TRG - Laguna Seca race

difficult day

 

TRG struggled with mechanical gremlins during the Rolex Sports Car Series
race at Laguna Seca Raceway. Marc Bunting and Andy Lally slipped to second
in the GT championship with an 18th-place finish in the No. 65 Auto
Gallery/TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Dave Master and Dan Pastorini finished
19th in the No. 63 Master Asset Management/Administaff Porsche. Kevin
Buckler and Steve Johnson retired after a half-shaft broke in their No. 88
Comfort Systems USA car.

 

time           car            position             driver
action

 

start            63             25                      Master

                  65             12                      Bunting
no power steering

                  88              2                      Buckler

45m            65               8                      change
Lally in, tires, fuel

49m            63             25                      Master
fuel

53m            65             19                      Lally
pit to repair wiring

1h2             65             25                      Lally
back on track, five laps down

1h20           63             25                      change
Pastorini in, tires, fuel

                  88               7                      Buckler
contact with prototype, flat tire

                                                             change
Johnson in, tires, fuel

1h46           65             28                      Lally
fuel

2h26           88             23                      Johnson
broken half shaft, out of race

finish          63             19                      Pastorini

                  65             18                      Lally

                  88             25                      out of race

 

Dave Master, Master Asset Management/Administaff No. 63:

 

"I was just trying to stay out of the way of the DP cars, but I got wide in
turn nine and went into the dirt and hit the tire wall. It didn't do that
much damage to the car, but we went down a lap. When I came into the pits to
have the car checked, my co-driver Dan Pastorini wasn't ready to get in the
car, so we lost more time there. It was an uncoordinated weekend all the way
around."

 

Dan Pastorini, Master Asset Management/Administaff No. 63:

 

"That was definitely the most exciting thing I've done in a long time. We
knew we didn't have a competitive car, but I stayed out of harm's way of the
P cars, let them do their race and just tried to improve. I'm really
thrilled with what we accomplished this weekend. We've got the car in one
piece – that's the most important thing – and we finished."

 

Marc Bunting, Auto Gallery/TRG No. 65:

 

"It was a frustrating day for us. We lost the power steering before the race
and we had some low-voltage issues, so we had to replace the battery. We
just tried to stay out there, stay clean and get the best we could out of
it. It was my first time driving a car without power steering. At a track
like Laguna where there aren't a lot of straightaways, it was definitely a
workout."

 

Andy Lally, Auto Gallery/TRG No. 65:

 

"The car was great until we had the problem. The guys did a super job fixing
it – to switch out a battery and only lose five laps says a lot for the
team. Unfortunately we just didn't get a chance to go out there and fight
everybody. I think we lost the championship lead, but we'll just put our
heads down and head to Mont-Tremblant and try to win one."

 

Kevin Buckler, Comfort Systems USA No. 88:

 

"At the start of the race, we stayed in the lead of the Porsche brigade. I
got hit in the back by Pat Long; he used me as a bumper. The car got a
little puncture in one of the tires and we had to come in. Steve went out
and did great, but it did cost us a couple of laps."

 

Steve Johnson, Comfort Systems USA No. 88:

 

"I think we were in good position. We were running hard and having a good
time. It just came to an end. You can't let it get you down – that's
racing."