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Created on Monday, 21 October 2013 08:43

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• BAR1 Motorsports wins PC Class at Petit Le Mans.

• Continental tires provide confidence in wet and dry conditions.

Braselton, GA – October 21, 2013.  The checkered flag waved for the final time on the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) but not before some spectacular racing at Petit Le Mans.  With championships on the line, the Prototype Challenge presented by Continental Tire class (PC) left everything they had on the track and took some calculated risks that would pay off.

The first part of the race was marred by weather when rain came and went throughout the first half of the 10-hour affair leaving teams with some tough decisions.  Some PC teams started on Continental rain tires while others opted for slicks.  The track dried out quickly and those who started on slicks rose to the top of the charts.  Rookie, Sean Rayhall, led the overall for eight laps in the No. 25 8Star Motorsports entry on Continental slicks before settling into third and handing driving duties over to Ozz Negri.  Negri opted for Continental slicks in the rain to try and gain track position but so did the No. 8 BAR1 Motorsports ORECA FLM09 team.

“It was a really tricky decision right before the race because, the track was wet but it looked like it was going to be dry really quick so we actually started with slicks,” said Chris Cumming, driver of the No. 8 machine.  “Then I got in on slicks and that’s when it started getting really interesting because the rain started to fall.  It’s really difficult to judge what you’re going to get in the next corner, especially when you are on slicks.  I actually stayed on slicks the whole time.  But there was a long period there where I had to drive on a wet track on slicks because we knew we were coming up to the next pit stop and it would be better to stay on the slicks.”

The risk paid off for both teams as they finished one, two.  The duo of Rayhall and Negri led for a majority of the race but with the help of Stefan Johansson and Kyle Marcelli, Cumming and the No. 8 team rose to the occasion.  Marcelli crossed the line 11.442 seconds in front of Rayhall for the win at Petit Le Mans.

Early on, race leader Neel Jani brushed the No. 52 Molecule ORECA FLM09 of PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports as driver Dane Cameron exited the pits.  As a result, the team lost 20 laps in the pits before Mike Guasch returned to the track in seventh position.  The team worked their way back to fifth and their hard work paid off as Guasch took the PC driver championship over Cumming, 142-141.  CORE autosport claimed the team championship over BAR1 Motorsport, 148-145.

One chapter ends and another begins as the Tudor United SportsCar Series and the Continental Tire United SportsCar Challenge Series now look ahead to 2014.  Follow the progress of the future @continentaltire as we bring you updates, testing, behind-the-scenes photos and videos.

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