Stevenson Motorsports scored their third consecutive win in the Rolex Series, taking victory around the streets of Detroit at Belle Isle Park.
John Edwards and Robin Liddell dominated the GT class in the previous two rounds of the championship and continued the run of victories in Detroit, but this time only leading 27 laps on the road to victory.
Rarely it was Liddell who started the race for the team, starting from fifth on the grid, working up to third in the early stages of two-hour sprint. Liddell ran in the top-three for the majority of his stint before the team made the most of a caution period, pulling him in for the routine driver change.
A perfect pit stop for the team meant that Edwards emerged from the pit lane with the race lead, holding on to the spot for the remainder of the race.
“Three in a row is awesome, but this one is all to the guys who did that pit stop,” said team manager Mike Johnson. “One of the most important pit stops of the season right there and for those guys to hit is absolutely perfectly—to get us in, get us out, get us in the lead. We knew that that was going to be the race and it was. So really, all the credit goes to the guys who go over the wall.”
The result moves Stevenson Motorsports up in to second place in the championship standings, only five seconds away from the leading machine.
“We weren’t the fastest the last two races and still got the win, and obviously the Ferraris were much quicker than us here today, but that’s not what it’s all about,” said team owner John Stevenson. “We had good strategy and good drivers, and the guys did a great job, and Mike did a great job on the box. Robin’s always awesome and John Eddy did a great job and closed the door and we got us three in a row! We’re sure going to try to make it four in a row at Mid-Ohio, you know that!”
