Points battles close as TUDOR Championship heads to Circuit of The Americas
While Prototype drivers Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi of Action Express Racing enjoy a daunting 16-point lead after two straight victories in their Corvette DP, the GT Le Mans (GTLM) contenders are separated by only six points and five drivers, among three teams and three different manufacturers are tied for the lead in the GT Daytona (GTD) category.
In GTLM, the deciding factor may be a driver who is no longer in the running for the title.
Corvette Racing driver Jan Magnussen missed the last race at the Virginia International Raceway after suffering a concussion in a crash during practice. His co-driver in the Corvette C7.R, Antonio Garcia, leads the championship and in Saturday's race will once again have the Danish driver back sharing the driving duties in the two hour, 45-minute event.
The Corvette duo has been the most effective pairing in the first nine of 11 races this year, winning four times together. But for Magnussen, it's now bad news, good news. The championship is over for him, but he's still in the chase.
"Having to sit out VIR was difficult because there was nothing I could do except just sit there and see any hope of a championship slip away," said Magnussen, who crashed due to fluid on the track.
"That was tough because I didn't feel injured," he continued, "But that's the problem with a concussion, you most likely feel OK. But it was the right call not to race and make sure that I could race the rest of the year and next year as well. So getting back in the car will be like any other race with a little bit longer break. I have absolutely no ill effects. I'm just ready to get going again."
Magnussen is already back in winning form. On the weekend following VIR, he drove in six Thundersports Championship races in Denmark, winning four of them.
Garcia and Magnussen won the American Le Mans Series race at COTA last year and went on to take the ALMS championship. But the duo knows they must bring their best on Saturday.
The main competition in the championship, SRT Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT drivers Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer, are the same pair that chased the Corvette home last year at COTA in the ALMS race. After adjustments to his SRT Viper in the pits, including a switch of Michelin tire compounds, Bomarito nearly overcame a 20-second deficit to Mexico's Garcia in the C7.R before settling for second.
This year's title chase is close enough that Bomarito and Canadian Wittmer can take over first place headed into the Petit Le Mans season finale with a victory – if the Corvette duo finishes fourth or lower. Bomarito said he might have won last year if the race had gone longer. "If the race had lasted another lap or two, we would have had something for the win," he said.
The heat, which influences the track surface and the amount of tire wear, may figure into the outcome when it comes to how teams manage their tire choices, said Wittmer. "All the corners here are really, really high speed," he said. "There's a lot of tire deterioration and you have to plan for a hot race."
Also as hot as the weather is the championship chase in the GTD class. Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler in the AIM Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia, Dane Cameron in the Turner Motorsport BMW Z4 and the two drivers of the Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America, Leh Keen and Cooper MacNeil, each have 244 points.
All five drivers will be looking to take an edge in the championship with a victory at COTA, but Cameron appears to be the driver to beat. He's seeking a third straight victory with co-driver Markus Palttala, who missed one round earlier in the year.
The Porsche duo have stayed in contention with consistency, but have some new aerodynamic allowances in the bodywork that may allow Keen and MacNeil to break through with their first victory of the season.
Bell and Sweedler scored well in the endurance events at Daytona and Sebring, but an eighth place at VIR opened the door to the other two teams.
Qualifying takes place Friday at 5:30 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast on IMSA.com. Saturday's race coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. (ET) and will be carried by FOX Sports 2. FOX will re-broadcast the race on Sunday; check local listings for times.