2017 Petit LeMans Recap
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the 10 hour race at Road Atlanta referred to as, “Petit Le Mans” and the fourth year as International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) with 2013 being the last year only AMLS (American Le Mans Series) raced at this event.
The weekend is always jam packed of racing action with those series in attendance including WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (WSCC), Continental Challenge (classes Grand Sport GS and Street Turner ST), Porsche GT3 cup, and IMSA Prototype Challenge. With WSCC having four classes Prototype (P), Prototype Challenge (PC), GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona GTD).
To learn more about the classes, please read here:
The Prototype Challenge series is not the same as the PC class within WSCC. Within the series, there are two classes which include LM P3 and MPC which is Mazda Prototype Challenge using Elan DP02 chasses powered by Mazda engines which was previously considered the IMSA Lites class.
While Petit Le Mans marks the end of the IMSA racing season, 2017 also marked the end of the Prototype Challenge class within WSCC. Teams like Starworks Motorsport, JDC/Miller Motorsports, BAR1 Motorsports, and Performance Tech have competed in PC class, and several have used the PC experience as an entry into a higher class within WTCC. With a high count of six cars, it was sad the class ends with only three cars remaining at Petit Le Mans.
The 2017 season for PC reminded of the GX class which ended in 2013. With the exception of Rolex 24, most of the 2013 season saw only three GX cars #38 BGB Motorsports in the Porsche Cayman with drivers Jeff Mosing, Jim Norman, and Spencer Pumpelly and Speedsource with two Mazda 6 cars #70 drivers Tom Long, Sylvain Tremblay, and #00 drivers Joel Miller, Tristan Nunez. I know I was not a fan of the concept “show up and get a podium” due to only three cars.
While this may be not be popular comment, I enjoyed the PC car. There I said it. I liked the open cockpit which gave fans a chance to “see” the driver. Also it provided interesting drama when it started to rain. What impact would the wet have on the driver and the electronics of the car? The PC class provided some drivers and teams with their only opportunity to race and get into the show.
The PC class was not without its critics and, at Petit Le Mans, sports writers got into their own “grove” of saying good-bye to the PC car. John Dagys tweeted, “One PR rep in the media center suggests we gather all the PC cars for a big post-race bonfire. #MotulPLM” and “PC class is the Walking Dead”, from Tony Dizinno.
All that aside, I was happy to chat with James French, after capturing the pole in qualifying in the #38 Performance Tech Motorsports Oreca FLM09 PC car. James talks about his last qualifying experience and lap in the PC car. “The lap honestly was pretty nice out there. It was just the two cars so we had lots of clean track. Honestly I planned to do two flying laps but I kind of lost track of time and kind of enjoying myself. So I was talking on the radio, and I wasn’t getting any feedback so I was like to I keep going or pit and I finally heard back, finish the lap. I came in and found we had a nice comfy gap so that was all good. Really enjoyable qualifying session.”
James continues, “As far as PC going away, it’s kind of sad, I feel really comfortable in the car. I’ve had a lot of fun in it so it is going to be whatever we move onto. I am ready for something different to be honest. It will be a good challenge and ready to embrace something different and ready to learn something else.” James has aspirations for next year but nothing final as of yet.
How does James feel about seeing the PC class reduced to only three cars? “Whether it’s one car or three car, it’s always enjoyable to be on the track, it’s my favorite place to be. So regardless how many cars it’s enjoyable to just be driving.”
In the PC car, what was your favorite track you raced? “Don’t make me pick! I would have to say Road America since that’s my home track. And some of my close seconds is Watkins Glen after it was repaved. Absolutely amazing to drive and it’s like instantly 3 seconds of pace. Long Beach on the list, since I played it on video games since I was a little kid. Be actually be there and go past the fountain turn in person is pretty cool.”
I asked if he took time to check out the fountain turn as he went past. James continues, “I took a moment to soak it up when I get an out lap.”
Sadly the Petit Le Mans race did not go as James and the Performance Tech team had wished. While the team won the overall class championship, the team settled for a third place finish, but not before the car took one more spin and not only brought out the yellow flag, but brought out more PC comments from media and racing folks.
Even the team got into the fun, with their tweet “@FrenchRacing38 had to get his PC spin before it was too late! Prototype spins just aren’t the same” and “What better way to ring in the last 40 minutes than with a FCY?!”
To learn more about James French, please follow him on Facebook at James French Racing or on Twitter at @FrenchRacing38
To learn more about Performance Tech Motorsports race recap please check out their website: http://www.performancetechmotorsports.com/performance-tech-motorsports-2017-pc-class-champions/
The Road Atlanta weekend was the end for the full season pairing of drivers Owen Trinkler and Sarah Cattaneo who have successfully competed in their #44 pink Nissan Altima, and prior Honda Civic Si, in the CTSSC series. The team invited fans to sign the hood of the car which will be hung on Sarah’s garage wall.
The “CRG – I Do Borrow” team has had much success over the years starting in 2014 and it was wonderful to see the team go out with a win at Road Atlanta. The team announced back in August, that CRG would not run a full-time schedule in 2018
Please read more here regarding the end of the race era:
Please read more here regarding the teams success:
Owen is a regular part of the Sports Car Unleashed podcasts and was part of the Radio Le Mans broadcast team covering the IMSA WSCC races where he added driver experience and insight. Please follow Owen into his next adventure on Facebook at Owen Trinkler Motorsports and on Twitter at @owentrinkler
When I started this race weekend recap, I had included my own comments and thoughts regarding Stevenson Motorsports ending their racing adventures. While it is sad to see any team leave, Stevenson Motorsports (SM) has always held a special place in my heart. Over the years SM has competed in Grand Am Continental Tire Racing before joining IMSA with multiple cars in the respective fields.
The majority of the races, the car wraps sported a patriotic theme and was one of the original teams I followed with Grand Am. With the recent passing of Johnny Stevenson, I pulled my article to add my own personal comments regarding Johnny and Susan Stevenson. As many of you know, while I attended the VIR Grand Am race in 2005, I started to seriously follow the race series a couple of years later and ended up attending 50 consecutive races.
When I started turning up race after race, I was approached by many team crew members, drivers, and team owners asking, “Who are you?” Many thought I worked for a team or was a team or driver relative, but I was and always will be, just a fan.
Johnny and Susan Stevenson were two of the many people who approached me, introduced themselves and always said hello to me at the track. But they didn’t stop there. With the majority of the races being held during the heat of the summer months, Johnny and Susan always invited me to take water from their cooler, sit in their shaded hauler area, and even invited me to lunch. Johnny used to ask me, “Do you need anything?”
Johnny and Susan never cared that I wasn’t dressed head to toe in Stevenson Motorsports gear. They just wanted to show their appreciation that I traveled to the races and had fun. Articles will be written regarding the racing and podium success of Stevenson Motorsports which should be honored. I will always remember their kindness, which for this race fan will always make them winners.
Please take a last look at Stevenson Motorsports here: http://www.stevensonmotorsports.com/
To read more about the passing of Johnny Stevenson: http://sportscar365.com/imsa/john-stevenson-passes-away/
Thank you all for reading and I welcome your comments. I have no affiliation with IMSA, Road Atlanta, etc. just a fan. There are many blogs and websites where you will find statistics, results, and scoring from the race; this is just the way I see it. Got a response? Follow and tweet me @viclovesracing
