Porsche Wins Grand Am GT Class
06/23/08 Filed in:Racing
FARNBACHER LOLES GIVES PORSCHE FIRST GRAND-AM ROLEX GT WIN OF THE SEASON;
BRUMOS RACING PORSCHE RILEY GRABS POLE, FINISHES SECOND IN DP
LEXINGTON, Ohio - June 22 – For the second straight event, the No. 58 Brumos Racing
Porsche Riley Daytona Prototype of David Donohue and Darren Law made it to the podium,
finishing second in the Rolex Grand-Am race at Mid-Ohio, while Eric Lux and Leh Keen drove
their No. 86 Farnbacher Loles Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to victory in the GT class, giving
Porsche its first triumph of the season in eight races.
Darren Law finished second in the No. 58 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley that David Donohue
put on the pole. He took the position on the final lap of racing, before a two-car incident
caused the race to end under caution. Paul Ritchie, president of Porsche Motorsport North
America, said this trend has been building in Daytona Prototype, and the Porsche-powered
Rileys are close to winning a race.
“When you capture the pole and finish second twice in a row, you have to feel you’re knocking
on the door for a DP win,” said Ritchie, who took over the presidency of PMNA from Uwe
Brettel in January. Porsche’s last DP win was a Joerg Bergmeister/Patrick Long victory in
the Ruby Tuesday Alex Job Racing Porsche Crawford last year at Laguna Seca.
A heavy rain began pouring only seven laps into the two hour, 45-minute event, leading to a
multi-car spin that involved numerous contenders in both classes. The downpour early in the
race resulted in a multi-car spin involving several contenders in both classes. The incident
began when Tom Kimber-Smith spun the No. 16 Cheever Racing Crown Royal Pontiac Coyote
after contact. John Pew spun the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley to avoid Kimber-
Smith, but Brad Jaeger slid the No. 77 Doran Racing Ford Dallara into Pew. Meanwhile,
several other Daytona Prototypes slid off course and needed tows, including Jim Matthews in
the No. 91 Riley Matthews Motorsports Pontiac Riley and JC France in the No. 59 Brumos
Porsche Riley.
Farnbacher Loles Racing earned its first victory of the 2008 season, topping the GT class in
the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio,
on Saturday. Leh Keen of Charleston, S.C., and Eric Lux of Jacksonville, Fla., kept the No. 86
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car on track through treacherous conditions to take the win.
Lux started fourth on the 22-car GT grid and gained one position in the first 10 minutes of the
two-hour 45-minute race. Heavy rain then turned the 2.258-mile road course into an obstacle
course as multiple cars slid off-track.
GT pole winner Lawson Aschenbach spun, triggering an incident that involved the No. 32 PR1
Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R of Mike Forest, the No. 67 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Tim
George Jr., the No. 06 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R of Marc Bunting and the No. 87
Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Bryce Miller.
Lux pitted for rain tires and returned to the track sixth. He took the class lead just before the
halfway mark, then turned the car over to Keen. Back on track ninth, Keen took the lead from
Robin Liddell in the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R late in the race after a
back and forth battle, held it to the checkered flag.
"Our team today achieved a long-overdue result. Any time you win is special, but today we
witnessed something beyond just the first win for Porsche and our team this year. We saw
two young promising drivers deliver the goods in the most spectacular fashion. Eric and Leh
displayed composure seen in few drivers, while under the most extreme conditions
imaginable. I am grateful our team had the opportunity to give them the tools for such a
performance,” said team owner Greg Loles.
The next Grand-Am Rolex Series race will be the July 3 Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona
International Speedway. Complete results and point standings for the Rolex Grand-Am series
can be found at www.grand-am.com.