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| The Mazda RX-8 has not had the pace of the Porsches or Ferraris, but Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito put their Speedsource RX-8 on the top step of the podium at Barber. |
GT
The no. 70 Speedsource Mazda RX-8 – a car that had been written off in Grand-Am's GT-class competition this year – scored a surprise victory at Barber, thanks to sublime driving by drivers Sylvain Tremblay and Jonathan Bomarito, quick pit work, and great strategy by the Speedsource crew.
The polesitter was the Autohaus Chevrolet Camaro, driven to pole by Paul Edwards, with the AIM Autosport Ferrari F430 Italia of Emil Assentato in second. Edwards led the early stages of the race, but fell victim to Assentato – his Ferrari being gentler on its tires – right before the Ferrari had to pit for fuel and tires itself.
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| The polesitting Autohaus Camaro was fast, but was hard on its tires over the course of a long stint on the abrasive Barber surface, eventually finishing in sixth. |
It was during the second full course yellow that the Speedsource RX-8 took the lead for good. Pitting at the most opportune time enabled the team to come out of the pits in the lead. Although the RX-8 has lacked outright speed this season, it remains the lightest car in the GT class, allowing Bomarito to preserve his tires better than most on the abrasive Barber surface.
The battle for the victory was effectively settled when the yellow flag came out with less than ten minutes left. In a full-course yellow with less than ten minutes remaining, Grand-Am will not allow any 'wave-bys', in order to save time and attempt to finish the race under green flag conditions. Bomarito, leading the GT class in the Speedsource RX-8, was ahead of the overall leading Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP, which had just passed Leh Keen in the second-placed GT-class Brumos Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. As a result, Bomarito advanced almost an entire lap on the GT field – meaning he could cruise unbothered from the drop of the green to the checkered.
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| The best-finishing Porsche was the Brumos Porsche, started by Andrew Davis and taken over by Leh Keen, they just held off the Daytona-winning Magnus Racing Porsche to finish in third. |
When the race went green again, Jeff Segal – now in the AIM Autosport Ferrari – made a strong pass on Keen to take second place in class from the Porsche. Keen then fell into the clutches of Andy Lally in the Magnus Racing Porsche. The two battled hard over the final laps, but Keen was able to keep his Porsche ahead for the final spot on the podium.
Bomarito would complete one lap ahead of the rest of the GT field, taking a surprise win for the Mazda RX-8, ahead of Segal’s Ferrari and Keen’s Porsche.
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| Bomarito and Tremblay on the podium with the Paul Reed Smith custom guitar they earned for winning. |
The next Rolex Sports Car Series race will be the Grand Prix of Miami, on April 29, at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
