Clinches $100,000 Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup Prototype Title
Patrón Endurance Cup Sweep Within Reach For CORE autosport
Only hours after wrapping up the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype title, Action Express Racing added additional honors by clinching the $100,000 prize for winning class honors in the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup by leading the second segment at Saturday’s Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta.
“This is the cherry on top of the cake,” said Joao Barbosa, who joined teammate Christian Fittipaldi in winning the drivers’ championship in both the TUDOR Championship and Patrón Endurance Cup in the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP. “We’ve had a great season already, and it’s great to cap it up with one more championship.”
Leading the race at the eight-hour mark gave Action Express five points for a total of 39. Wayne Taylor Racing – the winner of the first segment at the four-hour mark – was second to score four points for a total of 34. With Action Express earning even the minimum two points in the final two-hour segment would put the title out of reach.
With the retirement of the Honda- and Mazda-powered Prototypes, Chevrolet clinched the manufacturer championship. Winning its second straight segment win, the Bow Tie Brigade leads Ford, 48-42.
The Patrón Endurance Cup awards five points for first, four for second, three for third and two for all other competitors in key segments of the four endurance races. At Petit Le Mans, points are earned after the four- and eight- hour marks in addition to the finish after 10 hours.
The Patrón Endurance Cup opened with the Rolex 24 At Daytona and continued with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International.
Patrón Endurance Cup Sweep Within Reach For CORE autosport
With the Prototype Challenge (PC) titles out of reach, 8Star Motorsports won the second segment of Saturday’s Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup in the No. 25 Takis/Speedsters ORECA FLM09 to secure second place in the competition.
CORE autosport took the team honors in the class by starting Saturday’s Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda in the No. 54 Flex-Box ORECA FLM09. Colin Braun, Jon Bennett and James Gue went on to each drive the required two-hours, 15 minutes to secure the drivers’ title.
CORE autosport now has 42 points to 35 points for 8Star Motorsports, with the No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Martini ORECA FLM09 third with 26 points. The team can set its sights on the race victory, which would give the team a sweep of all four endurance races, with Bennett, Braun and Gue winning the rounds at Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen.
