Jens Klingmann and Bret Curtis powered the #96 Turner Motorsport M6 GT3 to a GTD class win in the IMSA WeatherTech Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It was the first North American win for the M6 GT3.
Klingmann took the lead with about thirty minutes remaining in the 2-hour-and-40-minute race when he passed both the class leading Lamborghini of Fabio Babini, which still had to make another stop, and the second-place Dodge Viper GT3 of Jeroen Bleekemolen in one dramatic move. The Viper rear-ended the Lambo during the maneuver, forcing it into the pits for repairs. Klingmann motored on for the win; the last two laps were run under yellow after Andy Lally put the #44 Audi into the wall.
Team principal Will Turner said afterward, “It is awesome. Obviously we were cautiously optimistic about winning with a brand new car. We brought the BMW Z4 GT3 to the US and won with it. We gave it its first win in the US and now have done the same with the BMW M6 GT3. That alone is a big accomplishment for me, and it is also an accomplishment to win with the M6 mid-season, because normally with a new car there are growing pains and teething problems, and we really haven’t had a lot of that,”
The #25 Team RLL M6 GTLM was the fastest car in its class, but it finished fourth, just off the podium, after leading part of the way. The win went to Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe in the #67 Ford GT. It was Ford’s third consecutive IMSA win. The Fords ran with lower boost and added weight at CTMP, but #67 won by employing a three stop strategy that gave it an edge mid-race and allowed it to make its final trip to the pits a quick fuel-only stop. The Corvettes, back on form after they were granted a weight reduction and larger air restrictors, were quick, but in the end they were edged out by Ford’s strategy. Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin finished second in Corvette #4, Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia finished third in Corvette #3, and Dirk Werner and Bill Auberlen finished fourth in the #25 M6.
The #100 Team RLL M6 GTLM was set back early in the race by a power steering problem that led to a long stop. The car, driven by Lucas Luhr and John Edwards, finished ninth in class. The second Turner car, the #97 driven by Michael Marsal and Markus Palttala, exited the race early with what appeared to be gearbox problems.
James Clay started Saturday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race from the Street Tuner class pole in the #84 BimmerWorld 328i, but the car fell back over the course of the race. Clay and Tyler Cooke finished eleventh. Derek Jones and Mat Pombo finished fourth in ST in the #73 Mini JCW. The class win went to Owen Trinkler and Sarah Cattaneo in a Nissan Altima.
Clay said later, “We had a great place to start the race, but looking at the performance of the cars yesterday and looking at the data, we knew we didn’t have the car to win the race. We’ve done well with poles this season, and we have solid drivers in the cars. We have good cars, but we don’t have that punch at the end when you need it. It’s tough, and we try to hang on to it to put ourselves in the best position possible so we can have the best finish possible, but we’re not driving up to the finish we want, so it’s a little bit challenging right now.”
The WeatherTech Series GT and PC classes and the CTSCC series run again at Lime Rock on July 22 and 23.—Brian Morgan
Photo credits: (Turner car #96 and Team RLL car #25, BMW NA. BimmerWorld #84 Halston Pitman)
