The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series traveled to upstate New York's Watkins Glen International for the second time this season to compete in the ninth round of the 2009 championship battle. While the Supercar Life Racing team had prepared for an epic crusade, Friday's Crown Royal 200 turned into one of team's most thrilling sprint's for the finish line yet. After fighting their way through a demanding, two-hour race, the team secured third position at the finish--their first podium win of the Rolex season and a momentous achievement.
There was good reason to hope for such a history-making outcome in Friday's race. After team owner Scott Tucker secured a solid, sixth-row start in Thursday's qualifying (01:06.894), Supercar Life Racing co-driver Christophe Bouchut ripped a flyer during the evening's final practice, posting a fastest lap time of 01:05.486. Bouchut's time beat the Series-leading No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi entry by a mere six-one thousandth of a second and earned the No. 55 Supercar Life BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype position one for that practice.
Just before the green flag dropped on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST, the Supercar Life Racing team caught another break: Drivers Buddy Rice and JC France, who had qualified in the No. 5 and No. 14 positions, were penalized and forced to start at the back of the 33-car field. This allowed the No. 55 to advance one spot on the grid. Tucker took the first turn behind the wheel, quickly launching the DP from its 11th place starting position to begin his assault on the hard-charging machines ahead. Pole winner Jon Fogarty (01:05.069), meanwhile, pushed his No. 99 GAINSCO Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype ahead of the rest of the DPs to gain a comfortable lead for the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team in the opening minutes.
Catching up with the GT cars that had started behind the Daytona Prototype entries, Fogarty quickly lost his lead attempting to negotiate his way through the pack; second position Memo Rojas took over the lead on lap six in his No. 01 TELMEX Lexus Riley. By this time, the penalized France had made his way back through the pack and began to battle with Tucker for the No. 11 spot. But Tucker's skillful handling of the No. 55 DP was too quick for the No. 59 Brumos Porsche; Tucker surged ahead, leaving France behind in his rearview.
The Supercar Life Racing crew's expert communication and Tucker's strategic decision-making catapulted Tucker into second position on lap 24. It was then that the first full-course caution waved: Debris from Farnbacher Loles Racing's No. 84 GT had fallen onto the track. The field went green again on lap 28, only to find itself again under the yellow just one lap later. Rob Finlay's No. 2 Gentleman Jack DP had flown across the track, ripping the front fender from the car. Finlay turned into the pits and parked the car for the remainder of the race.
This second caution presented a good opportunity for Tucker to make the first pit stop for the Supercar Life Racing team. With fresh tires and more fuel, Tucker handed off the No. 55 to teammate Bouchut. The Frenchman reentered the race in the No. 12 position.
"I'm very comfortable with how the car is running so far," Tucker said. "We are exactly where we need to be and a Top 5 finish is in our sights. I have all the faith in the world that Christophe will take us across that finish line in prime position."
By lap 33, SunTrust Racing's Brian Frisselle had taken the lead. Beyer Racing's No. 13 Lennox DP, driven by Ricky Taylor, followed in second with Ricardo Zonta, Joao Barbosa and Romain Dumas rouding out the Top Five. Seconds after Frisselle took over, another caution flag waved due to Jared Beyer's No. 5 Lennox DP having stopped on track.
During the caution, Bouchut came into the pits to top off his fuel, which ultimately extended the time he could stay out on track. At the restart, Bouchut wasted no time diving into the Top 10, turning in a fastest lap time of 01:06.021 on lap 42-the fastest lap of the race thus far-and taking over ninth position.
The next laps moved quickly: Frisselle continued to lead the DP class, but fifth place Dumas fell far back into the field. Bouchut advanced one spot to eighth position. Frisselle's lead then evaporated on lap 45, as Taylor made a daring pass to move into first. Bouchut then set off after AIM Autosport's Mark Wilkins, who was now in fifth position, and the No. 55 cracked back into the Top Five two laps later.
Hungry for more, Bouchut then disposed of Ryan Dalziel in the No. 45 Orbit BMW-Riley, who had been in fourth. The No. 55 machine's balance of power and handling persevered, climbing next to third position. A podium finish within reach, the Frenchman passed Wilkins, who had also advanced, leveraging his way to second position-the same spot Tucker had achieved when he'd handed off the car. Three-time FIA GT champion and winner of both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bouchut began to work on reeling in leader Taylor.
Seven laps later, Wilkins reclaimed second position, pushing Bouchut back into third. As the No. 55 temporarily lost ground falling to eighth during the next lap, the chase for the leader board remained intense: the Top Five drivers--Taylor, Wilkins, Zonta, Memo Gidley and Dumas--all were within mere seconds of each other.
On lap 67, Wilkins made a flying pass over Taylor's No. 13 car. Taylor continued to drop behind, as Zonta took over second with Scott Pruett, Dumas and Alex Gurney following. Bouchut, meanwhile, had pitted for fuel and returned to the race in seventh-an excellent position for a podium push. Lap 73's fourth and final caution, caused by Kevin Roush's No. 48 GT, gave the Frenchman the chance he needed to work his way back into the Top Five. Under the yellow, Bouchut mastered his way into third. Though he slipped into fourth when Dumas passed the No. 55 car, he remained in prime position for a hard-charging sprint once the field went green. Zonta also took advantage of the caution and claimed first position in his No. 76 Ford-Lola.
Only six minutes remained in the sprint to the finish line when the race restarted for the fourth time. On lap 81, Bouchut clocked in yet another fastest lap time of 01:05.859, beating his previous fastest time. Six laps later he executed a perfect pass over Penske Racing's No. 12 to reclaim third, effectively denying that team its first podium finish.
As the checkered flag dropped on lap 93, the Supercar Life Racing team celebrated its top-three finish of the season in the No. 55 Supercar Life BMW-Riley. Crew and sponsors cheered as Tucker and Bouchut made their way to the podium. Bouchut had turned in a fastest lap time of 01:05.859; first-place Krohn Racing clocked in at 01:05.613. The second-place podium spot was earned by TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (01:05.634). Teams GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing (01:06.073) and Orbit Racing (01:06.286) took fourth and fifth place.
"We are a strong team," Bouchut said. "We are not fighting for championship points. We are fighting for the win. Today, we accomplished a great deal, and now we're sure the paddock knows that the Supercar Life team is very competitive. I am so proud of this team. Everyone has worked so hard and I can't thank them enough for all their efforts."
"To start from the sixth row and finish in third position in a race like this is incredible," Supercar Life CEO Brian Weaver said. "As a sponsor, I couldn't be more pleased. We've had a great weekend at Watkins Glen, and I can't wait to watch as this streak continues."
The Supercar Life Racing team will next compete in their No. 55 Supercar Life BMW-Riley Daytona Prototype during the Rolex Series' tenth round, August 29 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec.
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