Back-to-Back Wins for Action Express on Continental Tire’s
- Details
- Category: Latest News
- Created on Tuesday, 12 August 2014 08:05
Click image to download.
Elkhart Lake, WI - August 10, 2014
TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Notes Quotes
Back-to-Back Wins for Action Express on Continental Tire’s Ryan Dalziel, driver of the No. 1 ESM Tequila Patron HPD ARX-03b Honda, put the No. 1 machine on the pole for the second race in a row at Road America. After a mere perfect race for the team, 11 caution periods and fuel strategy forced the team to a disappointing third-place finish.
The No. 5 Action Express Racing team also posted a back-to-back feat but in the form of race wins. Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa, combined for the Prototype (P) win after overcoming an early race spin and subsequent brake problems.
The biggest cheers of the day came from the Michael Shank Racing pit as the duo of, John Pew and Ozz Negri, partnered for a well deserved, and long awaited, second-place finish. The No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford EcoBoost looked strong but it was pit strategy that put the team in position to almost take the win.
“Since the beginning I put my warrior cap on and I was going for every single hole I saw, and that was it. The team did a fantastic job with strategy and the greatest strategy got me the track position I needed to do what I needed to do,” said an elated Negri. “Our tires were good. We actually did an adjustment between the first set and second set and the car came alive. It’s one thing to run in clean air and another to run behind others. You tend to do more when you’re in clean air. The tires are awesome as always, I can’t complain. We just needed one more spot but I’ll take it. I actually did my fastest lap on the last lap I think.”
Starworks Just Edges 8Star in PC Battle The No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Martini ORECA FLM09 and No. 25 8Star Motorsports ORECA FLM09 PC teams battled until the bitter end with the duo of, Mirco Schultis and Renger van der Zande, emerging the victor just .415 seconds ahead of, Luis Dias and Sean Rayhall.
“I went in third and came out with the lead on my final pit stop,” van der Zande said. “The team did an amazing pit stop. From there on, it was all a matter of controlling the race. Every restart was a challenge to stay in front. I don’t think we had the fastest car out there, but we still won.”
While CORE autosport has posted four wins on the season, their day ended early at the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase after a late-race spin. The team barely hangs on to the points lead as they head to Virginia International Raceway in a few weeks.
It’s a Turkey for Turner Motorsports James Davison claims the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) pole award in the No. 007 TRG-AMR Aston Martin on Saturday. In Sunday’s warmup, the No. 007 tangled with the No. 70 Mazda and both cars were deemed unfixable for Sunday’s race so the No. 007 never made the start.
The accident forced the No. 94 Turner Motorsports BMW Z4 to the pole position and drivers, Markus Palttala and Dane Cameron, were determined to maintain the top spot. The duo stayed atop the board all day to post their third win of the season, a turkey if you’re a bowler.
While the BMW seemed to dominate, a Porsche parade was close behind. Led by the No. 22 WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America started by, Cooper MacNeil, and finished by Leh Keen. Keen attributed his late race burst of energy in part, due to his Continental’s.
“In the middle of my first run I felt the car losing grip, so I came in and the guys put a new set of Continentals on the car and got me out in third place,” said Keen following the race. “The car was totally hooked-up after that stop. I was able to make a move and get second position.”
The No. 58 Discount Tire/Universal Industrial Services Porsche 911 GT America of Madison Snow and Jan Heylen finished third.
Take a look at our snapshot of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Recap
Cheers and Tears Fill the Last Lap of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Pierre Kleinubing, in the No. 25 Compass 360 Subaru, passed Lawson Aschenbach, in the No. 01 CKS Camaro, with eight minutes remaining in Saturday’s race. In the final turns, Kleinubing had something break in the rear of the car allowing Aschenbach to pass him for the win. The win marked Aschenbach and teammate, Eric Currans, first of the year in Grand Sport (GS) competition.
“The tires were great, they held up good,” said Aschenbach. “This is not an easy track on tires. You have the carousel and some of the track is coming up a bit but the tires stayed really consistent the entire race and that’s all you can ask for, especially on these really long runs when it’s really hot out. We had some pretty good laps there at the end, I was surprised by the pace so Continental did a great job. They brought a great tire here this weekend and I’m really excited about the future and the contract extension.”
Kleinubing and co-driver, Ray Mason, finished third, just a foot behind the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro of, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell.
Borcheller and LaMarra Post First Win of 2014 Current Street Tuner (ST) champion’s, Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra, combined for their first victory of 2014 in the No. 23 Automotive Chemicals BMW Group BMW 128i. Borcheller crossed the line 1.313 seconds ahead of, Will and Wayne Nonnamaker, in the No. 42 Team Sahlen Porsche Cayman.
“The car was flawless, it was the best handling that car has ever been,” said Borcheller. “The Continental tires stayed extremely consistent through the entire run, we stayed quick. From the first to the last lap and that’s a big part of the work. We’ve had some bad luck just the way the races have gone. It just came together for us today.” “Before we made it one lap there was a huge, huge wreck and fortunately, we were able to make it through it,” said Will Nonnamaker following the race. “We drove a good three or four laps over all that rubble and we never got a flat with our Continental tires. Wayne drove most of the race, part of our strategy, worked out really well. At the end we brought it home for second and the points lead so that’s great for Team Sahlen.”
A multi-car ST accident on lap one took out several top contenders including the No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman, who was leading the ST points but settled for a 14th-place finish. The second-place finish launched Team Sahlen into the ST point’s lead. It was also the team’s fourth runner-up finish in 2014.
Take a look at our snapshot of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race.
Come into the paddock with us @continentaltire, #tiresrule.
About Continental AG
With provisional sales of around €33.3 billion in 2013, Continental is one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers. As a provider of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires, and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs around 178,000 people in 49 countries.
About Continental Tire the Americas
Based in Fort Mill, S.C., Continental Tire the Americas, LLC manufactures and distributes a complete premium line of passenger, light truck and commercial tires for original equipment and replacement markets. Our ultra-high, performance tires include award-winning technologies that focus on safety, help save money, and reduce CO2 emissions. Continental’s premium products are available at leading independent tire dealers, car dealers, and mass retail companies across North America. Continental Tire is a proud supporter of IMSA, Major League Soccer (MLS), West Coast Customs, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, and Petty’s Garage.
Media Contacts:
Sheri Herrmann PLT Communications Coordinator Continental Tire The Americas 1830 MacMillan Park Drive Fort Mill, SC; 29707 Phone: +1-(704)583-8151 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Online media database: www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com North America online media database: www.CTAMedia.com
Download this release (Word® doc)
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.