Six hours of racing turned into two minutes of thrills as CORE autosport drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun won today’s American Le Mans Series Monterey Presented by Patrón at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Braun, driving the #05 Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 Prototype Challenge (PC) machine made a thrilling outside pass of the then-leading #9 car of ex-Indy 500 pole winner Bruno Junqueira with less than two laps left in the race, using a slower GTC car as a “moving pic,” catapulting him into the first spot in PC (third overall).

The win marks the first for the #05 car for the 2012 season, and the first-ever American Le Mans Series (ALMS) victory for Braun and team founder and owner Bennett. Although CORE autosport had won both driver and team championships in 2011 with Bennett co-driving the #05, it was only after today’s six-hour event that he was able to stand on the top step of the podium.

At one point during the race, the #05 machine was more than two laps down to the lead PC car, but smart pit strategy by lead engineer Gary Davies, fast pit stops by the crew led by mechanics Eric Van Bibber and Jay Ribas, as well as hard driving by Braun and Bennett made up the difference.

The sister #06 Soloson Import machine, driven by Alex Popow and Tom Kimber-Smith finished in third spot after holding the PC-class lead for more than half of the race, putting the rest of the field more than one lap down in the process. Due to long caution periods over the race that bunched up the field, the #06 drivers lost their expansive lead and with one lap to go, Kimber-Smith was in fourth spot. Hard driving allowed him to get by the car ahead and the #06 drivers were able to bring home a podium finish.

Competition was very tough among the nine PC-class entrants in today’s event – after a full day of racing around the legendary 2.238-mile, 11-turn track, the top three cars were a mere 1.725 seconds apart.

The 2012 ALMS season has been filled with wins and podiums in three rounds of competition for Rock Hill, SC-based CORE autosport. The season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring was won by lead driver Popow in the #06 machine, as well as the second round on the streets of Long Beach, with the #05 Bennett / Braun pairing taking third spot in both events.

Thanks to consecutive wins and podium finishes in the three 2012 ALMS rounds, CORE autosport holds a comfortable lead in the 2012 ALMS PC driver and team championships.

Source : CORE autosport