In an all out slugfest, it was the BAR1 Motorsports crew that managed to keep the team in the hunt at the wild four hour endurance race, American Le Mans Series Monterey, presented by Tequila Patrón, at the legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Fielding two Prototype Challenge ORECA FLM09s, in only their second full season, BAR1 entries have shown themselves as formidable contenders in the championship chase. With drivers Kyle Marcelli and Chris Cumming in the No. 8 Evident Capital car and the combination of Tomy Drissi and Rusty Mitchell in the No. 7 EPIC (the movie) car, the team as demonstrated they are not only quick, but also well organized and extremely reliable.

Brian Alder, team owner reflected on the day’s events: “The crew did an excellent job. When Chris got hit from behind in the No. 8 car, it put them down a lap in the early going. The crew made the right calls from the box and got the lap back. With 15 minutes to go, Kyle was back in the fight right behind the leaders. Unfortunately, the earlier incident caused damage to the taillights requiring an unscheduled pit stop for repair. It was a hard earned 4th place finish.

“The No. 7 car had great race going due to a great start by Tomy and a solid drive from Rusty. The car was running 5th attempting to stay on the lead lap. A yellow would have put us behind the leaders. With 30 minutes to go, Rusty got hit from behind by the class leader, leaving Rusty stuck in the sand and going several laps down as a result.

“It was a tough race, though we did gain valuable points for both cars. We’re still very much in the championship fight – currently 4th in the Driver Championship and 3rd in Team standings – as we head to Lime Rock Park after the Le Mans break.”

The next round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. The race, from Lime Rock Park, is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 6 with live coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN3.

Source : BAR1 Motorsports