Terry Borcheller - Homestead race

strong sixth

 

Terry Borcheller finished sixth in the Rolex Sports Car Series race at
Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 5, but he said it felt like a podium
finish. Borcheller, of Gainesville, Ga., and Bell Motorsports/Feeds the Need
Racing have struggled to return to the performance that helped them win the
2003 series championship, so the finish was welcome news.

 

Christian Fittipaldi of Biscayne Bay, Fla., started the No. 54 Kodak
EasyShare Pontiac-Doran JE4 fourth on the 47-car grid. He took the lead
after 19 minutes of the two-hour 45-minute race and held it until just
before the one-hour mark, when his tires started to lose their performance
edge. He was eighth when he handed over to Borcheller at 1h26. Borcheller
returned to the track 13th, but worked his way back to finish sixth.

 

"We had a 10th-place car and finished sixth, so I was pretty happy with
that. It felt like a podium even though it wasn't," he said. "We're lacking
downforce on the car, so whenever the tires start to go off, it really makes
it difficult to stay with the other cars. They're struggling with the same
tire problems we are, but they have more downforce, so it's actually more
manageable for them.

 

"We were going on a one-stop strategy. We have to pull every possibility and
take every chance we can to try to win because we're still trying to get the
speed that we need."

 

bright light

 

Borcheller was hampered by the glare of the Florida sun as it set during his
stint. He prefers to race with a clear helmet visor, but acknowledged a
darker shield could have helped him to gain an extra position:

 

"I think we would have been able to get fifth. At the point that I caught
Scott [Pruett, in fifth place], I was using his brake lights to brake
because I couldn't see anything. The glare was very intense. I couldn't see
any of the markers going into turn one or going into the hairpin because I
was directly into the sun. I figured we would be finished before the sun was
right in our eyes, but I didn't think enough about it."

 

K&N news

 

Borcheller's primary personal sponsor, K&N Performance Filters, was
announced as the preferred filter of the IndyCar Series on March 5. The
IndyCar Series shared the Homestead, Fla., race weekend with the Rolex
Series. Borcheller also receives support from the Bondurant School of High
Performance Driving, Alpinestars and Bell Helmets.

 

next

 

Borcheller will drive the No. 63 ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R in the Mobil
1 12 Hours of Sebring on March 19.