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| The Preferred Line - WCGT Road America race report |
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Is Lawson smiling because he is now in the points lead or for the more obvious reasons - Jim Bourn photo
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The race for gold
From there eventual race winner Tommy Archer (c3controls/Autohaus Dodge Viper), Imrey's teammate Lawson Aschenbach, driving the AXA Financial Porsche 997, and Reese's Banner Corvette began to slowly pull away in tight formation from the rest of the field to finish the race in that order as Imrey began to fall of the pace slightly but still holding 4th spot for much of the race. Ricardo would fall back a few positions but recover to finish 6th.
Tommy (Archer) was setting the pace and I was driving pretty hard, Reese said of his race today. I think I had a car that was pretty even with Lawson's. But for me to try to pass him would have been a high risk maneuver or lean on him pretty hard or whatever.
Reese was trying to measure Aschenbach while Lawson was trying to see where he could gain an edge on Archer's Viper but Aschenbach later admitted that as hard as he was trying he just couldn't find a clean pass for the lead.
Leighton had the same issue with Aschenbach's Porsche saying, I was hoping he was going to make a mistake. There were some challenging situations out there where we both hit some oil and both locked up our tires and puffed smoke out off our wheels.
I was hoping I wasn't going to go into the gravel trap and then I was hoping I wasn't going to t-bone him (Aschenbach).
I was hoping that you wouldn't t-bone me either, Lawson answered back with a smile.
We didn't have anything for him (Archer), said Aschenbach after the race. The places that I was quicker than him weren't places that I needed to be quicker!
Aschenbach's 2nd place coupled with Gigliotti's 14th placing moved Lawson back into the lead for the driver's championship. Lawson now has 173 to Lou's 167 while Pilgrim's 7th keeps Andy in the hunt with 162.
During the post race press conference Lawson Aschenbach remarked that although he wanted to win a podium finish is better than finishing last to which Tommy Archer added, I can attest to that!
To which Leighton Reese further added, I am the authority on that one!
The win would have been good but I will take the second and the lead in points, said Aschenbach with a smile.
The pole position and race win moved Dodge into 2nd in the GT Manufacturer's Championship presented by Racer Magazine just 5 points (40 to 45) behind Porsche as well. Chevrolet moved to within 1 point of Cadillac (34 to 35) upon the weight, pun intended, of Reese's 3rd place finish and Pilgrim's 7th place finish for Cadillac.
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