleinubing, Lally, and Long all had a shot at the championship crown, with Johnson playing the role of spoiler without any skin in the championship game.
Long suffered from an electronics issue that ultimately cost him the pace to fight for the points he needed to lock up the championship.
“It's just frustrating when you see it all start to evaporate and there's nothing you can do about it,” said Long. “It was like trying to hold on to sand as you knew you were losing your chance at a championship. But a championship is about a whole season, and not just one race, so my hats off to Pierre and to Mazda. Hopefully we can come back and be fighting for it again next year.”
Kleinubing gapped the field, only to see the conditions dry out as Lally made an assertive push for the point, closing the distance to Kleinubing’s rear bumper all the way to the checkered flag.
“When it dried out, there were just enough laps where we could hold on,” said an emotional Kleinubing. “You never give up in racing--I learned that a long time ago. I won a few championships on the last race and lost a few there too. This team - I-Moto is unbelievable. The Continental Tires held on perfectly. We had plenty of car left at the end. Mazda has done a fantastic job supporting us all these years. It's unbelievable.”
“I knew I had enough car to hold them off, but I knew he was coming too. So I was just like 'ok I can hang on for a few more if I need to.' It was as close as it gets. I definitely didn't want it to be that close but it made it more exciting for everyone. We deserved it, we earned it and it was ours. We did it. It's unbelievable. Huge thanks to Glenn (Bochinno, i-Moto team owner) - this only happened because of Glen - he's the man!"
“I'm just so happy to see Pierre win the championship and really happy to be a part of it for him,” added Clunie, who ran a select schedule in 2012. “We were together for eight races this year. I wish it could have been more but I love driving this racecar, I love driving with Pierre and I love driving on Continental Tires.”
GRAND-AM settled three of the eight championships up for grabs this weekend, with BMW locking up the ST Class Manufacturer Championship.
SPEED will broadcast the Lime Rock Park 150 on October 13, 2:00 p.m. ET.
With experience at Skip Barber Racing School, Lime Rock Park, and several IndyCar teams, Matt Cleary has covered open wheel and sports car racing for over a decade. Working for Sunday Group Management, Cleary also provides strategic motorsports consulting for a range of clients in the sport. You can follow him on Twitter @sundaygroup
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