No 4th victory in a row for Pagenaud

Apart from Sebring, where the LMP2s could not aim for overall victory anyway, Highcroft Racing was undefeated this season in American Le Mans Series, remaining on three consecutive victories before entering the home round in Lakeville.
Manhandled at the start of the race, the HPD ARX-01c crew made a great comeback. But when it was time to overtake Klaus Graf, then in the lead on the Porsche Cytosport, David Brabham saw himself pushed into the grass by the German, before being the victim of a puncture, shattering hopes of a possible fourth success in a row in the series. For Cytosport and its crew Klaus Graf and Greg Pickett, it is a consecration.

“It was a grueling race, said Pagenaud at the arrival. David did a fantastic job and drove superbly. We were unlucky at the end with this puncture, because Klaus (Graf, editor's note) received a stop & go for blocking us. It should have been a great victory, but sometimes these kinds of things happen. Sometimes you have to know how to take second place points for the championship. This was the case today. We did not have the best package at the start of the race. We had to work a lot due to the current rules (which penalize HPD, editor's note). The weight reduction that the Porsche obtained in Salt Lake City played a role here, especially during the acceleration phases coming out of the chicanes. The whole team did a fantastic job. We could have won but we are happy to finish second. Now for Mid-Ohio and Road America, two tracks on which we should be more to our advantage. »

In the championship, Simon Pagenaud and David Brabham see Klaus Graf and Greg Pickett close to seven points. But the Australian and the Frenchman still retain the reins of the provisional general classification before the next round at Mid-Ohio on the weekend of August 8.