MSR Acura DPi “Strong Enough” to Finish Fourth Despite Accident

Photo: Brett Farmer/IMSA

Oliver Jarvis has praised the durability of the Acura ARX-05 following the Briton’s heavy accident in the closing stages of Sunday’s IMSA Fastlane Sportscar Weekend at Road America.

Jarvis, who was running second at the time, lost control of the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing entry at the Kink, sustaining significant nose damage to the DPi contender that brought out the the race-ending fourth full-course caution with eight minutes to go.

The accident came after losing the lead and eventual win to the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura DPi of Filipe Albuquerque 16 minutes earlier.

“It’s really unfortunate to lose the podium like that today,” said Jarvis. “We were on a bit of a fuel save and the car was pretty difficult in that final stint.

“We were working through traffic and I think I just got into the marbles and went off there in the kink.

“Fortunately, the car was strong enough to make it to the finish, but it’s just a shame after the team put us in a very good position late in the race.”

A strategic call to short fuel and take only two fresh Michelin tires put Jarvis out front in the final round of pit stops.

It came after a challenging start to the two-hour and 40-minute race that saw the team make wholesale setup changes while under the first yellow that included installing a new rear deck.

“The team did a good job to get us back to the front with that last stop,” said Blomqvist. “Olly was driving really well and he had a hard assignment to save fuel, but keep out front.

“But traffic can be quite difficult around here so it didn’t end up how we were hoping.”

Race winner Albuquerque, who along with WTR co-driver Ricky Taylor retake the DPi points lead as a result, said he saw the accident in his rear-view mirror and also on the Turn 1 jumbo screen when the race went to yellow.

“He nearly passed me because we were going through the Carousel on the outside,” Albuquerque explained. “I passed the Acura [NSX] and then I managed to go and for me it was also super important to pass the LMP3 before the Kink.

“I looked back to see the gap and I could see him going on the grass and could see the car completely 90 degrees to my mirror going into the wall.

“I thought, ‘That’s it. For sure it’s going to [end under] yellow. I was starting to change page for fuel save and stuff like that.

“Then I asked, ‘Is he OK? because it was brutal and I could see a lot of things going around. Then I saw the replay on the TV.

“But then they said he’s still driving. He was still P4 and I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s impressive!’

“It’s good that he’s OK. There you’re flat out.

“Obviously for us, a P5 or P6 [finish for the No. 60 car] could have been even better for the championship but oh well it’s good for the championship.”

Albuquerque and Taylor now provisionally hold a 19-point lead over MSR’s Jarvis and Blomqvist heading into October’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The razor-thin margin is the equivalent of less than two points in IMSA’s previous scoring system.

“It feels good but it never lasts long,” said Taylor. “What we’ve learned this year is if you have the points lead, you’re not safe. Every time we get it, it goes the other way again.

“It’s flip flopped I don’t know how many times this year.

“We just have to go in with the same mindset. We have to win Petit and not take the pressure off.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John