As it was the typical Donnybrook, Firecracker
fisticuffs Multi-class racing Us Sports Car Fans have come to Enjoy…
Gorged Thyself over thoust weekend, “Watching,”
Whale’ actually listening to most of the Petit Le Mans, for which I partook All
10 Hours of, Zoinks!
Began by Tuning into the first two hours plus
on Big NBC enjoying hearing Leigh Diffey with his Sports Cars Sidekicks Calvin
Fish and Townsend Bell before switching over to ESPNews for another McQuackery’
Joker Quack-Quack F1 Sprint qualie’ race. Then spent the next six and three
quarter Hours listening to John Hindhaugh and Company on IMSA Radio…
Yeah, I know that the Dreaded BoP (Balance of
Performance) plays a large part in the close racing. Nevertheless, how can you
not marvel over the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship’s Season Finale
coming down to the last 21mins of another epic 10 Hour race!
As I was Pullin’ for the little Mazda that
could All race long, even when they went three laps down, Yikes! Since it would
simply be a Fairy Tale ending to Mazda’s Prototype’s tenure running the
smallest motor on the grid, i.e.; 2.0 litre Inline Four Banger’ (4 cylinder)
turbo, which always makes me think of those All conquering IMSA GTP AAR Eagles
of years past!
Yet with my Talking Keychain Clock chiming
6:49PM Pacific when Harry Tincknell put a brazen pass upon Felipe Nasr for the
lead and eventual win, how could you not be Happy for Mazda in Thar Swan song,
Eh? Especially since the Double Nickel #55 was adorned with scores of Fans John
Hancock’s, including IMSA Radio’s Pit Reporter Shea Adam upon it.
Whilst it was apparent that Nasr in the No. 31
Whelen Engineering Cadillac was completely focused upon claiming the DPi
Prototypes Championship title since he backed out of a few potential lunges for
the lead whilst trailing Tincknell, instead keeping a fleeting, scant 1.8 second
lead ahead of Ricky Taylor in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura. The two
protagonists for the Prototypes title, with whichever car finished ahead being crowned
Champion!
As I was Rootin’ for Nasr to hold off Taylor,
who attempted Dive Bombing the Brazilian on the final lap to No avail! As Nasr
leaes the team for Audi, and Co-Driver Pipo Derani who lost the title to Taylor
and Hulio’ (Castroneves) last year were worthy Championship winners this season!
In the words of RASSCAR’, The big One occurred when
seven GT Cars were ultimately taken out of competition upon one of the multiple
restarts, being victums of what ‘Ol Hobbo’, aka HobbsCapp’, nee David Hobbs
would call the Concertina effect, when the trailing pack sped up, slowed down
and Whamoe! As the ensuing Full Yellow Caution would last for a Half hour-plus.
Very Happy over my Team Seattle Homeboyz’ Heart
of Racing’s No. 23 Aston Martin being victorious in the GT Daytona class, with
team leader and Endurance “Specialist” Ian James saying after the race that
Ross Gunn was simply On Fire and No One was gonna Catch Him! Although obviously
Roman DeAngelis did his part during the race.
The final GT Le Mans race seemed sorta Anti-climatic,
especially with the leading #97 Weathertech Porsche 911 RSR-19 gifting the win
to it’s Seester No. 79 full Season entry.
And I was Pullin’ for the #30 JR III Racing
LMP3 entry after the #36 Andretti Autosport entry had multiple issues, but it
was another ex-Indy Lights Driver atop the Class Podium instead, when Gar Robinson
led the way aboard his #74 Robinson Ranch riley Motorsports entry.
And the Fireworks didn’t end there, since the
leading #52 LMP2 entry was Docked a Post-race Drive-thru time penalty at the
races end for Avoidable contact, seeing the No. 8 Tower Motorsports winning the
class instead, with another obscure, forgotten ex-Indy Lights driver James
French as part of the winning Driver’s trio.
As usual, it was a totally gripping race for ten solid hours, never knowing who would win the race outright, since many of the Big boyz DPi runners spent time leading, before deservably the ‘lil Car that Could won it’s final race! As not even could it’s suffering a broken Spark plug keep it out of Victory lane…
