The TUDOR United SportsCar Championship packed a year’s worth of plot twists and turns into the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen as the race of speed became a wild race of survival as Michelin teams claimed second through eighth place in the GTLM class.
The race took on a decidedly different character when sporadic rain cells of varying intensity appeared in the final two hours on the hilly, fast, 3.4 mile circuit. A series of yellow caution flags in the changing conditions in the final two hours left Michelin teams vulnerable to a late race fuel mileage gamble and paid off for the rival Walker Racing Falken Porsche when a final yellow flag appeared with just seven minutes remaining. The race finished under the seventh yellow flag of the race.
Recent 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Earl Bamber and Porsche North America team co-driver Joerg Bergmeister finished second in the GTLM class, leading a five-some of Michelin technical partners on the class lead lap. Finishing third were Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner from BMW Team RLL Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia finished fourth followed by Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer of Risi Competizione.
Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia of Corvette Racing and BMW Team RLL’s Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werrner are now tied for the TUDOR Championship GTLM driver championship lead as the teams head into the second half of the season.
“We had the technology and teams but certainly not the racing luck today,” said Chris Baker, director of motorsports, Michelin North America. “Our full-wet tires and our cool/damp-conditions slicks performed well and we will take our lessons from here and get ready for the next race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 11.”
