PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports combined speed and strategy today to take another podium position at the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge. Javier Echeverría of Mexico City, Mexico, and David Cheng of Sammamish, WA, piloted the #52 Our World Live/ Sports City Fitness Club/ CJ Wilson’s Charities/ Corsa Car Care/ Oreca FLM09 during the two hour forty-five minute main event that saw a wide range of misfortunes for their ALMS competitors. Multiple infractions for avoidable contact, misguided traffic maneuvers and spin inducing torrential rain kept the running order lively throughout the race. Despite the on-track calamity, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports had a relatively straight forward race, making only three scheduled pit stops and one scheduled driver change while not experiencing any of the penalties, contact, or spins that seemed so common throughout the field. Indeed, a mild engine stall during the team’s first pit stop on lap 42 was the only blight on an otherwise flawless run.
Taking the green flag in P5 for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, Cheng raced his way up to second place through a regimented balance of speed and consistency before handing the #52 over to his teammate.
“We had a fantastic start to the race and my whole stint went really smoothly,” Cheng said. “There were a few moments with traffic though, I came up on five GT and GTC cars at the same time, so it was pretty tricky weaving my way through all of them. I just had to be patient, but not too much as I knew they were costing me time. In the end, I did exactly what I wanted to do which is keep the car up front and hand the car over in good shape. Javier did an amazing job in the wet out there and all of PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports performed outstanding as always. I’ll be celebrating this podium for a while!”
While Cheng was forced to manage over-aggressive drivers, Echeverría had to manage a diabolically slippery track during his first race in America.
“The car was sliding everywhere, even in a straight line under caution,” Echeverría explained. “The conditions were very dangerous, so we were relieved to see the red flag come out. I’ve done a lot of wet driving in karts, and few wet races in Formula Renault, but this was on another level. I didn’t let up though, still drove as hard as I could to get the podium for the team. At times, it was a little tense out there, especially when I was having a hard time hearing over the radio, but in the end I got my first podium in the ALMS even faster than I could have imagined. I can’t believe it, what a great day!”
PR1/Mathiasen Team Principal, Bobby Oergel had his team prepared for the frantic pace, and possible inclement weather from the very start of the weekend.
“I told everyone earlier this week, don’t hit anyone, don’t let anyone hit you, and keep it on the track if you want a podium result,” Oergel explained. “We were already in podium contention on speed, but I knew that the race was going to be hectic. For their first race in the series, both David and Javier drove like seasoned veterans and everyone in the pits worked through the stops and the strategy perfectly as planned. This is great momentum as we head to Road America, another track where we’ve earned poles and podiums. If we can keep this hot streak going, getting to the top step will only be a matter of time.”
Source : PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports