TRG wins GTC ALMS Mid-O!! yes?NO? Maybe???
08-07-2012, 12:11 PM
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TRG wins GTC ALMS Mid-O!! yes?NO? Maybe???
...Amid Confusion
PETALUMA, CA (August 6) - TRG came away with everything it wanted in its quest to close the points race for the GTC championship in the American Le Mans Series Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ... well ... almost. While the Northern California team came away with first place points to close unofficially to within 11 points of the class lead, the No. 66 B+ Adobe Road Winery Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Spencer Pumpelly and Al Carter finished second behind the No. 11 JDX car.
Confused? You weren't the only one. As Pumpelly battled Jeroen Bleekemolen for the outright lead and win, IMSA, the sanctioning body for the ALMS, reported that the minimum drive time was not met by the opening driver of the #11 car. Initially, it disqualified the JDX entry, then after review of rules language, reinstituted it as the winner of the race but declared that first place points would go to TRG.
"The way the race developed with so few cautions," said Pumpelly, "we ended up having to do two full stops under green, while the No. 11 used a different 'strategy' to go for the win. Fortunately, we ended up with the all-important first place points which keeps us in the hunt for the championship."
Carter started the race from the number three GTC position and battled to keep TRG in position to go after the win.
"The car was good," said Carter. "The crew was great. Spencer did a fantastic job, and I'm really happy that in my first ALMS race I was able to help TRG get first place points and move closer to a the class lead."
TRG's next ALMS race is August 18th at Road America in a four-hour endurance race where points become more plentiful than in the standard 2 hour 45 minute sprint race.
"Our goal every year is to run for a championship and win races and today was a great day," said Buckler. "Al did a ROCKIN' job of leading off the race and kept pace with the leaders and put us in position. Spencer went out and closed the deal and we are zeroing in on the championship lead. We've had great success in the ALMS over the year and with 3 first place points over the last 4 events and our track record at Road America, we are squarely focused on that end. There are some very good teams in GTC class, so it won't be an easy task, but everyone on the team knows what our mission is and everyone is working to accomplish that."
About TRG:
TRG is a full-service motorsports company offering a total driver ladder approach, as well as comprehensive sponsorship and business opportunities. For drivers, this approach starts with track days, goes to club events, up into street stock series and culminates in the ultimate goal of professional motorsports. For sponsors and business partners, this method starts with everything from executive events and traditional sponsorship models, to comprehensive business-to-business opportunities and experiential marketing. The team races in America's two largest sport car series - the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and can offer turn-key marketing programs as well as arrive-and-drive support.
The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing. The team boasts Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in GRAND-AM with 32. The team's resume is highlighted by two championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories, and a Le Mans 24 Hour win.
For more information and sponsorship details, please email info@theracersgroup.com.
Detailed team info can be viewed at www.theracersgroup.com.
PETALUMA, CA (August 6) - TRG came away with everything it wanted in its quest to close the points race for the GTC championship in the American Le Mans Series Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course ... well ... almost. While the Northern California team came away with first place points to close unofficially to within 11 points of the class lead, the No. 66 B+ Adobe Road Winery Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car of Spencer Pumpelly and Al Carter finished second behind the No. 11 JDX car.
Confused? You weren't the only one. As Pumpelly battled Jeroen Bleekemolen for the outright lead and win, IMSA, the sanctioning body for the ALMS, reported that the minimum drive time was not met by the opening driver of the #11 car. Initially, it disqualified the JDX entry, then after review of rules language, reinstituted it as the winner of the race but declared that first place points would go to TRG.
"The way the race developed with so few cautions," said Pumpelly, "we ended up having to do two full stops under green, while the No. 11 used a different 'strategy' to go for the win. Fortunately, we ended up with the all-important first place points which keeps us in the hunt for the championship."
Carter started the race from the number three GTC position and battled to keep TRG in position to go after the win.
"The car was good," said Carter. "The crew was great. Spencer did a fantastic job, and I'm really happy that in my first ALMS race I was able to help TRG get first place points and move closer to a the class lead."
TRG's next ALMS race is August 18th at Road America in a four-hour endurance race where points become more plentiful than in the standard 2 hour 45 minute sprint race.
"Our goal every year is to run for a championship and win races and today was a great day," said Buckler. "Al did a ROCKIN' job of leading off the race and kept pace with the leaders and put us in position. Spencer went out and closed the deal and we are zeroing in on the championship lead. We've had great success in the ALMS over the year and with 3 first place points over the last 4 events and our track record at Road America, we are squarely focused on that end. There are some very good teams in GTC class, so it won't be an easy task, but everyone on the team knows what our mission is and everyone is working to accomplish that."
About TRG:
TRG is a full-service motorsports company offering a total driver ladder approach, as well as comprehensive sponsorship and business opportunities. For drivers, this approach starts with track days, goes to club events, up into street stock series and culminates in the ultimate goal of professional motorsports. For sponsors and business partners, this method starts with everything from executive events and traditional sponsorship models, to comprehensive business-to-business opportunities and experiential marketing. The team races in America's two largest sport car series - the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM Rolex Series and can offer turn-key marketing programs as well as arrive-and-drive support.
The Racer's Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of motor racing. The team boasts Rolex Series GT championships in 2005 and 2006 and holds the record for the most wins in GRAND-AM with 32. The team's resume is highlighted by two championships, four Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona victories, and a Le Mans 24 Hour win.
For more information and sponsorship details, please email info@theracersgroup.com.
Detailed team info can be viewed at www.theracersgroup.com.
08-07-2012, 12:50 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
The ALMS announcers were confused during the race too, they were reading the rules online and could not figure out if Pappas needed to get back in the car again to win. They knew he would not get any points but also knew that they didn't care about points as it was a one-off race for them.
