at Palm Beach Enduro
Reismans Continue To Dominate Enduros with Cayman Class Sweep
Justin Ehrlich and Rick DeMan co-drove to the first overall race victory for a Porsche Boxster in The Stuttgart Cup Series Saturday in HSR's The Hawk Performance 90-minute GT Enduro at Palm Beach International Raceway where their teammates Paul and John Reisman captured Cayman class honors.
Taking a lead they would never lose at the race start, DeMan drove both the opening and closing stints in the white No. 11 Boxster while Ehrlich stayed up front throughout his middle-of-the-race driving shift.
“I was able to maintain as good of a gap as I possibly could but there was some good drivers that got in,” Ehrlich said. “I did the best that I could and we never lost the lead.”
The No. 11 topped not only the Stuttgart Cup but scored the overall victory as well in the fast paced 90-minute race. Ehrlich also solo drove the No. 11 to a Boxster class victory in a sprint race earlier on Saturday.
“I really love running with The Stuttgart Cup,” DeMan said. “It is so much fun and falls in line right with what we do. And I want to thank the DeMan Motorsport crew for keeping that car perfect and Justin for the opportunity to drive.”
Ehrlich and DeMan shared the podium with the father-and-son duo of Paul and John Reisman who finished third overall and won the Stuttgart Cup Cayman class. The win capped a perfect three-for-three Cayman sweep for the father of the duo, Paul Reisman, who also won Friday’s Valentine’s Day night race and the Saturday sprint.
The white No. 225 Cayman S that the Reismans drove was a rental ride from Bill Riddell and his Racelink team that was pressed into service after a Boxster they had planned to race encountered engine problems in Thursday’s test. Despite never having driven the Cayman before, both Reismans put up a winning pace straight away.
John Reisman co-drove to the Saturday enduro class victory with his dad but both father and son stood on the top step of the victory lane podium Friday night as well. While Paul Reisman won in the No. 225 Cayman S, John scored Friday’s overall victory in a 2002 Lola B2K/40 SRP II machine.
“It’s a privilege to be able to race with my Dad,” John Reisman said. “It’s a privilege to be able to race but to be racing with my father is just fantastic. These five or six weekends we run with HSR each year is time I get to spend with my father and it’s the greatest memories anyone could have.”
The Reismans shared the Cayman podium with second-place finisher Jim Gray who solo drove his newly acquired green and white striped No. 80 Cayman S that is themed after a David Piper Racing Porsche 917.
“I had a great time,” Gray said. “I want to thank HSR and my team Racelink for putting this together. I bought that car yesterday and my wife doesn’t know!”Joe Sullivan was third in his No. 14 Cayman S that carries the livery of the famous Al Holbert Racing/Lowenbrau Porsche 962. Earlier on Saturday, Sullivan finished a weekend best second in the sprint race. Keith Faver was third in the sprint driving his No. 25 Gulf/Wyer Porsche 917-themed Cayman S.
The Palm Beach Grand Prix was the first race for The Stuttgart Cup™ since last December’s Sebring Historics which served as the third and final round of the split-year Winter Series championship. Races at Savannah and Daytona preceded the Sebring race with the Winter Series finale scheduled for The Mitty at Road Atlanta in April.
Saturday also saw the Stuttgart Cup host about three dozen children, house parents and VIPS from Place of Hope. The unique welfare organization provides, in part, family-style foster care - emergency and long-term - family outreach and intervention, transitional housing and support services, adoption and foster care recruitment and much, much more. Learn more at www.PlaceofHope.com.
