Victory in yesterday’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge 2.5 hour race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca went to Stevenson Motorsports, as the pairing of Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis scored their second consecutive win in the #6 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R.
Davis started the race, running in 2nd before pitting on lap 14. This early stop proved beneficial for the team, as the fresh tyres moved him quickly back up the order. A stop on lap 70 for Liddell to take over the winning car went smoothly and he went on to score the team’s 2nd consecutive win and 3rd consecutive podium of the 2015 season, improving their points standings even more.
The #9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro of Matt Bell and Lawson Aschenbach finished 11th after Bell led the opening 39 laps. A pit stop on lap 40 forced the duo into a unplanned fuel strategy which later forced Aschenbach to retire, giving up a podium position.
“We made a gutsy call early, and it paid off,” said team manager Mike Johnson. “Track position is so important here. It worked out great for the six, but I feel so bad for the nine. Every weekend, those guys are up front, right there in a strong place but they tried something different and it just didn’t work. In years past (with more yellows), it would have worked but they just missed it by a lap. It’s unfortunate. We were happy with the 1-2 finish at Sebring but I hate where the 9 car finished today. But we still had great execution across the board and will look to do it again at Watkins Glen.”
“We were very lucky today with the strategy,” said Liddell. “Mike (Johnson) and Andrew (Davis) made a really good call between them just when the pits were closing and we were able to dive in and take advantage. It was a risky strategy because we expected a lot of yellows around here. That strategy really put us in a good spot. It wasn’t easy at the end. I was hanging on for dear life kind of thing. I was trying to keep my head about me and do what I had to do. Overall the car performed extremely well this weekend.”
The headline event at Laguna Seca, the Tudor United SportsCar Championship race, will take place this evening, at 4pm EST, 9pm UK.
