Avondale
Mazda Twin 20s at Phoenix International Raceway
Grand
Am Cup Round 4
May
11-13, 2006
Round 4 on the '06 Grand Am Cup calendar
took us to the roval in Phoenix just days after the disappointing run at
Laguna Seca. This race is the first of the season where the GS and
ST categories would run separate races. This track also has a
great deal of paved run-off area, so these two factors led us to plan
for significant green-flag racing. This meant our cars had to be
very fast to be in contention, but we had only a single practice before
and after qualifying to get the cars set-up to race. Further
complicating matters was the fact that the GS paddock was outside the
speedway, so getting equipment in and out of the pits was a nightmare.
The Marcus Motorsports 997s were both
very strong at Laguna, and both cars continued to be strong in the
pre-qualifying practice session. The 49 car required only minor
adjustments, but the 50 car was certainly not optimized. Brain Cunningham
was not content with the car during his qualifying run, but still
managed to secure a starting position on the 4th row. Spencer
Pumpelly handled qualifying duties in the 49 car, and he repeated his
co-driver Andy Lally's performance in Laguna by taking the pole
position.
Our practice and race sessions all took
place in the hottest part of the early-afternoon with ambient
temperatures eclipsing 100 degrees. The race was going to be as
much about conserving the rear tires through the banked oval as it was
outright speed. The strategy for 49 was to run quick but never
abuse the rear tires. We expected this pace would be enough to
keep the lead. Some radical changes were made to the 50 car just
prior to the race, but we were confident they would provide
improvement. At the drop of the green flag, it was apparent that
both cars were better than expected. Even at a reduced pace,
Pumpelly opened up a 6 second gap in as many laps. Brian's race
was going similarly well, as he moved up to 4th position and was
battling with the 38 Porsche, who is the only other car to take a pole
position this season.
Because the Grand Am Cup classes had
split races, the race length was shortened to 2 hours. At a
half-hour into the event, 49 was already lapping cars and was
maintaining about a 10 second lead over second place, which was the 50
car! Our cars held the top 2 positions until lap 29 when the 50
car got stuck in 2nd gear. He lost significant time coming in, but
the problem was just a shift cable with a quick fix. The rear
tires were changed and Darren Law got in the car while the repair was
made. Unfortunately, there was about 1:20 left in the race at this
point, which is more than we can get on a tank of fuel under typical
green flag conditions. The stop under green left Law almost 2 laps
down and in 27th position. Darren's pace was incredible as it
wasn't long before he started to run down cars which had not yet made
stops.
Nearing the halfway mark, we
still had not seen a double-yellow. Spencer's tires were hurting,
but the conservative pace at the beginning was paying off, as his lead
over 2nd place opened up to almost 30 seconds, which is nearly a
half-lap. Most of the field had stopped at this point, and on
fresh tires, some cars were turning faster laps than Pumpelly. No
cautions were imminent, so we brought 49 in for its only fuel
stop. We changed only rear tires, as the fronts still felt fine,
and we didn't want to lose any more time than we had to under
green. Lally fell to 5th while the rest of the field cycled
through their stops, and on lap 62 with around 45 minutes to go, 49 was
back on top of the leaderboard with a lead of over 20 seconds.
Because
the entire field had to stop under green, the disadvantage to the 50 car
was only the time it took to drive the oval in 2nd gear. Darren
Law's phenomenal pace moved him into the top 10, but his tires were used
up in the process and we were not sure the fuel would make it.
With 30 minutes left in race, Boris Said in the Turner BMW was in 2nd
and running a blistering pace. Andy's lead was over 20 seconds
still, so he backed off to keep his tires from overheating too
badly. We kept a close eye on the gap, and Lally did an excellent
job controlling his pace until the end. Lally and the 49 car took
the flag-to-flag win, with more than a 10 second gap to the next
car. 49 was on top of the leaderboard for an amazing 95 out of 101
laps. Darren did not have the luxury of controlling his
pace. He was running against very fast cars for position despite
short shifting and using only part-throttle to conserve fuel. The
50 car was cutting out badly, but Law took the checker in an amazing 8th
place, still on the lead lap. There was less than a half-gallon
left in the tank.
Had
it not been for the shifter issue, it is very likely all of the Marcus
drivers would have been sharing champagne in victory lane this
race. The drivers and crew all did an flawless job, and as a
result, the 49 car and its drivers are at the top of the Championship
Standings. The 50 car sits in the top 10 in Team points, still
within striking distance. Round 5 is at Lime Rock in just a few
weeks. |
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