Robby Foley clinched his third straight race win at the Watkins Glen International. (IMSA photo)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – Robby Foley made a string of perfect restarts on the home stretch of Watkins Glen International and topped a double finish in the Grand Sport (GS) class for BMW and Turner Motorsport at Sahlen’s 120 at The Glen.
During lap five of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Foley took over the final stint in the #96 (G82) BMW M4, driven by Vin Barletta. In the final 30 minutes of the two-hour race, he maintained the lead through three cautions throughout the course, securing the duo’s second win of the season.
It was also Turner’s second double win of the year, repeating the team’s success at the Alan Jay 120 at Sebring International Raceway.
Saturday’s race at Watkins Glen was delayed by 48 minutes due to severe weather in the Finger Lakes region. This resulted in wet conditions for the start, but the track was completely dry when Foley crossed the checkered flag 0.680s ahead of the No. 95 Turner-BMW of Robert Megennis and Cameron Lawrence.
“It was a crazy race,” Foley remarked after he and Barletta completed 46 laps of the 3.4-mile, 11-turn street course. “Vin did a great job of surviving when it was very wet and getting us into the middle of the race. We made a few changes as we were prepared for this weather with a wet setup and the car was really good.
“We could be really strong on restarts and take some steps,” he added. “That was the key. When we were up front it was about not messing up, just making it. Great day for the team, great to get another one-two and we’ll try to keep the momentum going.”
Barletta asserted himself in the first stint and handed the car over to Foley without a scratch.
“It was a bit difficult, but the track improved immediately,” said Barletta. “I tried to find my pace so I wouldn’t get into trouble or lose time. The warnings fell in our direction, which is not always the case. We were able to make the early pit stop and Robby prepared that.”
It was the third GS win in a row at Watkins Glen for the Turner team.
“We love this place,” Foley said. “The track has always been good for us, both in the GTD (Grand Touring Daytona in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) and in the GS. You could say “horses for courses” and the BMWs are really good here.”
Ted Giovanis and Owen Trinkler finished third in the No. 64 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage GT4 after Trinkler overtook the No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 driven by Christian Szymczak and Kenny Murillo in the closing stages.
Szymczak and Murillo secured the GS class lead with fifth place behind the #88 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4 shared by Todd Coleman and Billy Johnson.
The next round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will be held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120, part of the July 7-9 Chevrolet Grand Prix weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, east of the greater Toronto area.
Block and Lewis present Alfa Romeo birthday present with TCR win
Roy Block and Tim Lewis know how to make the best birthday gifts.
The co-drivers of the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR outlasted the competition in the touring car class (TCR) in Saturday’s chaotic race to win on the 113th anniversary of Alfa Romeo’s founding in Italy.
Lewis secured the lead with 27 minutes to go, holding off a bevy of TCR rivals through two late restarts. He and Block won by 0.576 seconds ahead of Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor in the #17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
“Just great teamwork, great strategy,” said Lewis, celebrating his seventh Michelin Pilot Challenge win of his career. “Our team always creates the best pit stops and enables us to be successful. Roy did a great job keeping the car in one piece through some hectic early stages and then it was just my job to get it home and survive all the restarts.”
Block also did a great job keeping the car off the wall when he suffered a flat left front tire but just as he hit his minimum driving time he was able to return to the pit lane for a replacement and hand the car over to Lewis .
“At the beginning the conditions were really tricky for me,” said Block. “A lot of people were aggressive. I just always kept the long-term perspective in mind. As the track dried I slowly regained my feet and then my left front exploded as I entered the ‘footprint’ (turn seven). Luckily I saved it, kept it together and then our race engineer suggested a great strategy and here we are.”
The win was Block’s eighth in the Michelin Pilot Challenge and second for the No. 5 this season.
This also tightened the unofficial TCR rating after four races. The No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with the Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, with drivers Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi, leads by 1,160 points after finishing 10th on Saturday. The BHA-Hyundai #33, driven by Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker, finished fifth, 10 points off the lead.
Lewis and Block are level on points with Miller and Taylor, 70 points off the leaders.
Commenting on the special gift they presented to their manufacturer, Lewis said: “Happy Birthday Alfa Romeo!”
And Block added, “The racing gods have spoken!”
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