Ford Racing achieved a notable victory at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, recovering from a tough start and overcoming rivals in fuel conservation mode during the Sunday race.
The team, made up of drivers Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch, suffered a puncture on the left rear wheel at the beginning of the race. Despite this adversity, they fought to recover and positioned themselves fifth with about 20 minutes remaining on the clock.
Meanwhile, the top four, led by Nick Tandy from AO Racing, were forced to manage fuel, waiting for a yellow flag that never came. As the leaders entered for their pit stops, Vervisch seized the opportunity to ascend to first place in the final minutes.
The Belgian driver managed to cross the finish line with a 1.277-second advantage over the Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, driven by Nicky Catsburg, in an exciting finish.
Vervisch commented: “The first stint was complicated, which made us change our strategy. In the end, apparently, it was the key to winning. We had to do a lot with the same tires and push hard; we knew it was difficult on such a demanding track.”
Furthermore, this victory marks the first triumph for the Ford Mustang GT3 model in its EVO specification in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship.
Mies, who started third on the grid and was involved in the initial puncture, expressed his satisfaction with the result, highlighting how the team has overcome a difficult start to the season with performances that had not been up to par at Daytona and Sebring.
“I’m very happy that in the end the Evo proved its potential. Last year we were lapped at Laguna Seca with the previous car,” Mies added. “This shows that we came at the right time and now we have the chance to fight for the championship.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
