Barbosa Leads Halfway at Watkins Glen

Three hours are complete in the third round of the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup season, the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, with Joao Barbosa up front in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP.

The race started in damp conditions, with tire strategies mixed, dried out but then started raining again in spurts at the halfway mark.

Jordan Taylor had the lead just before the halfway mark, but ran wide exiting Turn 10 on Lap 87, and Barbosa came past the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP.

The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford and No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Racing Corvette DPs have also enjoyed time in the lead.

Taylor’s teammate Max Angelelli took the lead in the third hour, on Lap 72, once Scott Pruett pitted in the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford. Jordan Taylor

BAR1 Motorsports led the majority of the race in Prototype Challenge, but it’s Starworks Motorsport that leads at halfway, with Renger van der Zande having assumed the lead following the most recent pit stop sequence.

Conor Daly enjoyed a storming first stint in the No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports, leading by nearly a minute, before an incident at Turn 6 for co-driver Jerome Mee and several other issues that followed.

The GT Le Mans lead also changed hands just at three-hour mark. Tommy Milner was leading in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R but had to lift off and cede position after missing the Bus Stop chicane; it shifted the lead to fellow 24 Hours of Le Mans race winner Nick Tandy in the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR.

Marc Goossens led GT Daytona in the No. 93 Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper GT3-R at the three-hour mark, but eight of the top 11 cars in class were still on the lead lap and in win contention.

Although there have been no official retirements, several cars have had issues.

Both the No. 38 and 11 PC cars were contacted at Turn 6, the No. 07 Mazda SKYACTIV-D required an alternator belt change, the DeltaWing coupe had gearbox issues, John Edwards lost control of his No. 24 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE at Turn 6 as well in the third hour, and the No. 007 TRG-AMR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 is reportedly down a cylinder, down on power.

RESULTS: Hour 3