Two races, 90 minutes. That’s all it took for Kelly Moss Motorsports to take first place in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama Team Championship last weekend at Watkins Glen International.
“It was exactly what we we’re hoping for,” Kelly Moss Vice President Jeff Stone said. “We did what we came to do.”
Young Colin Thompson, driver of the No. 14 Kelly Moss/Porsche of Bucks CountyPorsche 911 GT3 Cup car, swept the double-header weekend, picking up the first two wins of his GT3 Cup career.
“If you would have told me I was going to win the race with six laps to go, I would never have believed you,” Thompson said. “All I knew is I wanted that first place and put it in there and stuck it, and we got the win.”
Both wins came on last-lap passes by Thompson, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania native. He started fifth and sixth in Rounds 6 and 7, respectively, of the International Motorsports Association (IMSA)– sanctioned series.
“He just did what we’ve known he could do since we first got together,” Stone said. “What we saw was just a matter of maturity as a driver and him taking everything we’ve talked about and moving forward.”
In both races Thompson slowly picked off the competition, erasing a nearly five-second deficit with six laps to go in Race 1 to overtake championship rival Angel Benitez Jr. in the last turn of the last lap. The outcome was identical in Race 2, with Thompson also making the decisive pass of Benitez on the last lap.
“The competition is ridiculous out here, but we got it done,” Thompson said. “My engineer and the team just gave me an unbelievable car. It was a rocket ship! We made some smart passes. We got by some people and took advantage of those yellows. Last lap once again! Who would have guessed?”
The two wins put Thompson in sole possession of first place in the Platinum Cup standings with 116 points. It also pushed the Brey-Krause sponsored Kelly Moss team to the top of the team Platinum Cup standings with 118 total points, one ahead of Formula Motorsport/Avid Motorsport.
Also finishing on podium over the weekend for Kelly Moss was William “Wild Bill” Peluchiwski, who after a technical review was awarded third place for Round 6 in the Gold Cup Masters Championship. The No. 74 Porsche GT3 Cup car was involved in an incident after spinning in Turn 8, ending his day after only eight laps.
The 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit is known not only for its racing history but also its ability to lure drivers into eliminating themselves from contention.
David Ducote, back in the car after missing Round 5 at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, experienced just how brutal The Glen can be. After a rough first race, finishing sixth in the Platinum Masters Championship, Ducote skidded off the track, hit the tire barrier and rolled twice before coming to a stop on his side. Ducote was able to walk away from the incident, but it ended his weekend early.
Seth Davidow strapped in to his No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the first time this season. He ended the weekend with a sixth- and fifth-place finish in the Gold Masters Championship. In the same category, teammate Wayne Ducote picked up an 11th- and sixth-place finish in Race 1 and 2, respectively.
The fifth Gold Cup class driver, Frank Selldorff, finished 11th in the Gold Masters Championship for Race 1.
Rounding out the Kelly Moss team was Dan Weyland in the flashy No. 11 lime green Porsche, who recorded GT3 career-best seventh- and eight-place finishes for the weekend despite facing major electrical issues before the first race. The entire Kelly Moss team worked to get the car in racing condition.
“I’m really proud of the job all the guys did,” Stone said. “You would like not to have issues and controversy, but it’s all part of the territory. I think the entire team handled the weekend the best way possible and are committed to this organization and this season.”
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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