Race notes: Another dramatic finish
May 11, 2016
The #17 Rennsport One/Legistics Porsche Cayman continued its dramatic, hard-fought rise through the standings with another top-ten finish in round three of the Continental Tire SportsCar Championship. Despite the damages sustained in round two at Sebring raceway, the car and the team were raring to go at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca April 28-30. During practice sessions before the race, driver Spencer Pumpelly put the car at the top of the sheets with the fastest time of the entire weekend. Co-driver Nick Galante wasn’t far behind, with a series of great top ten times. Galante qualified the car in tenth place and was positioned to start the race strong on Saturday.
On race day, Galante was already in seventh position after three great opening laps when the brakes began to malfunction. The soft brake issue made the car progressively more difficult to handle, and Galante struggled to move closer to the front of the pack. Coming into turn two, Galante was pulling to the inside to pass when the driver in front of him hit the brakes abnormally early and both cars suffered some contact. The #17 held up well despite the hit and Galante maintained control, coming into the scheduled pit stop in 12th place.
The RS1 Team performed a perfect pit stop. With replenished fuel and fresh tires, Spencer Pumpelly took the wheel and flew onto the track. Slightly shocked at the effects of the damaged brakes, Pumpelly adjusted quickly, kept his head down, and drove the compromised car to an amazing sixth place finish in an inspiring display of gutsy, experienced driving. With yet another top ten finish under their belts, the team is now in second place for championship points this season. Round four in this nail-biter of a series will be in Watkins Glen, New York, on June 30th – July 2nd. Stay tuned to see what our remarkable Legistics-sponsored team will do next.