A dupla Jon Fogarty / Alex Gurney (GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley) venceu no sábado (09/07), no Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, a 8ª etapa da GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Foi a primeira vitória da dupla no ano. As duplas Scott Pruett / Memo Rojas (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley) e Max Angelelli / Ricky Taylor (SunTrust Racing / Chevrolet Dallara) completaram o pódio.
Gurney assumiu a liderança ao retornar a pista, após a última parada nos boxes, na frente de Pruett. O piloto da Chip Ganassi liderava a prova, mas cometeu um pequeno erro durante o pit stop, perdendo tempo. Gurney liderou as 28 voltas finais, com Pruett colado logo atrás. Os dois norte-americanos cruzaram a linha de chegada, separados por apenas 0s431.
Taylor, depois de marcar a pole pela quarta vez consecutiva, liderou combinado com Angelelli, o maior número de voltas, 57. Angelelli assumiu a terceira posição, ao passar Ryan Dalziel (Starworks Motorsport/ Ford Riley) nas voltas finais.
Dalziel / Mike Forest terminaram em 4º. O brasileiro Oswaldo Negri (Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley), em parceira com o norte-americano John Pew, foi o 5º.
Pela classe GT, segunda vitória consecutiva da dupla Andrew Davis / Leh Keen (Brumos Racing / Porsche GT3).
O brasileiro Raphael Matos (Turner Motorsport / BMW M3) terminou em 8º na classe GT, e 17º no geral. Ele teve como parceiro o norte-americano Paul Dalla Lana.
A próxima etapa acontece no New Jersey Motorsports Park, no dia 24 de julho.
Grid:
1 DP 1 Angelelli / Taylor SunTrust Racing / Chevrolet Dallara 1:20.429Â Â Â Â
2 DP 2 Fogarty / Gurney GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley 1:20.866Â Â Â
3 DP 3 Pruett / Rojas Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 1:21.326
4 DP 4 Frisselle / Richard Doran Racing / Ford Dallara 1:21.443
5 DP 5 Donohue / Law Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 1:21.616
6 DP 6 Dalziel / Forest / Popow Starworks Motorsport / Porsche Riley 1:21.617
7 DP 7 Edwards / Garcia Spirit of Daytona Racing / Chevrolet Coyote 1:21.696
8 DP 8 Bell / Davison Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 1:22.342Â Â Â Â
9 DP 9 Negri / Pew Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 1:22.860Â ÂÂ Â
10 DP 10 Dalziel / Forest Starworks Motorsport / Ford Riley 1:23.003Â Â Â Â
11 DP 11 Barbosa / Borcheller / France Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 1:24.451
12 GT 1 Davis / Keen Brumos Racing / Porsche GT3 1:29.679Â Â Â Â
13 GT 2 Edwards / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 1:29.693Â Â Â Â
14 GT 3 Bremer / Liddell / Magnussen Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 1:29.726
15 GT 4 Curran / Said Marsh Racing / Corvette 1:29.785Â Â Â Â
16 GT 5 Bomarito / Tremblay SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 1:29.835
17 GT 6 Assentato / Segal SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 1:30.161Â Â Â Â
18 GT 7 Cameron / Gue Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 1:30.289
19 GT 8 Gavin / Schaldach / Skeen Banner Racing / Camaro GT.R 1:30.318
20 GT 9 Lester / Taylor Autohaus Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 1:30.679Â Â Â Â
21 GT 10 Potter / Stanton Magnus Racing / Porsche GT3 1:31.114
22 GT 11 Dalla Lana / Matos Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 1:31.171
23 GT 12 Dempsey / Espenlaub / Foster Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 1:31.559Â Â Â Â
24 GT 13 Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 1:32.494Â Â Â Â
25 GT 14 Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 1:32.676
26 GT 15 Buckler / Graeff TRG / Porsche GT3 1:34.094Â Â Â Â
27 GT 16 Bertheau / Eversley TRG / Porsche GT3 1:35.492Â Â Â Â
Final:
1 DP 1Â Â Â Â Fogarty / Gurney GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing / Chevrolet Riley 107 voltas
2 DP 2Â Â Â Â Pruett / Rojas Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates / BMW Riley 107Â Â Â Â
3 DP 3Â Â Â Â Angelelli / Taylor SunTrust Racing / Chevrolet Dallara 107Â Â Â Â
4 DP 4Â Â Â Â Dalziel / Forest Starworks Motorsport / Ford Riley 107Â Â Â Â
5 DP 5    Negri / Pew Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 107   Â
6 DP 6Â Â Â Â Donohue / Law Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 107
7 DP 7Â Â Â Â Dalziel / Forest / Popow Starworks Motorsport / Porsche Riley 107Â Â Â Â
8 DP 8Â Â Â Â Barbosa / Borcheller / France Action Express Racing / Porsche Riley 106Â Â Â Â
9 DP 9    Frisselle / Richard    Doran Racing / Ford Dallara 106   Â
10 GT 1Â Â Â Â Davis / Keen Brumos Racing / Porsche GT3 100Â Â Â Â
11 GT 2    Assentato / Segal    SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 100   Â
12 GT 3Â Â Â Â Bomarito / Tremblay SpeedSource / Mazda RX-8 100
13 GT 4Â Â Â Â Bremer / Liddell / Magnussen Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 100
14 GT 5    Curran / Said Marsh Racing / Corvette 100   Â
15 GT 6    Gavin / Schaldach / Skeen  Banner Racing / Camaro GT.R 100   Â
16 GT 7Â Â Â Â Potter / Stanton Magnus Racing / Porsche GT3Â 100Â Â Â Â
17 GT 8Â Â Â Â Dalla Lana / Matos Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 100Â Â Â Â
18 GT 9Â Â Â Â Cameron / Gue Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8Â 99
19 GT 10 Lester / Taylor Autohaus Motorsports / Camaro GT.R 99Â Â Â Â
20 GT 11 Bertheau / Eversley TRG / Porsche GT3 98
21 DP 10 Edwards / Garcia Spirit of Daytona Racing / Chevrolet Coyote 97   Â
22 GT 12 Buckler / Graeff TRG / Porsche GT3 95Â Â Â Â
23 GT 13 Dempsey / Espenlaub / Foster Dempsey Racing / Mazda RX-8 91Â Â Â Â
24 DP 11 Bell / Davison Michael Shank Racing / Ford Riley 87Â Â Â Â
25 GT 14 Edwards / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 82Â Â Â Â
26 GT 15 Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 69Â Â Â Â
27 GT 16 Nonnamaker / Sahlen Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8 22
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge:
A dupla Matt Bell / John Edwards (Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GS.R), venceu no Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca a 8ª etapa.
Dalla Lana / Matos (Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 Coupe) terminaram em 11º.
O brasileiro Pierre Kleinubing (i-MOTO / Mazda Speed 3), em dupla com
Taylor Hacquard, terminou em 12º na Classe ST e 29º no geral.
Final:
1 GS 1 Bell / Edwards Stevenson Motorsports / Camaro GS.R 79 voltas
2 GS 2 Espenlaub / Putman Fall-Line Motorsports / BMW M3 Coupe 79 Â Â Â
3 GS 3 Longhi / Plumb Rum Bum Racing / BMW M3 Coupe 79 Â Â Â Â Â Â
11 GS 11 Dalla Lana / Matos Turner Motorsport / BMW M3 Coupe 79 Â Â Â
29 ST 12 Hacquard / Kleinubing i-MOTO / Mazda Speed 3 78