ALMS: Porsche ALMS Winning Streak Ends at Thirteen at Laguna Seca
16 October 2000
LAGUNA SECA, CA - October 15, 2000 - Mechanical problems conspired to end Porsche's 13-race American Le Mans Series win streak which spanned more than a year. The streak came to an end today with a second place GT Class finish at the Globalcenter Sports Car Races here at Laguna Seca, just outside of Monterey, CA.The early stages of the GT Class race were dominated by the battle for the lead between the number 5 Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Dirk Muller and the upstart number 52 Seikel Racing 911 GT3 R driven by Christophe Bouchet. The GT Class lead changed hands several times before Muller finally emerged on top.
The joy was short-lived however. On lap fourteen a shredded right front tire brought the Barbour Porsche into the pits. It was later found to have been caused by a broken lower right wishbone.
Meanwhile, the top qualifying Dick Barbour Racing number 51 Porsche 911 GT3 R made early contact with another car causing a half spin at turn 11. The car was later to experience a transmission shifter mechanism failure, causing it to spend nearly 20 minutes in the pits while repairs were made.
This allowed the Number 23 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R to claim the lead. But this, too, was short-lived, as Randy Pobst spun in Laguna Seca's infamous 'Corkscrew' turn loosing 17 seconds off of his lead.
"I had to move over for a prototype and I missed a shift," said Randy Pobst, who based on the outcome of today's race, moved into second place in the GT Class Driver's Points Standings. "We also had a bad 'push' which we tried to adjust out at the pit stop," he added.
The adjustments, however, only changed the handling problem. They did not eliminate it.
"When I got into the car it was so 'loose' it was all I could do to keep it on the road," said Bruno Lambert, Pobst's co-driver and the GT Class winner at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"We had a bad day, but not as bad as some of the other competitors, " said team owner Alex Job, who was disappointed but up-beat despite the day's trials.
"The spin, a broken exhaust header and a stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane, all conspired to do us in. But at least we made up a ton of ground in the driver's points chase!"
Based on the provisional race results, Pobst closed to within five points of GT Class points leader Dirk Muller with just two races left to go. The ALMS series now moves on to Las Vegas in two weeks for the final North American round of the year. After "Vegas" the series travels to Adalaide, Australia for The Race of a Thousand Years" which will be held on New Year's Eve.
Laguna Seca GT Results (top 10) 1. Said/Stuck - PTG BMW M3 105 laps 2. Pobst/Lambert - Porsche 911 GT3 R 104 laps 3. Cunningham/Jonsson - Porsche 911 GT3 R 104 laps 4. Petersen/Fitzgerald/Wagner - Porsche 911 GT3 R 103 laps 5. Bouchut/Burgess - Seikel Porsche 911 GT3 R 103 laps 6. Lewis/Law - MCR/Aspen Knolls Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R 102 laps 7. Wankum/Stanton/Doff - Kyser Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R 100 laps 8. McGlynn/Orcutt - The Races Group Porsche 911 GT3 R 100 laps 9. Bundy/Skea/Dean - Skea Racing Int'l Porsche 911 GT3 R 98 laps 10. Muller/Luhr - Dick Barbour Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R 96 laps