Porsche
250 @ Barber Motorsports Park Race Report
8th after a strong early run and race lead
Birmingham,
Alabama (2010.04.10) The Pacific Mobile No 61 Ford Riley finished eighth
in today’s Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park and while that
might not have been the result the team had hoped for, they are not
disappointed with the performance of the car. In Fact, everyone on
the team is very happy with the way the car performed considering that
once again, the track at Barber required some last minute magic to
get the setup that works on this challenging race course. At the end
of the day, the Pacific Mobile No 61 Ford Riley recorded sixteen laps
in the lead and was among the fastest cars on the circuit – especially
in the closing laps.
Starting from seventh on the grid, Mark was up one position by the end of the
first lap and less than half a second back of the fifth-place car. A caution
on lap thirteen saw the leaders come in to the pits and the No 61 followed
suit only taking on fuel and gaining track position. Sitting fifth at the green
flag and just two-tenths back, Mark was on a charge and gained another spot
when another car spun up front.
Another yellow four laps later and the team elected to leave Mark on track
and the No 61 was now in first place. Mark held the lead for sixteen laps holding
off the competition and working his way through traffic. With 38 laps on the
tires, Mark finally pulled in for a green-flag pit stop that would now put
the team on an alternate strategy to the rest of the field.
A full tank of Sunoco fuel, new set of Pirelli P-Zero tires and with
Burt behind the wheel, the No 61 returned to the track in tenth spot.
Over the next twenty laps, Burt kept pace with the leaders and worked
his way forward eventually going to fifth and then third as once again,
the leaders came to pit lane. Burt also brought the Pacific Mobile No
61 Ford Riley to pit lane for fuel and tires which would be enough to
take the team to the end of the race. Burt was now fifth and within striking
distance of the leader. He would set successive fastest laps for the
car (75-78) recording a1:21.486 at 101.600 mph – fifth
fastest in the race. He continued to close on the car ahead and that’s
when disaster struck.
In a battle for fourth spot, Burt flat-spotted the left front tire under heavy
braking. The tire damage was severe and over a few laps it delaminated and
blew forcing Burt to the pits on lap eighty-five. A quick change of the left
front wheel and Burt was on his way, but the Pacific Mobile No 61 Ford Riley
was back to eighth and well back of the seventh-place car. But this did not
deter Burt who would close that gap by nearly twenty seconds over the final
fifteen laps as he continually outpaced the leaders. Unfortunately, there was
just not enough time left to close up and gain position and Burt brought the
car home in eighth place.
“The team did a fantastic job and delivered a great car for the race” Burt
said after the race. “We struggled through the practice sessions searching
for the right setup and once again, Ian (Willis) , Jim (Malicki) and the entire
crew performed their magic overnight and we had an awesome race car today.”
Burt continued, “The car was quick and we had pace. Mark had
a very good stint and it was incredible to see him put the Pacific
Mobile No 61 Ford Riley in the lead and keep it there even when he
was on tires that had reached their limit. We are disappointed that
we did not finish better but we are certainly not disappointed with
what we had to race today. That should carry us into the next race
with quite a bit of confidence.”
Mark Wilkins commented, “The car was amazing and it was very
quick today thanks to the AIM crew and the folks at Roush-Yates. Even
when I was on old tires at the end of my stint, the car was just great
to drive. I certainly had a lot of fun out there and I’m really
looking forward to VIR in two weeks.”
“The team and the drivers really showed their stuff today” said
team principal Ian Willis. “Even after the blown tire which put
us back, Burt kept plugging away and was turning faster laps than the
leaders at the end. These guys just don’t give up. It was great
for all of us on the team to see Mark put the car in the lead and we
can all head to VIR with the knowledge that we can run up front once
again. We now feel that first podium of 2010 is within our grasp.”
The team now heads back to Toronto to prepare the car for the next race at
Virginia International Raceway in two weeks. (April 24)
<< Back Home
<< Back to News |
