in TUDOR Competition at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
After a dominant performance that included a pole position and leading more laps than the rest of the field combined, Park Place Motorsports drivers Patrick Lindsey and Spencer Pumpelly led the team to a historic first victory in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship during Sunday’s Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix presented by Mazda.
“It is great to get the monkey off our back,” stated Team Principal and co-driver Patrick Lindsey. “We’ve had really fast cars, qualified well, and bad luck has kept us from the top of the box. This is just the first win to get out of the way, there are a lot more to come.Following a difficult start to the season for the No. 73 Park Place / Justice Brothers / Children’s Tumor Foundation Porsche 911 GT America, a reversal of fortune during this weekend’s first sprint race of the GTD-category season was the primary focus of the team as they unloaded at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Following a recent adjustment to the category’s Balance of Performance, the team was quietly confident that they had the right setup for the weekend, and as the team marks their fourth year of competition, a visit to the top step of the podium was long overdue.
Staying near the top of the time sheets throughout practice, when qualifying came the team’s preparation was evident. Patrick Lindsey’s time of 1:27.040 (92.564 mph) put a dominant stamp on the team’s preparation, qualifying nearly one-second clear of the rest of the GTD field.
Unfortunately, as the field went green for Sunday’s race, a slight balk on the start would allow a few competitors to get in front during the race’s opening laps, however a caution period near the 30-minute mark would change the nature of the race completely. With most of the field, including the No. 73, opting to stop for fuel and tires, the race effectively became a two-stop event, however in order to go the distance the team would need to carefully manage their fuel for the rest of the race. With Lindsey making a masterful restart, the Santa Barbara resident would jump to the lead and never look back.
With the twisty confines of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca providing a great challenge to negotiate traffic, the Californian knew that patience and managing his tires and fuel would be key. Comfortably leading throughout his run, Patrick was able to pit from the lead with just over one hour remaining, handing the reigns to teammate Spencer Pumpelly for the rest of the event.
“The start was pretty bad for us,” continued Lindsey. “Two or three GTD cars got around me. We caught a yellow and that made it a two-stop race for us. On the restart I was able to get back into the lead and then stretch it out. That was really the key to us. If it weren’t for the guys on the pit box though, and our crew over the wall that executed just awesome pit stops, I would have been in a world of hurt. They gave me the chance to shoot out front, get a little bit of a lead and control from ahead. And Spencer got in the car and did what Spencer does best which is go out, run hard and win races.”
With Pumpelly comfortably in the lead, all attention turned to managing fuel for the rest of the race. For Spencer, the scenario became eerily familiar to his 2014 event at the same circuit. Driving for another team, Spencer led for much of the 2014 race, only to run out of fuel on the final lap, failing to finish entirely.
Luckily, the team's calculations worked perfectly for this year’s event, with Spencer making it to the finish without a hiccup, taking the first TUDOR win for the team in the process.
“This was a team effort from start to finish,” stated Pumpelly. “The car was fantastic all weekend. Everyone did a great job. Patrick drove really well this weekend and got his first pole. We proved we had a fast car, all we needed was good drives, good pit work and a little bit of luck that we haven’t had. Sure enough, Patrick gave me a huge lead. The guys got us on and off pit road, twice, faster than I’ve ever seen them do it. Just flawless. True team effort today!
For Team Engineer John Horton, the sentiment is shared.
“It’s nice to get the monkey off our back,” stated Horton. “I feel like we’ve had opportunities to win over the past two and a half years and we just haven’t done it. We’ve had a number of podiums, just not that elusive win. The crew hit all of their marks. We came in knowing we wanted to win this race. We started practicing pit stops early on, practiced them at the shop before we got here. Everyone did their job and that’s what paid off. We knew we didn’t have the motor to get the other cars, getting out of the corners, so we were going to do it on race craft and strategy… and good drivers."
“With our partners Park Place, Justice Brothers and Children’s Tumor Foundation, it’s going to be a really good balance of the season,” continued Patrick Lindsey. “I feel like there are a lot more to come. A special shout out to the Children’s Tumor Foundation kids at home and I want to thank them for all of the love, support and well wishes. It certainly goes both ways and we are always thinking of them. We’re looking forward to the next race where we all get to hang out!"
The entire TUDOR United SportsCar Championship will take a three week break as they prepare for the next event, the highly challenging Grand Prix of Detroit at the scenic Belle Isle circuit. As a temporary street circuit, the event always provides plenty of excitement, however the entire Park Place team is already hard at work in preparation. Practice begins on Friday, May 29, with the race taking place one day later on Saturday, May 30.
