Another thoroughly eventful IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series race last night around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw seven Aston Martin Racing powered teams show everyone their worth as one starting that penultimate round of the series from pole whilst another stood upon the top step of their class at the end.
Over recent rounds, the number of AMR powered crews had increased by two at the CSM Motorsport team had swapped from the Porsche chassis of old mid-season and had added a second car as they prepped towards next season and for this weekend, we welcomed back the (newly renamed) by familiar faced #10 entry within the bronze cup.
Practice one around the 2.439-mile infield circuit had seen the main GS contenders push to improve their championship position as the #66 Oore team (Car Blanche and Van der Steur before that up until then) and drivers Allen Patten and Trenton Estop hit second best in that session. Practice two saw another crew on top as the #14 Circle H Racing AMR of Thomas Merril and David Hampton came away fastest in something of a rejuvenation of the pace of earlier this season but with both the #2 CSM car of Morgan Burkhard and Zachary Veach and the #4 Medusa AMR of a returning Athan Sterling and Hunter Yeany all within the top ten.
Qualifying was up next, but this time it would be Hannah Greenemeir within the #26 Heart of Racing AMR that she shares alongside Hannah Grishmam who would this time come away on top as they claimed their fourth such pole position this season after previous successes at Watkins Glenn, Road America and CTMSP.
The #66 Oore car was next best placed in P5, the #4 Medusa in a season best P6, the #2 CSM P8 before the #3 CSM of Ismaeel Ellahi/Ayrton Houk finished P23 in class, the #14 Circle H AMR P25 and the returning #10 RaceWife Racing bronze cup entry of Christine Sloss and Glenn McGee rounding off the AMR powered effort in P29 out of a GS entry of thirty-one cars.
The race itself actual got off to something of a clean start with the #26 car maintain the race lead through the opening lap as the #66, #2 and #4 Aston Martins followed through, still within the top ten but the inevitable first Full Course Yellow came after just ten minutes with one GS car int the tyre wall. It was quickly back to green but quickly back behind the Safety Car again as a TCR car was left at the end of the start straight with suspension failure.
Caution also came just a few minutes after that restart as it appeared that the #4 Medusa AMR had had the slightest of touches with the #46 Team TGM Mustang to spin that car around only for the following #66 Oore car to make heavy quarter contact with each other. Although both cars would be able to continue to pit lane – their races were already over, and the #4 Medusa car of Yeany would get a drive through penalty for the original incident responsibility.
Just before the hour, Greenemeir pitted from the lead after a stellar performance with the first race start and then three more times from behind the Safety Car to hand over to Gresham but then lost some benefit of doing that when FCY number four came out for a car within the gravel. At the halfway mark, the #26 was back up to P3, the #2 CSM in fourth and the #4 Medusa car of now Sterling was having their best race of the season to date despite their early penalty.
Going into the final half hour, a number of crews (those who had pitted earliest) would need to come in again for at least fuel and whilst the top ten within the race looked healthy at the time for AMR powered runners, most of those would have to come in again but the final ‘curved ball’ came within the final ten minutes of the race when a faltered car on track brought out the fifth and final FCY.
That clean up left just one flying lap to the chequered flag presenting perhaps the closest and most compact finish to a GS class race to date as the #26 car came home the best of the Aston Martin powered entries in sixth, the #14 Circle H Racing effort recovering to a magnificent P10 finish with the #2 CSM entry just behind.
The # Medusa crew eventually came home P18 in class with the #10 car P22 and with the #3 CSM entry completing the six AMR finishes in P26, but for the #10 crew they would also scoop the bronze cup win for their efforts.
Championship wise, the #26 crew now replace the #66 crew as the lead AMR pairing but even they would need something resembling a minor miracle for them to lift the crown at the end of the season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in just a few weeks’ time.
Photo credits – Teams / social media
