Lawson got a great start at the drop of the green flag, and he and fellow rear-of-the-grid starter Mike Skeen teamed to rush the GT field. Passing five cars on the first lap and a further two on the second lap, Lawson raced through to find himself in 5th place after the opening 5 laps. Swapping positions with Skeen twice, Aschenbach got clear of the Corvette for good and quickly passed the Porsche in front of him for 4th. A late yellow interrupted his rhythm, and with only three laps to go after the final caution period ended, he fought with the eventual 3rd placed Cadillac of Andy Pilgrim before the checkered flag flew.
TruSpeed trio Jeff Courtney, Tomy Drissi and Justin Marks had eventful races themselves, racing in the thick of the GT field. Marks, in the #46 GoPro / MMX Porsche, Drissi in the #47 Ice Age: Continental Drift Porsche GT3 and Courtney, in the #99 Kenda Tire Porsche GT3, qualified 8-9-10, and swapped places for the duration of the race. Courtney and Drissi came together once in the race, which resulted in Jeff driving off track, but he was able to run as high as 7th and regain the race to finish 12th. Marks and Drissi finished 8th and 9th, respectively.
Team Manager Tyler Tadevic said, “Running as many cars as we are this weekend - seven cars across two series - I feel like we’re always going to leave the track feeling like it’s been a mixed bag. The World Challenge race was really good for us, and Lawson definitely had the bit between his teeth from the drop of the green flag. It was impressive to see him charge up the field from 11th to 5th, and we’re left to wonder what could have been had the race not been slowed for the two caution periods. That said, we limited the points damage that could have been with him starting so far back in the field, so we’re acceptably happy with that.”
He continued, “We’re making progress with Justin, too. He’s had some rotten luck so far this year, and while we’re not where we want to be with him and his car, we’re improving. We’re excited to get to Detroit where we think we’ll have a great car. Porsches and street circuits seem to go well together, so that’s encouraging. It’s been great to have Jeff and Tomy back too. We won’t see Jeff again until Mid-Ohio, and Tomy’s got one more race with us this year, in Detroit, but it’s been a pleasure to have both of them racing with us this weekend.”
“I want to thank our crew for working so hard this weekend - it’s been a lot of work, but they’ve nailed it all weekend. We’ve just started a new relationship with Mothers’ Wax this weekend as well, and that’s very exciting. We’re glad to have them involved! Lastly, our team owner Rob Morgan’s youngest son Chase turned one year old today, so we’re glad we could get him a good result!”
TruSpeed Motorsport races next at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on June 1, 2012.
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TruSpeed Motorsports was founded in 2001 by Rob and Charles Morgan, over the years racing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge and World Challenge. TruSpeed runs a robust arrive-and-drive and trackday business, as well as a street and race car sales and service facility in Orange County.
For information about TruSpeed’s racing, performance car sales and service, visit: http://www.truspeedmotorcars.com
A special thank you to our partners and sponsors:
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Corsa Car Care
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