Long Beach Race Report with Lap by Lap and Results
April 13, 2003
LONG BEACH, Calif. ‹ There was one thing missing from Boris Said¹s lengthy
resume, and that was victory at Long Beach. Said rectified that situation
Sunday by winning his first race at the storied temporary street course.
Said (No. 33 New Century Mortage/Hitachi Ford Mustang) passed Scott Pruett
for the lead in turn eight on lap 47 and held on for the 4.296-second margin
of victory in the 75-minute timed event. Johnny Miller (No. 64 Eaton
Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR) finished second, ahead of Scott Pruett, who had
led every lap to that point from the pole in his No. 7 Jaguar R Performance
XKR. Paul Gentilozzi finished fourth after setting the fastest race lap, an
event record 1:22.025 at 86.374 miles per hour. Rookie Jorge Diaz, Jr.
completed the top five.
³Me and Scott were using our cars up a little too much at the beginning,²
said Said, who recorded his 12th Series victory. ³I think I just had a
little more Ford Mustang at the end.²
Miller equaled his best effort at Long Beach. Miller last finished second at
Long Beach in 1999.
³We had a pretty good race,² said Miller. ³I had a soft brake pedal early,
so I just kept a pace. The car was really good at the end and I need to
thank the crew for that.²
Pruett lost second to Miller on lap 50. Pruett said he just abused the car
too much. Pruett did earn the BFGoodrich® Tires Take Control Award for
leading the most laps.
³The race was too long,² laughed Pruett, who recorded his 32nd podium finish
in his Series 50th start. ³Boris was driving me hard all race long, but I
stepped over the edge with the tires. BFGoodrich makes a great tire, but we
just pushed it a little too hard.²
With the victory, Said cut into Pruett¹s lead in the 2003 championship.
Pruett leads the points battle with 66 points.
The race ran in 75 minutes, 31.6 seconds at an average speed of 79.752 mph.
The race was slowed by one caution for four laps.
Lap by Lap:
4 p.m. Green Flag
Lap 1 Scott Pruett (No. 7 Jaguar R Performance XKR) and Boris Said (No.
33 New Century Mortgage/Hitachi Data Systems/Quantum Ford Mustang) side
by side into turn one. Polesitter Pruett holds the lead.
Joey Scarallo (No. 06 ROH Wheels Chevrolet Corvette) and Marvin Jones
(No. 45 M&L Jones Racing LLC/BG Products Qvale Mangusta) tangle in
turn eight. Claudio Burtin (No. 07 Line-X Panoz Esperante) and Simon
Gregg (No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette) also tangle in turn
eight. Burtin comes away with left-rear body damage.
Lap 2 Mike Davis (No. 11 New Century Mortgage/Hitachi Data
Systems/Quantum Ford Mustang) pits with a bad distributor.
Lap 4 Gregg slows on the backstretch with a transmission problem.
Lap 7 Paul Gentilozzi (No. 3 Design 500 Racewear/Jaguar R Performance
XKR) up to seventh. Started 16th.
Lap 12 Jones short cuts between turns one and five.
Lap 13 Jones short cuts between turns one and five.
Lap 15 Gentilozzi up to fifth.
Lap 17 Bobby Sak (No. 10 Revolution Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette spins
and continues.
Lap 18 Gentilozzi takes fourth from Michael Lewis (No. 12 Trans-Am Tools
by ProQuest Jaguar XKR).
Lap 25 (FAST FIVE LAP) Said and Pruett earn one bonus point each for
winning the Fast Five Lap.
Lap 29 Sak brushes turn-10 wall.
Lap 31 Randy Ruhlman (No. 49 Preformed Line Products/COYOTE Closures
Chevrolet Corvette) reports low voltage.
Lap 32 Jorge Diaz, Jr. (No. 8 Puerto Rico Grand Prix Jaguar XKR) spins in
turn eight, continues.
Lap 33 Gentilozzi reports braking problems.
Scarallo reports fuel pickup problems.
Tomy Drissi (No. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen The Movie Jaguar
XKR) pits with power steering problems.
Lap 34 Stu Hayner (No. 2 Trenton Forging/GMAC Commercial Finance
Chevrolet Corvette) brushes turn-10 wall.
Ruhlman stops in turn seven.
Sak receives warning for contact with Burtin.
Drissi receives warning for contact with Diaz.
Lap 35 Burtin black flagged for mechanical problems. Burtin pits for
repairs.
Lap 36 Max Lagod (No. 83 Hypermax Diesel Turbo Systems Chevrolet Camaro)
smoking heavily on backstretch.
Lap 39 Drissi black flagged for speeding on pit road. Serves
drive-through penalty.
Lap 40 Burtin rejoins the field.
Lap 41 Lagod retires with water pump failure.
George Nolte (No. 43 www.Nolte.com/BG Products Ford Mustang) spins.
Full Course Caution
Lap 45 John Baucom (No. 86 Baucom Motorsports Jaguar XKR) pits.
Lap 46 Restart. Timed race called.
Lap 47 Said passes Pruett for lead.
Lap 50 Johnny Miller (No. 64 Eaton Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR) passes
Pruett for second.
Lap 51 Final Lap.
Checkered Flag
Long Beach, Calif. -- The results from Sunday's 51-lap, 100.368 mile
Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich® Tires Cup race No. 2, at Long Beach,
with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, car, laps
completed and reason out if any.
1. (2), Boris Said, Ford Mustang, 51, Running.
2. (5), Johnny Miller, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
3. (1), Scott Pruett, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
4. (3), Paul Gentilozzi, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
5. (9), Jorge Diaz, Jr., Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
6. (6), Stuart Hayner, Chevrolet Corvette, 51, Running.
7. (10), Greg Pickett, Chevrolet Corvette, 51, Running.
8. (8), Bobby Sak, Chevrolet Corvette, 51, Running.
9. (4), Michael Lewis, Jaguar XKR, 51, Running.
10. (19), Joey Scarallo, Chevrolet Corvette, 49, Running.
11. (16), Claudio Burtin, Panoz Esperante, 47, Running.
12. (4), Marvin Jones, Qvale Mangusta, 47, Running.
13. (7), Tomy Drissi, Jaguar XKR, 46, Fuel.
14. (15), Simon Gregg, Chevrolet Corvette, 46, Contact.
15. (18), George Nolte, Ford Mustang, 46, Running.
16. (12), John Baucom, Jaguar XKR, 39, Mechanical.
17. (11), Max Lagod, Chevrolet Camaro, 34, Running.
18. (13), Randy Ruhlman, Chevrolet Corvette, 31, Mechanical.
19. (14), Mike Davis, Ford Mustang, 27, Running.
