Lime Rock Weekend Notebook

Photo: John Dagys

***James Davison is on probation through the first Road America race, following his actions in last weekend’s round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Davison received a post-race penalty in Race 2 equivalent to a drive-through and a three-race probation for “failure to provide racing room.” His Always Evolving team has appealed the ruling and is awaiting a hearing date from the SCCA.

***Davison has been among the talk of the paddock this weekend, particularly in how aggressive or over-the-edge driving is defined and acted upon. The Australian driver had a quiet Race 1 on Friday, taking his No. 33 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to a 12th place finish.

***No changes have been made to the Balance of Performance this weekend, in the wake of the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park round. Both Lime Rock and CTMP are Category C tracks, although the next round at Road America will fall into Category B.

***Despite no changes, Cadillac appears to be back on form, with Johnny O’Connell claiming a third place finish in Race 1. O’Connell’s run, however, was aided by contact between Andrew Palmer and Patrick Long while battling for 2nd late in the race. The Cadillac, however, was still some 5 mph down on top speed, based on trap speeds from qualifying.

***Palmer, who set the fastest lap in Race 1, will start tomorrow’s Race 2 from the pole position.

***Earlier this week, Palmer and Bentley Team Absolute teammate Adderly Fong flew with the Breitling Jet Team in New York. The drivers were taken up to altitudes of 15,000 feet and experienced close proximity formations and aerial maneuvers at more than 4Gs in the Breitling jets as the team prepared for its latest stop on the 2016 American Tour.

***Audi Sport customer racing North America’s Brad Kettler is back at the track for the first time since being involved in a serious car accident last month. Kettler sustained a broken sternum after his road car was hit from behind by a distracted driver while on his way to Barber Motorsports Park on April 21.

***Lawson Aschenbach claimed his third GTS class victory of the season in Race 1 on Friday. The Blackdog Speed Shop driver led all 49 laps, fending off the ANSA Motorsports KTM X-Bow GT4 of Brett Sandberg for top honors.

***ANSA has expanded into a three-car effort in GTS, adding a third KTM X-Bow GT4 for longtime PWC competitor Bill Ziegler. Hugh Plumb, meanwhile, has replaced Dore Chaponick Jr at the wheel of the team’s No. 12 X-Bow.

***Longtime GMG Racing staff member Sergey Zherebnenko, a staple of the team’s track day events, died this week in a motorcycle accident. Both of the team’s Porsches are carrying memorial stickers this weekend.

***Lime Rock Park has launched “Road to 60” in the buildup to the track’s 60th anniversary next year. Fans have the opportunity to donate money to help the historic Connecticut circuit undergo further upgrades. Click Here for more details on how to become involved.

***Catch live streaming coverage of Saturday’s races on world-challenge.com. Race 2 of GTS gets underway at 11 a.m. ET, followed by TC/TCA/TCB at 2:20 p.m. and the GT/GTA/GT Cup finale at 4 p.m. Highlights of the GT race will be aired June 5 at 4 p.m. ET and GTS on June 9 at 8 p.m. ET, both on CBS Sports Network.

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