Paul Miller Racing enters this weekend’s IMSA WTSCC race at Road America confident of stretching out its current patch of form.
After season-best third and fourth place finishes at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and Lime Rock, the Lamborghini customer outfit is having its most successful spell of 2016.
The round at Road America therefore presents a good opportunity for Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers to move forward in the GTD drivers’ championship.
With four races to go, they currently sit 7th in the standings, three points behind the BMW pair of Bret Curtis and Jens Klingmann.
“I think we can for sure get good results at Road America due to the learning curve and momentum we’ve had lately,” said Snow. “It’s a fast track that has some great passing points, so it will be interesting to see what our Huracan can do this weekend.”
After receiving a heavy performance penalty for its dominant pace at Daytona in January, Lamborghini has struggled for results in the Huracan’s debut IMSA WTSCC season. Paul Miller Racing’s podium at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park signaled the first top three finish for the Italian marque.
“I think the main thing has been figuring out what the car needs to be fast,” said Sellers. “The Lamborghini lacks downforce to the other cars so we have to make the time up in other areas. We are learning when and where to make the sacrifices and hopefully how to minimize our weaknesses.”
“Straight-line speed and braking are always important at Road America,” added Sellers. “Something that is always overlooked is the car’s balance and capability through the carousel. In my opinion, if you can have those three items you will be fast.”
In 2015 Paul Miller Racing finished sixth in class at Road America with an Audi R8. The year prior to that saw Snow finish on the GTD podium alongside Jan Heylen. The 20 year old is therefore confident that he and Sellers can deliver a high points finish on Sunday.
“In 2014 Jan and I finished on the podium in third,” Snow said. “Although I had previous podiums there with my GT3 Cup car, that 2014 podium was great because we fought so hard for it.”
But past success does not always guarantee a good result. GTD is notorious for its hard-line fuel saving strategies, and at the longest track on the calendar that will be one of the keys to victory.
“During the race, fuel conservation is for sure always in the back of our minds,” explained Snow. “I try to stay more focused on the task at hand, delivering the car back to the team with the results they want, and our Paul Miller Racing crew is awesome.”
“I can trust them to watch my fuel for me and tell me when I need to start practicing conservation techniques toward the end of a stint. The track length doesn’t change our approach too much because, at the end of the day, we still have the same goal to win.”
Round nine of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship gets underway on Sunday, August 7th at 15:05 local time.
