Less than a month after scoring their first podium on the biggest possible stage – the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Robertson Racing picked up a second third place, this time in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
“It's wonderful that for two races running we've managed to stand on the podium,” said team manager Andrew 'H' Smith. “Le Mans is a huge event but this result has greater significance given that it was in the overall GT class as there's no Am division, as well as it being our first in the ALMS.”
The David Murry and Anthony Lazzaro crewed no.04 ran in fourth place in the closing stages, taking advantage of the problems other teams had had during the two-hour 45-minute race at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut. Conduct in traffic was around the 1.5 track, several of the leading contenders knocked out of the battle for the podium after an early crash.
Lazzaro survived his own brush with traffic, the no.01 Extreme Speed Motorsport Ferrari tipping him into a spin at turn one, but with no damage he was able to continue and was in fourth chasing down the Team Falken Tire Porsche for third in the closing laps of the race. Exiting the Diving Turn – the course's final corner, a sweeping right hander – for the final time Lazzaro tried to pull up on the outside of the Porsche, which weaved across the track to block the passing attempt, keeping the Ford behind by a fraction of a second at the finish line.
However, the over-defensive driving almost immediately earned the Porsche 90 second penalty promoting Murry and Lazzaro into third behind the winning BMW and Flying Lizard Motorsports. The Robertson racing pair also collected the GT class' Michelin Green X Challenge.
Smith added; “Murry did a great job early on to keep the leaders honest before Lazzaro drove the pants off the car at the end. Clearly the Porsche blocked us on the final lap. I can understand that he was desperate to hang on for the podium but you're only allowed to move once which is why I immediately went to Race Control. We would always prefer to cross the finish line first but when manoeuvres, which include contact, prevent that, you have no choice. All in all though it's been a great day.”
The only low point of the race was the sister no.40 car of Andrea and David Robertson, which was forced out of the race with 45 minutes remaining due to a mechanical problem.
