Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won their first race of the season in Saturday's EMCO Gears Classic at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Grand-Am Rolex Series.
The defending Daytona Prototype champions dominated the latter half of Round 6, leading the final 35 laps before Pruett held off Ricardo Zonta in a fight to the finish to win by .491 seconds.
The winners had to come from a lap down. Rojas was penalized for improper fuelling following a pit stop on the first lap, and then had to pit after contact with another car.
A turning point came when Pruett anticipated a full course caution when he saw the No. 2 car stranded near pit entrance, and quickly pitted before the third of four full course cautions. Pruett then inherited the lead when leaders Max Angelelli and Burt Frisselle pitted, and held it the rest of the way.
Zonta took second, giving the team its second podium finish of the season. Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty placed third.
Pruett and Rojas took sole possession of the Daytona Prototype point lead, 11 points ahead of Gurney and Fogarty (175-164). Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle entered the event with a share of the lead, but are now third, 12 points behind.
Meanwhile, the Farnbacher Loles Racing team came back from a post-qualifying penalty in the Rolex Series GT class to see Leh Keen and Dirk Warner give the team its second consecutive victory, second straight triumph at Mid-Ohio and third win of 2009.
Werner led 45 laps and won by 2.839 seconds over Robin Liddell. A similar Pontiac also finished third, with defending series champions Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins.
In KONI GS, Ken Wilden took another step towards the championship Saturday, scoring a dominating victory with Dean Martin.
Martin led the opening 41 circuits, pressured the entire time by pole winner Matt Bell and Bret Seafuse who finished 11th. The lead recycled back to Wilden on Lap 46, five laps after his pit stop, and he maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the way. His margin of victory, 34.439 seconds, was the largest of the season so far.
James Gue finished second. Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende finished third after pitting on the opening lap with a cut tire and falling back to 16th.
The victory opened Wilden's lead in the championship to 21 points over Seafuse and Gue (204-183). Martin, who missed a race earlier in the season, moved up to third in the standings with 174 points, five better than Ende.
The ST race was held on Sunday, Dion von Moltke took advantage of his teammate Ian Baas's misfortune, grabbing the lead with seven minutes remaining and holding on for his second consecutive victory.
Baas and pole-winning co-driver Josh Hurley led 66 of the opening 78 circuits when Baas suddenly began to slow with an electrical problem.
Randy Pobst and Christian Miller finished, 4.114 seconds back, while Miller extended his point lead with only four events remaining.
Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante took third, and moved up to second in the standings, 24 points behind Miller (207-183).
The next action for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series will be the July 4 Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway, Round 7 of the 12-race season.
The next action for the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will be July 18-19 at Barber Motorsports Park, with split races for the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes.
photo:Grand-Am Series
The defending Daytona Prototype champions dominated the latter half of Round 6, leading the final 35 laps before Pruett held off Ricardo Zonta in a fight to the finish to win by .491 seconds.
The winners had to come from a lap down. Rojas was penalized for improper fuelling following a pit stop on the first lap, and then had to pit after contact with another car.
A turning point came when Pruett anticipated a full course caution when he saw the No. 2 car stranded near pit entrance, and quickly pitted before the third of four full course cautions. Pruett then inherited the lead when leaders Max Angelelli and Burt Frisselle pitted, and held it the rest of the way.
Zonta took second, giving the team its second podium finish of the season. Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty placed third.
Pruett and Rojas took sole possession of the Daytona Prototype point lead, 11 points ahead of Gurney and Fogarty (175-164). Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle entered the event with a share of the lead, but are now third, 12 points behind.
Meanwhile, the Farnbacher Loles Racing team came back from a post-qualifying penalty in the Rolex Series GT class to see Leh Keen and Dirk Warner give the team its second consecutive victory, second straight triumph at Mid-Ohio and third win of 2009.
Werner led 45 laps and won by 2.839 seconds over Robin Liddell. A similar Pontiac also finished third, with defending series champions Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins.
In KONI GS, Ken Wilden took another step towards the championship Saturday, scoring a dominating victory with Dean Martin.
Martin led the opening 41 circuits, pressured the entire time by pole winner Matt Bell and Bret Seafuse who finished 11th. The lead recycled back to Wilden on Lap 46, five laps after his pit stop, and he maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the way. His margin of victory, 34.439 seconds, was the largest of the season so far.
James Gue finished second. Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende finished third after pitting on the opening lap with a cut tire and falling back to 16th.
The victory opened Wilden's lead in the championship to 21 points over Seafuse and Gue (204-183). Martin, who missed a race earlier in the season, moved up to third in the standings with 174 points, five better than Ende.
The ST race was held on Sunday, Dion von Moltke took advantage of his teammate Ian Baas's misfortune, grabbing the lead with seven minutes remaining and holding on for his second consecutive victory.
Baas and pole-winning co-driver Josh Hurley led 66 of the opening 78 circuits when Baas suddenly began to slow with an electrical problem.
Randy Pobst and Christian Miller finished, 4.114 seconds back, while Miller extended his point lead with only four events remaining.
Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante took third, and moved up to second in the standings, 24 points behind Miller (207-183).
The next action for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series will be the July 4 Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona International Speedway, Round 7 of the 12-race season.
The next action for the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will be July 18-19 at Barber Motorsports Park, with split races for the Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes.
photo:Grand-Am Series