Blomqvist “Very Disappointed” To Miss Out on Win

Tom Blomqvist said he was “very disappointed” to lose out to Filipe Albuquerque in the closing stages of Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen after a “perfect job all weekend” by the Meyer Shank Racing team.

Blomqvist and co-driver Oliver Jarvis were forced to settle for a runner-up finish after losing the lead to the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 of Albuquerque on the race’s restart from a red flag with 20 minutes to go.

The duo had topped every session during the weekend and led the majority of the six-hour contest.

“We were perfect all week long, so obviously I’m not very happy right now with finishing P2 because we did the perfect job all weekend,” Blomqvist told Sportscar365.

Despite initially losing the lead to Albuquerque on the opening lap, the MSR Acura was on pace to take victory after regaining the position in the pits at the end of the opening hour.

However, a late-race red flag for weather conditions and the No. 10 with less fuel and better straight-line speed meant that Albuquerque had the advantage on the restart.

“The 10 didn’t have much fuel, but the restart of the race happened precisely at the perfect amount of time for them to finish the race,” Blomqvist said.

“They have been super quick on the straights all week, and obviously being 15, 20 kilos lighter on fuel, with the straight line speed they had, just made me so vulnerable at the restart.

“Luck was on their side today, but we had a perfect race. I mean, the team did a fantastic job for such a long race.

“We’ve had the quickest car all weekend long, and things didn’t fall our way.

“Obviously, I’m extremely disappointed, especially for the guys that have been working hard all week.”

Jarvis added that it was “frustrating” to lose out on another win, especially after a dominant weekend for the No. 60 Acura.

“We had a great weekend with strong pace in every session and that continued in the race,” he said.

“The team did a great job with execution on the stops and strategy, and it was great to be out front for so much of this race, but unfortunately it all came up short today.

“It’s frustrating to lose out late in the race like that, but we’ve got another chance in just one week at CTMP so hopefully we can get back on top there.”

The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R of Sebastian Bourdais was also in the mix on the final restart, putting Albuquerque under pressure until traffic allowed the MSR Acura to pull out of the Frenchman’s reach.

“We’ve been close many times during the day with the 60 particularly,” Bourdais told Sportscar365. “They were quick, but not super quicker.

“We got trapped in traffic in that last sequence there a few times.

“I thought I had the run but even when I had a good run, it was just not quite enough to clear him around the outside going into the Bus Stop.

“So, it is what it is. I gave it what I had, and that was just not enough for today.”

Co-driver Renger Van der Zande added: “I would have loved to win today, but I think we maximized today. We’re the only Cadillac that got kind of close.”