Three-fold Disappointment at Long Beach
A better result was spoiled for the LMP2 team with drivers Thomas Martin and Rico Kollmeier when contact occurred with the No. 24 BMW LMDh of Stow Motorsports heading into turn one shortly before the end of the race.
“It was one of those racing deals. I thought I left plenty of room on the left, but somehow we ended up making contact and I just couldn’t slow it down anymore in time, so we hit the wall pretty hard.”, said Kollmeier.
The crash resulted in damage to the No. 14 Dallara and relegated the team to a disappointing P12 finish.
In GTD class competition, the No. 85 Porsche with Stephen Nobes received damage when another GTD class car suddenly stopped coming out of turn 11 trying to make a last-gasp dive into pit lane. The suspension broke and forced the team to make a lengthy repair stop. In the end the Porsche 911 GT3 R ended up P17, seven laps down.
The lone Fischer Motorsport entry without any crashes or damage in the race, the No. 84 Porsche did not crack the top ten in GTD class, after failing to take the wave-by during the race’s lone full-course yellow. The error cost the team several positions and resulted in them finishing one lap down, unable to make up lost ground.
In the championship, the No. 14 Dallara LMP2 now drops to third place, with a 63-point margin to the leaders. In GTD the No. 84 Porsche is seventh, 392 points back and the No. 85 Porsche is ninth at a 462-point deficit.
The next round of the VSCA SportsCar Championship takes place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on May 6th.
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