-
Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
GRAND-AM
IN THE COCKPIT: Andy Lally, Montreal
Winning is very, very tough. It’s why I get so excited when we have a good day, and why I get so angry and when we let one slip away...
Andy Lally and John Potter faced disappointment in Montreal. (Photo: Magnus Racing)
GRAND-AM these days is extremely competitive. Whether it’s the Rolex Series or Continental, the game has changed a lot from when I started.
There are a half-dozen teams that can win on any given weekend, and several different manufacturers. GRAND-AM is constantly adjusting the rules for balance-of-performance (BoP), and very rarely does it work in your favor. The top drivers in both series are very good, making it all the more difficult to win.
The bottom line is, winning is very, very tough. It’s why I get so excited when we have a good day, and why I get so angry and when we let one slip away.
At Montreal, we let one slip away.
It’s such an interesting place to visit. It’s the only race we run outside of the U.S., and it’s the only place where English is not the first language they speak. It’s only a few hours from New York, but it is such a foreign place. The track is located on a small island, the Île Notre-Dame on the St. Lawrence River, and there’s only a couple of small bridges that access it, so most of the crew literally have to take a subway to get in and out.
The fans are awesome. They’re really in to it, and the culture is pretty unique. You sort of feel like you’re still in the 1980’s, only they switched their walkman’s for iPhones.
I have some great memories of this place. My very first big NASCAR race was here, I ran in the Nationwide Series in 2007. That same weekend I’d taken the win in Rolex, and had a pretty good run in Nationwide, with the guys on ESPN making a few generous comments. It was a good weekend.
It should have been a great track this year for the Magnus Porsche. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has some really long straights, followed by hard braking and then back on the power. On new tires, our cars were as fast as anyone, and we were looking really strong.
John did a great job to qualify the car and run a strong opening stint. He put a good pass on the no. 94 BMW, and he handed me a great car to finish out the race.
We came out of the pits in fifth, but within a couple laps we were up to third, and chasing down the no. 43 Mazda.
As I was chasing down the car, I had another eye on the leading no. 57 Camaro. Every lap I was behind the no. 43, I kept seeing the Camaro slip away further, and I knew I had to get around the 43 quickly to have a shot at the leader.
I started to put the pressure on, and on lap 28 they got their braking wrong headed in to Turn-10 and went wide. This gave me a good run coming off the corner and heading up the back straight, but the no. 43 was defending his position hard. I started to move around the outside of the backstretch and they crossed over to defend, I moved back to the inside, and they crossed over again.
I had a huge amount of momentum approaching and in all of that the 43’s rear exhaust grazed my front radiator, but it was enough to pop the grill and cause the car to overheat. I pulled straight in to the pit, and the team got it fixed in seven minutes, but we were out of contention. We still went on to finish six laps down, but we had a really good shot at this one, and I’m still angry that it slipped away.
These things keep me upset for days. I think about it, I re-think about it, and I absolutely obsess over it.
I don’t really want to get in to my specific thoughts. If there’s any insight in to how I work in this article, it’s this exact point. I don’t like to discuss and point fingers, I have very strong opinions and I’m going to deal with it in my way. I’m upset, and there’s a few issues I’ll handle in my own way, but that’s my nature.
I’m most upset for not getting a result for both John and the Magnus crew. They work incredibly hard, and to have the wheel in my hand when the problem occurred, and get caught out by something dumb, is the most frustrating part of the entire event.
I just have to keep training and stay focused for Laguna Seca.
Andy Lally is one of the most successful drivers in GRAND-AM history, and one of the highest regarded American sports car drivers on the circuit. As GRAND-AM’s all-time mileage leader, Andy has won four different times at The Rolex 24 at Daytona, three GRAND-AM championships, and has had over 100 starts in the Rolex Series. Beyond road racing, he is also the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year, and even a Classic Luge World Champion.
There are a half-dozen teams that can win on any given weekend, and several different manufacturers. GRAND-AM is constantly adjusting the rules for balance-of-performance (BoP), and very rarely does it work in your favor. The top drivers in both series are very good, making it all the more difficult to win.
The bottom line is, winning is very, very tough. It’s why I get so excited when we have a good day, and why I get so angry and when we let one slip away.
At Montreal, we let one slip away.
It’s such an interesting place to visit. It’s the only race we run outside of the U.S., and it’s the only place where English is not the first language they speak. It’s only a few hours from New York, but it is such a foreign place. The track is located on a small island, the Île Notre-Dame on the St. Lawrence River, and there’s only a couple of small bridges that access it, so most of the crew literally have to take a subway to get in and out.
The fans are awesome. They’re really in to it, and the culture is pretty unique. You sort of feel like you’re still in the 1980’s, only they switched their walkman’s for iPhones.
I have some great memories of this place. My very first big NASCAR race was here, I ran in the Nationwide Series in 2007. That same weekend I’d taken the win in Rolex, and had a pretty good run in Nationwide, with the guys on ESPN making a few generous comments. It was a good weekend.
It should have been a great track this year for the Magnus Porsche. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has some really long straights, followed by hard braking and then back on the power. On new tires, our cars were as fast as anyone, and we were looking really strong.
John did a great job to qualify the car and run a strong opening stint. He put a good pass on the no. 94 BMW, and he handed me a great car to finish out the race.
We came out of the pits in fifth, but within a couple laps we were up to third, and chasing down the no. 43 Mazda.
As I was chasing down the car, I had another eye on the leading no. 57 Camaro. Every lap I was behind the no. 43, I kept seeing the Camaro slip away further, and I knew I had to get around the 43 quickly to have a shot at the leader.
I started to put the pressure on, and on lap 28 they got their braking wrong headed in to Turn-10 and went wide. This gave me a good run coming off the corner and heading up the back straight, but the no. 43 was defending his position hard. I started to move around the outside of the backstretch and they crossed over to defend, I moved back to the inside, and they crossed over again.
I had a huge amount of momentum approaching and in all of that the 43’s rear exhaust grazed my front radiator, but it was enough to pop the grill and cause the car to overheat. I pulled straight in to the pit, and the team got it fixed in seven minutes, but we were out of contention. We still went on to finish six laps down, but we had a really good shot at this one, and I’m still angry that it slipped away.
These things keep me upset for days. I think about it, I re-think about it, and I absolutely obsess over it.
I don’t really want to get in to my specific thoughts. If there’s any insight in to how I work in this article, it’s this exact point. I don’t like to discuss and point fingers, I have very strong opinions and I’m going to deal with it in my way. I’m upset, and there’s a few issues I’ll handle in my own way, but that’s my nature.
I’m most upset for not getting a result for both John and the Magnus crew. They work incredibly hard, and to have the wheel in my hand when the problem occurred, and get caught out by something dumb, is the most frustrating part of the entire event.
I just have to keep training and stay focused for Laguna Seca.
Andy Lally is one of the most successful drivers in GRAND-AM history, and one of the highest regarded American sports car drivers on the circuit. As GRAND-AM’s all-time mileage leader, Andy has won four different times at The Rolex 24 at Daytona, three GRAND-AM championships, and has had over 100 starts in the Rolex Series. Beyond road racing, he is also the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year, and even a Classic Luge World Champion.
Road Atlanta
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
LE MANS: BoP Adjustments For GTE Announced
GTE-Pro Aston Martins handed extra weight, larger restrictor for… -
LE MANS: Jim France Named LM24 Starter
GRAND-AM founder and NASCAR Vice Chairman to wave tri-colour flag… -
INDYCAR: 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh To Pace The Indy 500
Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, will drive the… -
MILLER: Dinner With Legends
It’s become an annual event and, as my pal and longtime Indy… -
VIDEO: Dyson Tech Talk - Tires 101
The art of going fast: what kind of feedback does a driver want from… -
VIDEO: SPEEDing Through Hinchtown, Episode 2
Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe utilizes the… -
LE MANS: Driver Lineups For LM24 Finalized
Seats at Delta-ADR, Morand Racing, JMW Motorsport and others confirmed… - More News
