ALMS: VICTORIA ACURA EN ST. PETERSBURG

[OscarF21]

Resultados de ALMS:
GANADORES!

P1: Brabham/Sharp (#9 Patron Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-02a)

DAVID BRABHAM: "The track was extremely tricky today. We had a nice lead later in the race, but I couldn't relax because of the slippery surface. One mistake and the car would be in the wall. This a big win for Acura, since it was their first LMP1 class victory. Scott drove well in the early stages to set up my stint. It always feels good to win."

SCOTT SHARP: "Tire selection was a key for us today. The team made the call to have a harder compound on the left-rear tire. Early on, though, it made the car a handful due to the slick track conditions. But later in the race, the Michelin tires held up and I was able to close in on Gil [de Ferran]. David did his usual great job bringing the car home for the win. It is great to capture Acura's first LMP1 victory. I know the Patron folks are happy too."


P2: Fernandez/Diaz (#15 Lowe's Fernandez Acura ARX-01b)



ADRIAN FERNANDEZ: "Track conditions were very difficult today. The surface seemed quite slippery. But the Lowe's team made some great setup decisions. This was a big win for us with all of our Lowe's executives and associates here at St. Petersburg. Now, it's on to Long Beach, looking for another win."

LUIS DIAZ: "I had to push hard early in the race, because we wanted to get a margin over the Mazdas in LMP2. But the car felt great and we actually raced with the LMP1 Acuras. That was fun. The Lowe's crew was fantastic today with a very quick pit stop and Adrian led overall in the race. That is a good achievement for an LMP2 car."

GT2: Bermeigster/Long (#45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)



JOERG BERGMEISTER: "We had such a big lead that I didn't have pressure to fight for position, but I certainly could not relax. The Lizard pit kept me focused by dictating the lap time pace for me to run, and telling me when to pass lapped traffic and when to let guys by,"

PATRICK LONG: "First, we learned that turn #10 was not the place to make up time during the race, and that, while it was tempting to try to get fast lap times during qualifying and the race start on softer tires, we would be better off with a harder compound that would outlast the competition. Our strategist Thomas Blam held out until the last minute to have us stop for fuel, and we were able to pit under yellow when most of our competition pitted under green. And then we got the wave-by from the pace car, and put a lap on the whole GT2 field,"

"And I was able to be aggressive early in the race to get past the Farnbacher Porsche, plus the Ferrari and the BMW without putting the car at risk. The Lizard engineers really had us hooked up - especially after the accident at Sebring and my mistake yesterday - and the Porsche did everything I asked it to do,"

[OscarF21]

Excelente carrera para el BMW #92 de Rahal Letterman que llega segundo en la GT2



Tommy Milner and Dirk Muller raced the No. 92 BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 to a second place GT2 class finish today at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg. The duo completed 86 laps in the one-hour- and-fifty-five minute race. The podium finish was the first for the Milner/Muller duo and for the new BMW of North America M3 racing program.

Milner had moved the No. 92 M3 into third before pitting on lap 35. Muller returned to the race in fourth, but was soon back in a podium position as the race slowed for the only caution period of the day just before the one hour mark.

One lap before the restart, Muller ducked into the pits to tighten a loosening suspension bolt. The stop dropped No. 92 back to fourth, 10 seconds behind third. With 20 minutes remaining Muller charged up to the rear bumper of the car in third. Two minutes later he took over third and set his sights on the car in second place, only one second ahead. On lap 70, Muller raced into second place, holding the position for BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team's first podium finish.

Dirk Mueller, driver No. 92 BMW M3 (second): "What a thrilling day to realize the first podium for BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team! Tommy did a great first stint. He was driving like a machine, with a great machine below him. We had to make a safety check and dropped to P4 or 5. It was a great fight back to second. I enjoyed racing my last year's teammate. It was as if I could read his mind at every moment and that was an advantage. Dunlop gave me a perfect tire. It was a different compound than Tommy was using because of the heat we had on the track. It was absolutely awesome, so the corners were really so much fun. Congratulations to the team for a well-deserved second place."

Bobby Rahal, team principal: "I am very pleased for BMW and the team. All the hard work from BMW Motorsport, BMW of North America, and Dunlop really paid off today. While we are disappointed that the No. 90 didn't finish, we look forward to Long Beach and our continuing improvement."

Martin Birkmann, BMW of North America, LLC Motorsports Manager: "Expectations are very high for this program and it's a great morale boost to see we have the car, the team and the tires. I want to thank our partners in Dunlop. They completed very strategic testing and a development plan that has born fruit today. We were very strong on both sets of tires in the 92 car and ultimately that has helped us in securing our"

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