Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, IN
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
To the untrained eye, a race car is a machine. It’s a collection of metal, composite materials, rubber, oil and gas that serves as a high-powered vessel for its drivers. But for those who sit in them, turn wrenches on them or spend time admiring them, race cars are more than just nuts and bolts. They have their own histories, quirks, challenges and triumphs – direct reflections of the cumulative effort that built them.
At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120, Racing to End Alzheimer’s/Ford Mustang GT4 illustrated that point, for better or for worse.
The old with the new
You’ve probably read about the incident at Road America earlier this year. When our team — Stephen Cameron Racing — needed to shift to an entirely new Ford chassis partway through the season, a slew of complications presented themselves. Along with an ongoing need to hone the car’s performance, the crew had to figure out how to ensure the names of champions remained on track. Normally, that would mean a painstaking effort to individually replace each name on the livery. But one of the hallmarks of this team is adaptability.
With the car’s exterior squared away, the team turned their full attention to the weekend’s main challenge. Indy requires an ability to wield speed and power with a light touch. With a new car, that’s easier said than done.
Luckily, the doors of the old car remained intact, so the team decided to replace the new doors with the old ones, transferring over 100 of the 170 names in one fell swoop. Though it would be nearly impossible to tell, the No. 19 that raced at Indy was a clever combination of the old and the new.
A well-oiled machine with a small fuel problem
At the start of Saturday’s race, Sean Quinlan set off from the grid in 16th position, taking advantage of the chaos to pick up two positions before the second lap. Sitting within striking distance of the leaders, he took a strategic dive into the pits during a caution period and emerged in 14th. Settling into a consistent rhythm, Quinlan moved up to 11th place before another yellow flag brought his stint to an end.
With a fresh set of right-side tires and a full fuel tank, provided to the No. 19 in the blink of an eye by the Cameron crew, Liefooghe wasted no time getting into the fray. And almost as soon as he got up to speed, Greg found himself in a no-holds-barred battle with the No. 46 car. After trading positions multiple times, it looked as though the two cars were hurtling towards a nail-biter of a finish.
Then, just at the wrong time, a blip in the fuel system slowed the No. 19, leading to impact with the trailing car and sending Liefooghe into the tires at turn six. Four minutes to go, and the team’s hopes were dashed.
More than the finish
At Indy, the No. 19 fell just short of the checkered flag. It’s not exactly the kind of end we dream about, but relying only on the results would be a mistake — similar to referring to a race car as “just a machine”. It glosses over the effort put in by the team before the race, the speed of the drivers during the race and the determination of the team coming off a disappointing finish. To us, every moment of racing is worthwhile, even if the finish doesn’t go our way.
But something tells us you already know that.
More soon.
