GRAND AM: Who's In and Who's Out at the Lime Rock Grand Prix
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
May 26, 2001
LIME ROCK, Conn -- All the teams in the Rolex Sports Car Series were faced with the challenge of setting up their cars in less than a week for this weekend's sprint races at the Lime Rock Grand Prix after last weekend's six-hour endurance race at Watkins Glen International, but some teams have had a tougher battle than others to bounce back from the endurance race.
Miracle Motorsports #6 Ford Riley & Scott
The #6 Ford was involved in an accident with the #15 Porsche during the Six Hours of The Glen last weekend. The Ford sustained severe damage in the collision with the Porsche and guardrails, sending it back to its garage in Florida following the race rather than to Lime Rock. The Six Hours of The Glen was only the second race for the Miracle Motorsports team, who hopes to be back on the track at the Road America 500 in Elkhart Lake, Wis., July 5-8.
Fordahl Motorsports/Crazy Redhead Racing #15 Porsche GT3 RS
The #15 Porsche also suffered major damage after its entanglement with the Miracle Motorsports Ford, however the crew worked throughout the day on Sunday to be able to roll the car into the transporter at the end of the day and send it on its way to Lime Rock. The crew has continued to work on the Porsche, with fellow Porsche team owners pitching in by providing parts and assistance to the Fordahl crew. Car owner and driver Kim Hiskey, whose foot was badly bruised when it became stuck under the pedals during Saturday's collision, has hobbled around on crutches all week in order to allow her foot to heal. She says she is feeling better now and plans to join Randy Pobst in her repaired Porsche this weekend.
Dyson Racing Team #16 & #20 Ford Riley & Scott
Both of the Dyson Racing Team's Fords suffered problems during the Six Hours of The Glen. The #16 Ford had engine trouble that started on the grid and slowly caused the car to lose speed throughout the race. The engine trouble resulted in the #16 car losing the lead and finishing in second place. The #20 Ford had overheating problems at Watkins Glen. Although the team took the car behind the wall for an extended amount of time to work on the cooling system, it continued to overheat when it returned to the track and was retired from the race. Both of the Dyson cars have been repaired this week and should be in top condition when they take to the track for the Lime Rock Grand Prix.
Archangel Motorsport Services #22 Nissan Lola
For the third time this year, the Archangel team had a very short time to prepare a new car to race. The #22 Nissan was destroyed when it went into the wall at Watkins Glen. The team purchased Kevin Jeanettes' spare car, which was delivered to the team in Lime Rock on Tuesday. The team has worked all week on preparing the car for this weekend's race. The #21 Nissan Lola will also compete for Archangel.
Doran Lista Racing #27 Judd Ferrari
The #27 Judd captured its first victory of the season last weekend at The Glen with the revival of the Ferrari chassis. However, the Ferrari chassis was damaged during practice today at Lime Rock Park. The team has its Crawford on hand, which it ran earlier in the season. The team is inspecting the extent of the damage to the Ferrari before making the decision as to which car it will run on Monday.
Intersport Racing #37 Judd Lola & #28 Ford Riley & Scott
The #37 Judd was a top contender at the Six Hours of The Glen before the #09 Corvette got into it in the esses. The damage was enough to force the car to retire from the race. However, the Intersport crew went straight to work on repairing the car for this weekend's race at Lime Rock Park. Co-owners and twin brothers Jon and Joe Field will pilot the Judd this weekend. Jon's usual co-driver, Oliver Gavin, returned home to England following the Watkins Glen race, while Joe's co-driver of the #28 Ford, Jon's 17-year-old son Clint, will not be allowed to compete for the second race in a row due to being under the age of 18. State law requires competitors to be 18 years of age. The Ford will remain in the paddock this weekend.
Case It Racing #61 Porsche GT3 RS
The #61 Porsche went into the wall on the final lap of the Six Hours of The Glen, sustaining severe damage. The crew worked practically day and night this week to repair the car, which now appears to be ready to compete in this weekend's race. The owners of the car are calling the work of their crew nothing short of a miracle.
Robinson Racing #74 Ford Riley & Scott
Robinson Racing's debut of its new Riley & Scott Mark III-C chassis was short lived last weekend at The Glen when the throttle stuck in practice with owner George Robinson behind the wheel. Luckily the team had its older Ford Riley & Scott on hand to compete in the Six Hours of The Glen. The new Riley & Scott chassis headed back to the manufacturer for repairs, and Robinson Racing will continue to run its older car this weekend at Lime Rock Park. The team hopes the new car will be ready for the ConAgra Foods U.S. Road Racing Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 7-10.
Morrision/Mosler #02 Mosler
The #02 Mosler went out early in the Six Hours of The Glen with transmission problems. The Mosler had a different transmission than its sister car had used previously when running in the series. The crew has installed a new transmission with hopes it will be more reliable in this weekend's race.
Text provided by Christie Hyde
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