CORE autosport put in a spectacular effort at Road America, going from eighth on the Prototype Challenge grid to second at the finish for the latest round of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Taking the start in the No. 54 Flex-Box/Composite Resources ORECA FLM09, Jon Bennett put in a strong opening stint, keeping the car in the top five and out of trouble. While other PC cars fell victim to Road America’s demanding 14-turn, four-mile circuit, Bennett kept all four wheels on the pavement and was able to hand the car over to Colin Braun in third with an hour and a half remaining in the race.

Braun had his hands full reeling in the lead PC pack while navigating through some treacherous traffic. Sitting fourth with a tick over 10 minutes to go, the top two cars in the PC class both spun off track, promoting Braun to second. Only five minutes remained when the race returned to green, not enough time for Braun to hunt down the class leader. He crossed the finish line in second.

CORE autosport now has a month off before it resumes WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Sept. 15 – 17. Prior to Texas, Bennett and Braun will hop back into their RedBull Global Rallycross machinery, Aug. 27 – 28, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Jon Bennett
Driver: No. 54 ORECA FLM09
“It’s obviously not a 24-hour race, but even in a two-hour and 40-minute race you have to begin with the end in mind. It was a little wild at the start but I put in a solid and consistent performance. I was able to keep my nose clean as I watched the craziness around me and hand the car to Colin within striking distance of the win.
 
“But, at the end of the day, our old horse is getting a little older and it wasn’t quite as sharp as it has been in the past. I think Colin really had his work cut out for him today. The guys have done a great job preparing the car but it just wasn’t our day for the win. Finding our way to the podium in second place is a fantastic day for us.”

Colin Braun
Driver: No. 54 ORECA FLM09
“I seemed to be in the middle of the other classes’ lead battles. I tried to stay as out of it as I could. I obviously wanted to do what I could to improve our position and give it a shot to race Tom [Kimber-Smith] for the win, but when you restart with four GTLM cars in between you and the leader, it’s a big challenge.
 
“We had a great day. The CORE autosport guys did a great job. The crew did a great job on pit road, and Jon did a great job in his opening stint. We just never seemed to have the right track position. This place is so aero-dependent and when you’re behind somebody, it’s easy to get aero-tight and not be able to pass, even when you’re quicker than somebody. We found ourselves the victim of that many times and just had to sit and wait for someone to make a mistake or get a bit better in traffic and make a move. It was challenging and fun all at the same time.”