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- Category: Road Racing
O'Connell, Martin Double Up in GT, GTS at Detroit; Hahn Scores GT-A Sunday Win
June 1, 2014 / For Immediate Release
DETROIT - Johnny O'Connell, of Flowery Branch, Ga. (GT) and Dean Martin, of Westland, Mich. (GTS) repeated their Round 5 victories in Round 6 of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge season, at the Cadillac V-Series Challenge presented by the Metro Detroit Cadillac Dealers. Additionally, Marcelo Hahn, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, became the first driver to score a second win within the GT-A classification this season.
Both O'Connell and Martin not only repeated their wins, but completed the same feats as they achieved on Saturday – flag-to-flag victories from Motul pole positions, which they earned by virtue of setting the fastest race laps in Round 5. O'Connell's win is his third this season and fifth in six starts over three years at Belle Isle Park; Martin's is his second of the season and third in four starts the last two years at Belle Isle.
In GT, the Cadillac teammates of O'Connell, in the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R and Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., in the sister No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R, got great starts from first and second on the grid and held the pace to the rest of the field for the remainder of the race.
The gap between them closed as the leaders worked through GTS class traffic in the waning stages of the race. Pilgrim got to O'Connell's rear bumper but never made a passing attempt. As the race reached the final 10 minutes, two separate instances of contact put the race under yellow. O'Connell's margin of victory under yellow was 0.148 of a second following the conclusion of the 25-lap race. "There are certain tracks that you know that you have to do well at. When we are on the street circuits we have an opportunity," O'Connell said. "The hardest thing for any driver is winning the first time at any track and once you win you wake up the next morning knowing that you can do it again."
In third in GT was Andrew Palmer, of Chicago, in the No. 21 GMG Racing Audi R8 Ultra for his second straight podium finish after finishing second on Saturday. It's Palmer's fourth podium finish of his first season in Pirelli World Challenge. Rounding out the top five was Mike Skeen, of Charlotte, N.C., in the No. 2 Hawk Performance Audi R8 Ultra, and Anthony Lazzaro, of Atlanta, Ga., in the No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia GT.
Skeen matched his fourth place result from Saturday while Lazzaro charged from eighth on the grid up to fifth by the finish. Lazzaro made several passes, with a move on Robert Thorne, of Littleton, Col., in the No. 6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3 for seventh on Lap 12 earning him the Cadillac CTS-V Move of the Race.
Hahn, driving the No. 0 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, completed an excellent bounce back race in GT-A after contact at Turn 6 ended his race on Saturday. Second was GT-A points leader Michael Mills, of Angleton, Texas, in the No. 41 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R and third, for his second straight podium finish, was Dan Knox, of Pilot Point, Texas, in the No. 80 ACS Manufacturing, Inc./Performance SpeedTech SRT Viper GT3-R. "I was in first place yesterday and made a mistake and my team spent all night repairing the car for today," Hahn said. "In the beginning I was in second place and it was hard to pass Mills, but I got a chance and used it."
Eight cars in the GTS race were in podium contention, two had a more realistic shot at the win as a GT-A car was wedged in-between second and third place for the first 13 laps of the race.
Martin, in the No. 50 Picture Cars East/Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302S led the similar car driven by Alec Udell, of The Woodlands, Texas, in the No. 17 Watson Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302S for the first 13 laps, with the rest of the field engaged in a tight battle for third.
The GTS field closed up as Martin and Udell had to hold off Tony Buffomante, of Naperville, Ill., in the No. 33 Capaldi Racing/Ford Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302S, Mark Wilkins, of Toronto, in the No. 38 Kia Motors America Kia Optima, Jack Roush Jr., of Livonia, Mich., in the No. 60 ROUSH Road Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302R and Jack Baldwin, of Marietta, Ga., in the No. 73 RESET-MD/StopTech/Motul Porsche Cayman S.
Lap 20 proved the decisive moment of the race in the battle for the remaining podium positions behind Martin. Contact between James Sofronas, of Villa Park, Calif., in the No. 14 Spyder/The Thermal Club Audi R8 Ultra and Udell entering Turn 12 took Udell out of contention; the 18-year-old sought his first podium since finishing third in Sunday's second race here last year. Seventh place did not reflect how well he raced.
Additionally, contact between Baldwin and Roush at Turn 8 knocked Roush out of the race and put the field under yellow for the second time, and ultimately ended the race behind the safety car.
Martin was able to hang on and complete his first career series weekend sweep, with a winning margin of victory under yellow of 2.124 seconds. "We are committed to doing a full season in the series with our Mustang; the Mustangs really show their strength here in Detroit, our home territory," Martin said. "It's really great to bring home a win for Ford here. Hats off to our crew, brand new car that was originally built as a show car and we tore it down and took what was left from the race car from Barber."
Buffomante advanced to second, for his second podium finish and fourth top-five finish of the season. Wilkins, in third, has his third podium and fourth top-five finish in the last five races. Baldwin ended fourth, ahead of Ric Bushey, of Virginia Beach, Va. in the No. 51 Nissan/Motul/SPL/OSGiken/Sparco/Sunoco Nissan 370Z in a career-best fifth place.
Bushey had a banner day en route to this result. His SFR Enterprises, Inc. team worked more than 36-plus hours in the days prior to the weekend to even make the trip to Detroit. From 17th on the GTS grid, Bushey gained seven positions off the standing start to secure the Optima Batteries Best Standing Start Award. The ultimate gain of 13 positions from his starting spot also meant he earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award.
Of note, Roush, who was classified 19th, earned the Invisible Glass Clean Pass of the Race Award for his move on Lawson Aschenbach, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Lap 9. Aschenbach, driving the No. 1 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro, endured a difficult weekend with a 19th place result Saturday and a 20th on Sunday.
Points are provisional until posted as final, with O'Connell now in the lead of GT leaving the weekend with 702 points. Lazzaro on 614 and Palmer on 579 round out the top three. In GTS, the margin is 15 between Wilkins on 571 and Baldwin on 556. Martin, on the strength of his two wins, has vaulted from 17th entering the weekend to third leaving it, now on 466 points. In GT-A, Mills with 325 points leads Tim Pappas and Henrik Hedman, who both have 307 points.
The next round for the GT, GT-A and GTS contingent is at Elkhart Lake's Road America from June 19-21, as Pirelli World Challenge returns to the picturesque Wisconsin road course for the first time since 2009. With the TC, TCA and TCB classes also in action there, it will be the second of four all-class weekends this season.
The Cadillac V-Series Challenge presented by the Metro Detroit Cadillac Dealers races will air on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, June 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
DETROIT, MI - Results from Sunday's 25 lap 58.75 mile Pirelli World Challenge Championship GT/GT-A/GTS Round 6 race, part of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix at Belle Isle Road Course, with finishing position, class, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out (if any).
1. GT, (1), Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V R, 25.
2. GT, (2), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V R, 25, -.148.
3. GT, (3), Andrew Palmer, Chicago, Ill., Audi R8 Ultra, 25, -2.877.
4. GT, (4), Mike Skeen, Charlotte, N.C., Audi R8 Ultra, 25, -4.146.
5. GT, (8), Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, Ga., Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia, 25, -5.804.
6. GT, (6), James Sofronas, Villa Park, Calif., Audi R8 Ultra, 25, -6.173.
7. GT, (9), Nick Mancuso, Chicago, Ill., Ferrari 458 GT3, 25, -8.408.
8. GT, (7), Robert Thorne, Littleton, Colo., McLaren 12C GT3, 25, -12.158.
9. GT, (10), Tim Bergmeister, Langfeld Germany, , Porsche GT3R, 25, -16.507.
10. GT, (12), Marcelo Hahn(A), Sao Paulo Brasil, BR, Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, 25, -21.738.
11. GT, (11), Michael Mills(A), Angleton, Texas, Porsche GT3R, 25, -23.050.
12. GT, (14), Dan Knox(A)(R), Pilot Point, Texas, SRT Viper GT3R, 25, -28.218.
13. GT, (16), Henrik Hedman(A)(R), Ft Lauderdale, Fla., Ferrari 458 GT3, 25, -33.967.
14. GT, (13), Tim Pappas(A), Boston, Mass., Mercedes AMG SLS GT3, 25, -34.782.
15. GT, (15), Bret Curtis(A), Austin, Texas, Audi R8 Ultra, 25, -38.106.
16. GT, (17), Brent Holden(A), Newport Coast, Calif., Audi R8 Ultra, 25, -38.447.
17. GT, (18), Bill Ziegler(A), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Audi R8 Ultra, 25, -43.628.
18. GT, (5), Alex Figge, Denver, Colo., McLaren 12C GT3, 22, -3 lap.
1. GTS, (1), Dean Martin, Westland, Mich., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24.
2. GTS, (3), Tony Buffomante, Naperville, Ill., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -2.124.
3. GTS, (5), Mark Wilkins, Toronto, Ontario, Kia Optima, 24, -2.930.
4. GTS, (7), Jack Baldwin, Marietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman S, 24, -4.183.
5. GTS, (17), Ric Bushey, Virginia Beach, Va., Nissan 370Z, 24, -6.070.
6. GTS, (14), David Sterckx, Brussels Belgium, BG, Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -7.296.
7. GTS, (2), Alec Udell, The Woodlands, Texas, Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -8.242.
8. GTS, (12), Drew Regitz, Denver, Colo., Aston Martin GT4, 24, -16.697.
9. GTS, (16), Brad Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -18.204.
10. GTS, (13), Mitch Landry, Lake Charles, La., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -19.396.
11. GTS, (19), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Camaro, 24, -29.459.
12. GTS, (11), Nick Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Aston Martin GT4, 24, -32.988.
13. GTS, (10), Erik Davis, Burbank, Calif., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -35.151.
14. GTS, (21), Buz McCall, Boca Raton, Fla., Porsche Cayman S, 23, -1 lap.
15. GTS, (20), Jorge De La Torre (R), McAllen, Texas, Aston Martin GT4, 23, -1 lap.
16. GTS, (15), Mark Klenin, Denver, Colo., Aston Martin GT4, 23, -1 lap.
17. GTS, (23), Chris Outzen, Sudbury, Mass., Ford MustangBoss302S, 23, -1 lap.
18. GTS, (22), Todd Napieralski, Chelsea, Mich., Chevrolet Camaro, 23, -1 lap.
19. GTS, (9), Jack Roush Jr, Livonia, Mich., Ford MustangBoss302R, 19, -5 lap.
20. GTS, (8), Lawson Aschenbach, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Chevrolet Camaro, 15, Mech.
21. GTS, (4), Andy Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro, 11, -13 laps.
22. GTS, (6), Nic Jonsson, Buford, Ga., Kia Optima, 4, -20 laps.
23. GTS, (18), Geoff Reeves(R), Cleveland, Ohio, Chevrolet Camaro, 1, -23 laps.
Time of race: 52 minutes, 42.660 seconds.
Average speed: 66.874 mph
Margin of victory: .148 Seconds (GT); 2.124 Seconds (GTS); Both Under Yellow
Lap leaders: Laps 1-25, #3 Johnny O'Connell (GT); Laps 1-24, #50 Dean Martin (GTS)
Fastest race lap: #61 Anthony Lazzaro, 1:32.488 (91.471 mph) (GT); #73 Jack Baldwin, 1:40.016 (84.586 mph) (GTS)
Fastest qualifier: #3 Johnny O'Connell, 1:32.492 (91.467 mph) (GT); #50 Dean Martin, 1:40.735 (83.982 mph) (GTS)
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- Category: Road Racing
TUDOR United Sports Car Championship Detroit Race Notes
from: IMSA Communications
May 31, 2014
Taylor Brothers, Corvette DP Take Prototype Victory At Detroit Belle Isle
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Ricky and Jordan Taylor sprinted to the Prototype (P) class and overall victory Saturday, in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, a result that wasn't the least bit surprising. After all, the Taylor Brothers were in a hurry.
After winning the fifth race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season, the Taylor Brothers took off for the airport and a flight to Paris, to be followed by a train ride to Le Mans, France. They were expecting to arrive around noon on Sunday, to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans mandatory test session.
Ricky Taylor brought the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP home, only 0.207 seconds ahead of Richard Westbrook, who was in the pole-sitting No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP. Westbrook co-drove with Michael Valiante. Olivier Pla finished third in the No. 42 OAK Racing Morgan/Nissan, after taking over from co-driver Gustavo Yacaman. It was a third-consecutive Detroit victory for Jordan Taylor, following victories in 2012 and '13 in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series
What was shaping up to be a routine run to the checkered flag for Ricky Taylor changed quickly in the closing minutes of the one-hour, 40-minute race on the tight 2.36-mile, Detroit Belle Isle street circuit. Following a 23-minute caution period necessitated by a repair of the tire wall in Turn 12, 27 minutes remained; at that point the Taylors had led for 48 minutes.
Ricky Taylor was out front but soon, Barbosa was lurking, ever closer with each lap. Taylor took the white flag but suddenly, Barbosa took the lead with a daring inside move into the Turn 3 right-hander, nudging Taylor into the wall. Moments later, though, the left-rear tire on Barbosa's car was shredding and then, he was spinning. Taylor sped by.
Onto the checkered.
Onto Le Mans.
"When he put us in the wall the only thing I was thinking was either he is going to have a tire go down or I was definitely going to break because it was a hard hit," Ricky Taylor said. "For those last couple laps it was really tooth and nail."
Ricky Taylor is slated to co-drive a LM P2 car at Le Mans, while Jordan Taylor and Westbrook will join the heralded Corvette Racing operation for a LM GTE Pro effort.
"Richard and I have done this [Detroit-to-Le Mans trip] before together and it was a disaster," Jordan said. "Hopefully this one, with a lot more planning will be a little less stress. I think we knocked off about five years of Richard's life [last time]. It's a rough travel night. We hope to get in the car [at Le Mans] for a few hours. It's a long weekend, but we're race car drivers and we love driving, so it's definitely worth it."
Balzan Holds Off Late-Race Charge To Give Ferrari Victory At Detroit Belle Isle
Balzan, Westphal Score GTD-Class Win For Scuderia Corsa In Ferrari 458
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Alessandro Balzan held off late-race charges from the Audi R8 LMS of Spencer Pumpelly and the Porsche 911 GT America of Mario Farnbacher to win Saturday's Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers at Detroit Belle Isle in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia he co-drives with Jeff Westphal.
Balzan took the lead when Tomy Drissi pitted with 33 minutes remaining, holding off the rest of the GT Daytona (GTD) class for the final 20 laps of the one-hour, 40-minute event. It was the second career North American sports car racing victory for Balzan – and the first in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship – and the first career victory for Westphal.
"It was a nightmare out there, because there were five or six cars that could have won today," said Balzan. "It was difficult for me to stay focused in the car. I think I said some bad words to my engineer, I said to him, 'please, shut up' because I needed 110 percent of myself today."
For the second consecutive race, Pumpelly and the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports team suffered heartbreak in the closing laps. After running out of fuel while leading on the final lap at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Pumpelly looked to rebound at Detroit Belle Isle and attempted to pass Balzan for the lead with less than five minutes remaining.
Pumpelly ran wide and quickly lost the position to the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Seattle/Alex Job Racing Porsche 911 GT America of Mario Farnbacher and the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Audi R8 LMS of Christopher Haase.
With Pumpelly out of the picture, Farnbacher and Haase set their sights on Balzan, but fell just short. Farnbacher took the checkered flag 0.297 seconds behind Balzan to finish second for he and co-driver Ian James, while Haase and co-driver Bryce Miller finished third.
The race was slowed by full-course caution twice for 11 laps. The first, from Laps 22-26, was the result of water on course in Turn 6. The second full-course caution lasted for 23 minutes for repairs to the tire wall in Turn 12 following an incident involving the No. 81 Tully's Coffee Porsche of Damien Faulkner.
Runing Order (Unofficial) at end of race
O/A Pos - Cls Pos - Class - Car# - Drivers *qualifying driver (Starting driver)
1 1 P 10 R.Taylor/(J.Taylor*)
2 2 P 90 Westbrook*/(Valiante)
3 3 P 42 (Yacaman)/Pla*
4 4 P 60 (Pew)/Negri Jr.*
5 5 P 1 (Sharp)/Dalziel*
6 6 P 5 Barbosa/(Fittipaldi*)
7 7 P 2 (Brown)/van Overbeek*
8 1 GTD 63 Balzan*/(Westphal)
9 2 GTD 23 (James)/M.Farnbacher*
10 3 GTD 48 Haase*/(B.Miller)
11 4 GTD 007 (Carter)/Davison*
12 5 GTD 22 (MacNeil)/Keen*
13 6 GTD 94 Cameron*/(Palttala)
14 7 GTD 18 (Drissi)/Asch*
15 8 GTD 555 (Sweedler)/To.Bell*
16 9 GTD 58 (Snow)/Heylen*
17 10 GTD 81 (Barker)/Faulkner*
18 11 GTD 33 J.Bleekemolen*/(Keating)
19 8 P 07 (J.Miller*)/Nunez
20 12 GTD 35 (Neiman)/von Moltke*
21 13 GTD 44 (Potter)/Lally*
22 9 P 70 Tremblay*/(T.Long)
23 14 GTD 45 (Canache Jr.)/Pumpelly*
24 15 GTD 46 Espenlaub*/(Putman)
25 16 GTD 64 Marcelli*/(Cumming)
26 17 GTD 27 A.Davis*/(Sandberg)
27 18 GTD 73 (Lindsey)/Estre* Not Running
28 19 GTD 30 (H.Cisneros)/Giermaziak* Not Running
29 10 P 31 Curran/(Said*) Not Running
30 11 P 01 Pruett/(Rojas*) Not Running
31 20 GTD 19 Drissi/Asch DNS
32 21 GTD 71 Norman/Stanton DNS
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- Category: Road Racing
O'Connell, Knox, Martin Score Detroit Saturday Pirelli World Challenge Round 5 Wins
DETROIT – Johnny O'Connell, of Flowery Branch, Ga., Dan Knox, of Pilot Point, Texas, and Dean Martin, of Westland, Mich., took wins in Round 5 of the Pirelli World Challenge 2014 season, at the Cadillac V-Series Challenge presented by the Metro Detroit Cadillac Dealers. Both O'Connell (GT) and Martin (GTS) converted Motul pole positions into race wins, while Knox (GT-A) came from third on the grid to capture his first series victory.
O'Connell, driving the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R, got an excellent launch from the standing start and within two laps, had a lead of more than 4.5 seconds on the rest of the field.
From there, O'Connell held off all comers to score his second win of the season and fourth win in his last five starts on the 2.35-mile Belle Isle Park circuit in Detroit. He won by 3.309 seconds after leading all 26 laps.
"The start was huge," O'Connell said. "My strategy was to push as hard as I could early, knowing my car would go off. But all the guys behind me started racing, which slowed them down. I had to keep my eyes down, and get to traffic in the right place. It was a lot about timing and not making mistakes."
The battle in GT was behind him for second. Mike Skeen, of Charlotte, N.C., in the No. 2 Hawk Performance Audi R8 Ultra, made a great start to emerge second, but spent the next several laps holding off O'Connell's teammate Andy Pilgrim. Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., initially held the position in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R, an off at Turn 3 on Lap 9 dropped him back.
Skeen, Anthony Lazzaro, of Atlanta, Ga., and Andrew Palmer, of Chicago, were the other three then engaging in a scrap for the final podium positions. Palmer started eighth in the No. 21 GMG Racing Audi R8 Ultra, but made three positions up off the start to secure the Optima Batteries Best Standing Start Award. By the race's only restart on Lap 23, he was up to third.
Palmer made it past Skeen for second into Turn 1, in a move that netted him the Cadillac CTS-V Move of the Race. An opportunistic Lazzaro, in the No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, made it past Skeen on the same lap for third.
Skeen ended fourth for his best result yet since the CRP Racing team switched to the Audi at Round 2 of the season in Long Beach. The pair of K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3s, Alex Figge, of Denver, Col., and Robert Thorne, of Littleton, Col., ended a season-best fifth and sixth in the Nos. 9 and 6 cars.
In GT-A, Knox, in the No. 80 ACS Manufacturing, Inc./Performance SpeedTech SRT Viper GT3-R drove a controlled race while top two starters Michael Mills and Marcelo Hahn both ran into issues during the race.
Mills, of Angleton, Texas, in the No. 41 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R had a moment of contact with GTS driver Mitch Landry, of Lake Charles, La. in the No. 97 VersaCrane/DeepSouth Ford Mustang Boss 302S at Turn 8. Hahn, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, retired after contact at Turn 6 in the No. 0 Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo FL2.
Hahn's incident occurred following the race's only full-course caution, which flew on Lap 16 following contact by GTS driver Craig Capaldi, of Richmond City, Mich., in the No. 68 Wolverine Bronze/Capital R Ford Mustang Boss 302S on corner exit. Capaldi emerged unscathed from his car.
That said Knox, in only his fifth Pirelli World Challenge series start, was both fast and measured, avoiding traffic and pitfalls to become the fifth different GT-A classified winner in as many races.
"We struggled all day yesterday getting the setup right. But it was fabulous today," Knox said. "We had a great start, lost a couple positions but got some luck to make it back up. We had one close call with a GTS car, but otherwise it was very clean. It's a big deal to win with one of the American entries."
After missing Round 4 in Barber due to injury, Bret Curtis, of Austin, Texas picked up his first GT-A podium in second in the No. 32 Valspar Paint/Spectra Resources/United Steel Supply Audi R8 Ultra. In third was Tim Pappas, of Boston, Mass., in the No. 54 Black River Caviar Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, for his third straight GT-A podium.
Like O'Connell, Martin was able to complete a flag-to-flag victory in GTS. Driving the No. 50 Picture Cars East/Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302S, Martin held off a snarling pack of challengers that could have been covered by a blanket.
At any point, either of the Kia Motors America Kia Optimas, three different Ford Mustang Boss 302s and Jack Baldwin's No. 73 RESET-MD/StopTech/Motul Porsche Cayman S were in striking distance.
But at the end of the day, Martin held on both from the start and the restart to secure his second series victory. His first came in the Sunday round at Detroit last year, and was a crucial bounce back after being caught up in the four-car Ford Mustang Boss 302S accident at the start of Round 4 in Barber.
"This one's a little better (than last year)," Martin confirmed. "After the controversy at Barber, with a brand new car here, it's a great morale booster for us. The Ford Mustang needed it. It's a great comeback for everyone at Rehagen Racing to get this new car ready."
Starting and finishing second was Baldwin, of Marietta, Ga., in the aforementioned No. 73 Porsche for GTSport Racing. It's his fourth podium finish in five races to open the 2014 season.
The big mover on the day was Nic Jonsson, of Buford, Ga., in the No. 36 Kia Motors America Kia Optima. Jonsson started ninth but made a rocket start up to third by the end of the first lap. He made it up to second on Lap 5 when Jack Roush Jr., of Livonia, Mich., in his No. 60 ROUSH Road Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302R attempted to pass Martin on the front straight, but lost the momentum and Jonsson flew past. Baldwin made it back past Jonsson for second on Lap 23, but for Jonsson, it was his third podium finish of the season.
Jonsson's teammate Mark Wilkins, of Toronto, finished fourth in GTS in the No. 38 Kia Motors America Kia Optima with Alec Udell, of The Woodlands, Texas fifth in the No. 17 Watson Racing/MDG Ford Mustang Boss 302S.
Also of note, Mills' pass on Hahn on Lap 12 netted him the Invisible Glass Clean Pass of the Race. The Sunoco Hard Charger Award was given to David Sterckx, of Brussels, Belgium, in the No. 52 Always Evolving Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302S, who advanced 11 positions from start to finish. Sterckx finished eighth in GTS, matching his season-best finish, also set in Round 1 at St. Petersburg.
Both O'Connell and Martin set the fastest race laps in Round 5 and as such, will start from pole in Sunday's Round 6 of the season. Unofficially, although points will follow later today, O'Connell and Baldwin should move into the GT and GTS points leads.
Round 6 goes green at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, with live streaming on World-ChallengeTV.com beginning at 10:35 a.m. ET.
DETROIT, MI - Results from Saturday's 26 lap 61.1 mile Pirelli World Challenge Championship Pirelli World Challenge GT/GTS Round 5 race, part of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix at Belle Isle Road Course, with finishing position, class, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out (if any).
1. GT, (1), Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, Ga., Cadillac CTS-V R, 26.
2. GT, (8), Andrew Palmer, Chicago, Ill., Audi R8 Ultra, 26, -3.309.
3. GT, (3), Anthony Lazzaro, Atlanta, Ga., Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia, 26, -3.310.
4. GT, (4), Mike Skeen, Charlotte, N.C., Audi R8 Ultra, 26, -3.743.
5. GT, (6), Alex Figge, Denver, Colo., McLaren 12C GT3, 26, -4.124.
6. GT, (5), Robert Thorne, Littleton, Colo., McLaren 12C GT3, 26, -7.410.
7. GT, (7), Nick Mancuso, Chicago, Ill., Ferrari 458 GT3, 26, -9.556.
8. GT, (9), James Sofronas, Villa Park, Calif., Audi R8 Ultra, 26, -13.928.
9. GT, (10), Tim Bergmeister, Langfeld Germany, , Porsche GT3R, 26, -34.317.
10. GT, (14), Dan Knox(A)(R), Pilot Point, Texas, SRT Viper GT3R, 26, -34.503.
11. GT, (13), Bret Curtis(A), Austin, Texas, Audi R8 Ultra, 26, -40.060.
12. GT, (15), Tim Pappas(A), Boston, Mass., Mercedes AMG SLS GT3, 26, -40.636.
13. GT, (16), Henrik Hedman(A)(R), Ft Lauderdale, Fla., Ferrari 458 GT3, 26, -43.759.
14. GT, (17), Brent Holden(A), Newport Coast, Calif., Audi R8 Ultra, 26, -44.136.
15. GT, (18), Bill Ziegler(A), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Audi R8 Ultra, 26, -50.132.
16. GT, (11), Michael Mills(A), Angleton, Texas, Porsche GT3R, 26, -53.771.
17. GT, (2), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Cadillac CTS-V R, 22, -4 lap.
18. GT, (12), Marcelo Hahn(A), Sao Paulo Brasil, BR, Lamborghini Gallardo FL2, 16, -10 laps.
1. GTS, (1), Dean Martin, Westland, Mich., Ford MustangBoss302S, 25.
2. GTS, (2), Jack Baldwin, Marietta, Ga., Porsche Cayman S, 25, -2.578.
3. GTS, (9), Nic Jonsson, Buford, Ga., Kia Optima, 25, -4.306.
4. GTS, (7), Mark Wilkins, Toronto, Ontario, Kia Optima, 25, -8.765.
5. GTS, (4), Alec Udell, The Woodlands, Texas, Ford MustangBoss302S, 25, -5.682.
6. GTS, (3), Jack Roush Jr, Livonia, Mich., Ford MustangBoss302R, 25, -7.850.
7. GTS, (8), Andy Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo., Chevrolet Camaro, 25, -8.504.
8. GTS, (16), David Sterckx, Brussels Belgium, BG, Ford MustangBoss302S, 25, -16.019.
9. GTS, (10), Nick Esayian, San Diego, Calif., Aston Martin GT4, 25, -24.155.
10. GTS, (14), Ric Bushey, Virginia Beach, Va., Nissan 370Z, 25, -21.270.
11. GTS, (19), Erik Davis, Burbank, Calif., Ford MustangBoss302S, 25, -24.526.
12. GTS, (15), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Camaro, 25, -23.672.
13. GTS, (20), Buz McCall, Boca Raton, Fla., Porsche Cayman S, 25, -1:25.030.
14. GTS, (22), Todd Napieralski, Chelsea, Mich., Chevrolet Camaro, 25, -44.546.
15. GTS, (18), Drew Regitz, Denver, Colo., Aston Martin GT4, 24, -1 lap.
16. GTS, (12), Mitch Landry, Lake Charles, La., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -52.518.
17. GTS, (23), Chris Outzen, Sudbury, Mass., Ford MustangBoss302S, 24, -1 lap.
18. GTS, (21), Geoff Reeves(R), Cleveland, Ohio, Chevrolet Camaro, 22, -3 lap.
19. GTS, (6), Lawson Aschenbach, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Chevrolet Camaro, 21, -4 lap.
20. GTS, (5), Tony Buffomante, Naperville, Ill., Ford MustangBoss302S, 21, -4 lap.
21. GTS, (11), Mark Klenin, Denver, Colo., Aston Martin GT4, 21, -50.409.
22. GTS, (24), Jorge De La Torre (R), McAllen, Texas, Aston Martin GT4, 20, -1:18.664.
23. GTS, (17), Brad Adams, New Orleans, La., Ford MustangBoss302S, 16, -44.152.
24. GTS, (13), Craig Capaldi, Richmond Township, Mich., Ford MustangBoss302S, 13, -51.417.
25. GTS, (25), Brian Kleeman, Baltimore, Md., Nissan 370Z, 0, DNS.
Time of race: 50 minutes, 07.932 seconds.
Average speed: 73.126 mph
Margin of victory: 3.309 Seconds
Lap leaders: Laps 1-26, #3 Johnny O'Connell (GT); Laps 1-26 #50 Dean Martin (GTS)
Fastest race lap: #3 Johnny O'Connell, 1:32.492 (91.467 mph) (GT); #50 Dean Martin, 1:40.735 (83.982 mph) (GTS)
Fastest qualifier: #3 Johnny O'Connell, 1:31.899 (92.057 mph) (GT); #50 Dean Martin, 1:39.387 (85.121 mph) (GTS)
Photo: Smith/PWC
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Michael DiMeo continued his hot streak in New Jersey and has a commanding championship lead in Touring Car after his 5th straight win. (Photo-Mike Sullivan/RaceCanada.ca)
Read More DiMeo, Holbrook, And Price Win At New Jersey Motorsports Park
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New TV partner: DTM in Canada & US covered by CBS Sports
Wiesbaden. DTM makes another step to America. On behalf of DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V., _wige MARKETING gmbh signed a deal with CBS Sports for the 2014 season. CBS Sports is a part of CBS, the most-watched television network in the United States – comprising a total of 14 owned-and-operated stations – that is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers as well as via satellite.
CBS Sports is going to bring all the DTM races in the USA and Canada in full length. The DTM coverage will be broadcasted time-delayed on the race Sundays. This Sunday's race at Budapest can be watched from 16:00hrs Eastern Time. In North America, CBS holds – inter alia – the sports rights of NFL, the US Open golf tournament and major College Sports such as SEC College football or College basketball. CBS' 2013 Super Bowl coverage, for instance, drew an average of 108.7 million viewers across the nation.
Even before the signing of the CBS deal, DTM also found a new TV partner in the UK. BT Sport, a subsidiary of British Telecom, is going to cover all the DTM rounds of the 2014 season live or re-live and in addition, it also will broadcast the highlights of all the FIA Formula 3 European Championship weekends.
The BT Sport programme can be received in the UK via an own platform as well as the Sky and Virgin ranges, thus potentially being available to more than 10 million pay-TV households. The rights portfolio of the station also comprises other major sports events such as the English Premier League (live coverage of one match per matchday) and the German 'Fußball Bundesliga' (live coverage of 115 matches per season) or – in the motor-racing area – the MotoGP and the World Rally Championship (WRC) rights. And from 2015, all the matches of the Champions League and the European League will be covered exclusively by BT Sport, in the UK.
Altogether, DTM currently is broadcasted in 214 countries and territories by 145 TV stations. In 2013, the DTM coverage amounted to 8,085 hours worldwide. The 19,250 programmes reached nearly 3.7 billion TV households.