Van Der Zande Scores Upset Win With Thrilling Pass During America's Tire 250 At Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix
September 25, 2017 by Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
MONTEREY, Calif., September 24, 2017 — Dutchman Renger van der Zande made a daring late-race pass on Dane Cameron going down Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's famous 'Corkscrew' turn in the No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Ligier JS P217 Gisbon Prototype with one lap remaining to score the overall win in the America's Tire 250 on the last day of the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix.
With many of the favored teams long in his rearview, van der Zande stalked Cameron for the last hour of the two-hour, 40-minute event before embarking on a thrilling overtake that evoked recollections of Alex Zanardi famously making 'The Pass' in the 1996 CART finale.
'I just love this track,' said van der Zande, the co-driver of No. 90 with Marc Goossens. 'I'm super thrilled. The last 10 minutes of the race, I was biding my time. I knew we had a chance at the Corkscrew because it was strong with the brakes there. I asked the guys on the radio if I should go for it, and they said, 'Hell yeah, go for it!''
The upset win was an emotional one for the Visit Florida Racing team which had its shop ravaged during Hurricane Irma only week earlier.
In the ultracompetitive GT Le Mans category that competed on track at the same time as the Prototype class during the AMERICA'S TIRE 250, winning co-driver of the No. 24 BMW John Edwards and Team RLL improvised a strategy when they noticed the race was about to go under caution. The game plan put him at risk of running out of fuel, but the talented wheelman got the most out of his gas tank to earn the victory.
'We ducked in just before the caution, and that changed our whole strategy,' said Edwards. 'I got the lead from the Corvette and the Ford on the start. The fuel number was a big number to reach, so I was lifted and coasting on the top of each hill.'
Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America finished their second of two races on Sunday with the top of the podium being the same on both days. In the second of two 50-minute sprint races that took place, Austin Versteeg in the No. 7 entry for DXDT Racing and Lamborghini Dallas had the fortitude and skill to sweep the weekend with two overall and Pro-Am class victories to keep his championship hopes very much alive and kicking.
'Crazy weekend,' said Versteeg. 'This track is crazy to drive on. It throws something different at you every time you are out on the track. But I can't thank the DXDT crew enough for giving me a wicked car all weekend and allowing me to push how I do.'
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The final event of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca's 60th anniversary season is the Pirelli World Challenge Oct. 13-15. The final day of racing with have an eight-hour endurance event featuring the International GT Challenge. For ticket information, click HERE or call 831-242-8200.
posted on conceptcarz.com
