Sellers: GTD Race Outcome Decided “In the Pits”

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Paul Miller Racing’s victory in the GTD category was decided “in the pits” according to Bryan Sellers, who along with Madison Snow celebrated their third consecutive class win in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Sellers and Snow drove the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 to its second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory of the season following their and Corey Lewis’ triumph in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring last month.

While coming out on top in a fuel mileage race in Sebring, quick pit work and a series of strong in laps by Snow was enough for Sellers to jump ahead of the class pole-sitting No. 27 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which had led from the start in the hands of Marco Sorensen.

“Our race was decided in the pits,” Sellers said. “I think we were something like three seconds faster than the Aston and it was just enough.

“Madison had two really good in laps, which were key.

“We went back and reviewed the race from last year. Jack [Hawksworth] had two extra laps that were very good and he was able to jump almost the whole field up to the Aston.

“We saw that as a fit for us if the situation arose. We kind of mimicked what they did last year.

“From there it was just getting the out lap. Once you get in front, it’s really hard for someone to overtake you. So it’s management.

“The race really ebbs and flows a lot with traffic, whether it’s prototypes or not, so there were times in the race where you felt super comfortable and there were times where I was like, ‘Man the gap is too close.’

“It was a great day.”

With the win, Sellers and Snow have extended their GTD championship lead to 99 points over Heart of Racing’s Sorensen and Roman De Angelis, who finished second on Saturday.

“You like the races you do well at,” said Snow. “The last three years, Bryan and I have done well here.

“Street courses are definitely tough with limited practice but something that’s good for us is that Bryan and I are so good at working together that if we find something in practice, it’s easy for us to help one another get faster.

“I think that’s a very strong point with us.

“I had the easy job today, I only drove for 35 minutes and five of those minutes were under yellow.

“When the race started, I thought the best I could do was second, so I tried to bring the car in P2. I was fortunate enough to get a good start so it was just about keeping the car on track.”

De Angelis: Heart of Racing Didn’t Have the Pace of BMW

De Angelis, meanwhile, felt his Aston Martin he shared with Long Beach rookie Sorensen didn’t have the ultimate pace to the BMW, particularly in the second half of the race.

The Silver-rated Canadian closed out the 100-minute race, a role that typically is given to a GTD teams’ Platinum or Gold-rated driver.

“We hoped for one better today,” said De Angelis. “You just can’t be upset with second and it ended up being a good points day and a clean race for us.

“We just didn’t have the pace of the BMW. We are looking long term and want to win the championship. I’m still disappointed we didn’t win the race today, but we still have to be happy for good points.”

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