SCOTT PRUETT took the chequered and yellow flags together Sunday when he drove Chip Ganassi Racing's #01 CompUSA Lexus Riley to victory at the Grand American Rolex Series
Road & Track 250 race at Mazda Raceway Laguna's US Sports Car Invitational.
The Rolex rules call for a time certain race of 2hr 45mins because of the live TV window - and time ran out after numerous accidents, six cautions and 22 yellow flag laps. The race only ran 97 of the scheduled 112 laps, with no chance for a green flag finish after the last caution. Pruett's co-driver is LUIS DIAZ.
Prototype Technology Group swept the GT class 1-2-3, and the only reason they didn't also take fourth was that their fourth car was withdrawn due to Saturday's accident. The winning PTG
BMW M3 was driven by BILL AUBERLEN, who was added to the car after his car was withdrawn, JUSTIN MARKS and team owner's son, TOM MILNER.
The weather was picture perfect Sunday and a good time was had by all.
Pruett took the overall lead from BUTCH LEITZINGER's #4 The Snow Plow Pontiac Crawford going up hill from turn six on lap 70. As Pruett put it "Butch bobbled and Pruett passed". Leitzinger admitted earlier that his car took awhile to get up to speed on cold tyres. Leitzinger co-drives with ELLIOT FORBES-ROBINSON. This was their third runner-up finish this season, and they worked for it Sunday after starting thirteenth.
Leitzinger dogged Pruett to the very end, and each was complimentary of the other's driving in the battle for the victory.
Pruett benefited from the misery which befell HUGO GUENETTE's #15 DLG/HRIS Lexus Riley when he lost his nose on what turned out to be the penultimate lap when the scenario brought out the caution flag.
Finishing third was TERRY BORCHELLER driving the #54 Kodak/PPG Pontiac Doran, with co-driver RALF KELLENERS.
Points leaders MAX ANGELELLI and WAYNE TAYLOR maintained their lead with a fourth place finish in the badly battered #10 SunTrust Pontiac Riley. So much for the brand new paint job. Their advantage over the Ganassi guys is ten points, and all four drivers have two victories each in the first four of a 14-race season.
