JAMES GUE finished third in the LMP2 class, with co-driver IAN JAMES. Gue stopped on course and retired in the last quarter hour with mechanical problems, giving the Miracle Motorsports Courage C65 AER a P28 finish, 31 laps down. However, James still won the LMP2 Championship, and Miracle Motorsports won the Team Championship.
RON FELLOWS and JOHNNY O'CONNELL put the bright yellow Corvette C5-R into Victory Lane for the GTS class win, their fifth this season, and the first time Corvette has won at Laguna Seca. Their crew chief is DAN BINKS, who comes from a racing family. Father PHIL is a vintage racer and starter at SCCA races; Mother MARGE is a past SCCA board of directors chairman and SCCA registrar. Dannie was a crew chief with Roush Racing for years and has also worked with TOMMY KENDALL, among others.
Fellows and O'Connell had already clinched the class championship, and are now one race behind all time ALMS wins leader, SASCHA MAASSEN, who raced the #43 BAM! Porsche 911 GT3 RSR this weekend, co-driving with LUCAS LUHR and LEO HINDERY. They finished eighth in GT in an ill-handling car, not exactly what one wants on a slick track in rainy weather.
Fellows and O'Connell bid a fond farewell to the C5-R, which started its career in the rain at
Daytona and finished in the rain at Laguna Seca. Next season, Corvette will debut its new C6-R. Fellows said it was the team's first experience in racing the car in the rain on Michelin tyres. He was glad it wasn't he who was driving the last stint. Despite the weather, O'Connell turned the fastest GTS race lap.
The sister Corvette car, driven by OLIVIER BERETTA and OLIVER GAVIN finished second in class. Beretta's weekend wasn't over after the race. On Sunday, he raced a factory Cadillac CT5-V in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT race.
ROMAN DUMAS and MARC LIEB won the GT class in the #24 Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. For Dumas, it was his second win this season and third in ALMS; for Lieb, it was his second victory, both this year.
