Wayne Taylor Racing wins from pole…..easier said than done
Starting from pole, the Taylor brothers in the # 10 ran strong throughout the 2 – ½ hour race.
Do the words “fully insert nozzle, activate pump, begin fueling” sound familiar?
The outcome could have been quite different had the # 31 Whelen team fuel filler not struggled to jam the nozzle all the way into the receptacle. Broadcast TV captured it live and on slow motion replay.
# 31 was leading because tire problems forced them to pit earlier than planned. That threw their “fuel window” strategy off sequence calling for an extra pit stop near the end.
With the laps closing down the # 31 team figured their margin was enough for a quick re-fuel if all goes right. They watched from their pit on closed circuit as Ricky Taylor exited Moss Corner at the far end of the course and raced up the long straight. Smooth execution would preserve their lead. But instead, the valuable seconds lost cost the team the chance to notch its second win of the season.
It appears strange and bears looking into why the # 5 Action Express sister team car was also detained by tire problems.
The # 3 of Magnussen & Garcia was fortunate to pick up a 3rd place near the end, keeping the Corvette Racing Team on the heels of BMW for GTLM points. Results would have been better if the 2 cars qualified higher. Caution periods were not a factor to move up as has sometimes been the case.
Drivers found Mosport's fast uphill and downhill blind turns daunting since the track opened in 1965.
Now called Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, it is one of the few tracks in North America that have remained the same except for safer barriers and larger runoff areas. As race car speeds have increased some 30%, a fast lap around Mosport can be pretty scary. As Johnny O’Connell says, “it takes a big set of cojones” to win there.
Tour the circuit with the late Bruce McLaren and his 1966 Can Am in this classic video
Results compiled by Wayne Ellwood.
Catch this 2 min race preview video
Next race is on the road course at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25-26.