OAK Dominates CTMP, Claims First TUSC Win

Photo: Darren Pierson

After losing out at Watkins Glen last month, OAK Racing broke through to score its first TUDOR United SportsCar Championship win following a dominant flag-to-flag run in Sunday’s Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix.

Olivier Pla took the No. 42 Morgan-Nissan across the line for top overall honors in the two-hour and 45-minute race, which ran caution-free and saw the black and pink-liveried P2 car lead all 133 laps.

The Frenchman and co-driver Gustavo Yacaman didn’t miss a beat all day, with pole-sitter Yacaman stretching out into an early lead.

Pla, who took over controls of the Onroak Automotive-designed prototype midway through the race, increased the gap as a fight for the final two podium positions developed.

From there, it was clear sailing for Pla, who cruised to a 7.886-second win over the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP of Richard Westbrook in second.

Westbrook enjoyed a spirited late-race fight with Jordan Taylor in the Prototype championship-leading No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP, which rebounded from an unscheduled stop early after brother Ricky went off-course and filled the radiator with grass.

Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi came home fourth in their No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP after pitting early with a left-rear puncture.

The No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Riley-Ford of Ozz Negri and John Pew, recorded its second top-five finish of the year while the Tristan Nunez and Joel Miller-driven No. 07 SpeedSource Mazda recorded a season-best sixth place finish in the P class after a trouble-free run.

It was another race to forget for Extreme Speed Motorsports, as both of its HPD ARX-03b cars hit mechanical trouble.

The No. 1 car of Ryan Dalziel, which was fighting for the win, retired with less than one hour to go with turbo failure, while the sister entry, driven by Johannes van Overbeek, went behind the wall with alternator issues.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas salvaged points after Rojas nearly destroyed the No. 01 Telmex Riley-Ford on the recon lap. The car joined the race just past the one-hour mark but was retired after completing 46 laps.

RESULTS: Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix

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