Highcroft Racing were left hugely disappointed to retire from a race they believe they could have won after two collisions on the same lap at Laguna Seca ended their hopes.
Ending what had been a superb day for the highest placed Acura, the race didn't start too well for the David Brabham/Stefan Johansson entry after the Australian was forced to go off at start in avoidance of a spinning Bryan Herta.
"Even with the spin at the beginning of my stint, we managed to come back very well,” Brabham said. “I think I might have been knocked slightly from behind. But we got back on course and pulled back up to sixth position. The car was performing really well throughout my run. We were fighting for grip, along with everyone else, especially when the track grew colder as the day went on.”
Getting back on track, Brabham surged up to sixth before handing over to Johansson, the Swede going on to embark on a storming drive up the order that included him overtaking one of the Audi's and a Penske Porsche – a major achievement in itself.
However, when the Audi attempted to re-pass, he clipped the back of the car and caused a puncture. Forcing Johansson to slow down, the car was then hit by a Dyson Porsche as he rose Monterrey crest and punted into retirement.
A desperate end to an otherwise impressive race that could have seen Highcroft finish the season third in the LMP2 standings, Johansson was adamant they could have been celebrating their first win otherwise.
"I don't know quite what to say - it's highly disappointing. I think we could have won the race today - I just felt we had the car to do it. It was awful to get hit the first time and then even worse to get taken out completely. I don't know if we would have recovered from the damage, but it was just body damage - the suspension seemed fine. I could have driven it back to the pits. It's one of those things you have to live with - we were so close but didn't quite make it."
Nonetheless, team owner Duncan Dayton has vowed to come back even stronger in 2008 following a learning year that has promised much.
