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| Road America Race Notes: B-K Motorsports |
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B-K Motorsports Finishes Fifth in Home Race at Road America
Elkhart Lake, Wis.- B-K Motorsports enjoyed its best run of the year Saturday in the Generac 500 presented by Time Warner Cable, as drivers Ben Devlin and Gerardo Bonilla steered the No. 8 BP Lola B07/46 Mazda to a fifth place finish in the LMP2 category. The locally based-team battled through minor gremlins during the four-hour race, forcing the Mazda MZR-powered prototype to make two extra pit stops. However, a series of late race accidents by leading contenders boosted Devlin and Bonilla to another top-10 overall finish.
Devlin started the Dunlop-shod Lola in 12th overall and quickly worked his way up into the top-10. He pitted for tires and fuel while under caution at the 40-minute mark, but during the middle of his second stint, the team spotted a possible misfire. They elected to bring Devlin in a little early for his second stop. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious, and the Englishman rejoined in 11th.
After the consistent run put in by Devlin, Bonilla took the wheel of the BP Lola Mazda ten minutes past the halfway mark. However, just four laps later, the car made its second unscheduled stop of the race. Rubber had built up inside the radiator openings, causing gearbox oil temperatures to rise. After the quick service to clean out the radiator, Bonilla rejoined, powering the car back into the top-10. The final stop of the day came with less than 50 minutes remaining for routine service.
The team benefited from a series of late-race accidents that forced other contending prototypes out of the race. On top of gaining two positions, the cautions also played into the hands of Bonilla, as all the cars got bunched up on the restarts. There, the American Le Mans Series rookie battled with other leading machinery, while fending off the No. 16 Dyson Racing entry behind him. After four hours of hard-fought racing, Bonilla crossed the line in eighth overall, and only two laps away from the outright race winners.
"That was the most fun I've ever had in a race car, I think ever!" a beaming Bonilla said after the race. "During the very first stint, the tires didn't come in as good as I had hoped. They kept on getting really greasy, but they called me in. I don't know what they did, but they must have given me a special set of Dunlops or something because the tires kept on getting better and better throughout my second stint.
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