15 GT cars took the track this weekend for the IMSA FCP NorthEast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. Matt Campbell took both overall and GTD Pro pole position in the #9 Pfaff Motorsport Porsche yesterday. The #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus piloted by Frankie Montecalvo won pole in GTD in the same session after a hard fought five way battle for top of the class.
Campbell got off the line good but Jack Hawksworth in the #14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus was right on his gearbox. In GTD, the #39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Lamborghini driven by Robert Megennis was given a drive-through penalty for changing lanes before the start/finish line.
During the first pit stop cycle, Jordan Taylor in his #3 Corvette got out of the pits ahead of Hawksworth, but after it was deemed he made an illegal move to get ahead of Hawksworth, Taylor had to give the place back. The #9 pit as well, but after losing a few seconds due to a slow stop, lost track position. The GTD pit stops cycle got started right as the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW finally succumbed to ECU issues that plagued their start and retired.
Campbell worked his way up the grid and got in a tight battle with Taylor, that battle lasted until the #3 pitted for a driver change from Taylor to Antonio Garcia. The #25 began to slow and had to pit for mechanical issue during this time as well, they would eventually retire. The #3 found itself stuck in heavy GTD traffic on Garcia’s first few race laps of the day. After contact with the #79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes, the #3 was listing to the right and ducked into the pits to find damage to the right rear suspension. The team was able to repair the damage and get Taylor back on track.
As the race reached half distance, teams made their way to the pits for driver changes and refuels for the last stint of the race. The #9 stayed out for more laps than any other GTD Pro, allowing Campbell to build a full laps distance between him and his nearest competitor. The team pitted for a driver switch and put Mathieu Jaminet in the car. They left the pits with a sizable lead and held that till the end of the race.
In the last half hour of the race, the #51 Rick Wear Racing Acura went off track for the second time during the race and into the tire barrier, the full yellow was thrown as repairs were made, and the race resumed with 10 minutes left. Jaminet was a rocket off the restart and continued to grow his lead.
Down in GTD the #12 had issues with the hood of the car popping up and effecting visibility, the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes driven by Philip Ellis, took the lead. It seemed as if Ellis had fought off the pressure from behind coming into the final lap, but as he turn the last few corners he ran out of fuel. Bryan Sellers in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW took the checkered flag in GTD and Mathieu Jaminet in the #9 Pfaff Motorsport BMW took a commanding win in GTD Pro
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