Grand Am has got a good gig going.  They are taking the month of June (while ALMS is on hiatus for the Le Mans 24), and running with it.  Mid Ohio marks the second of four races in a 5 week period.  Detroit, last weekend, shook out to a heck of a dog fight/street fight.  I know I enjoyed my time in Detroit, aside from leaving the city wetter than an otters pocket.

One week later, and not much has changed.  The series is still phenomenal with several really good competitors in both Daytona Prototypes and Grand Touring.  When a storied team like Brumos is mired in 7th at the end of the race, you know there are some really competitive cars on the grid.  Not to mention the fact that stellar drivers are wheeling these cars.  Names like Ryan Dalziel, Leh Keen, Scott Pruett, David Donohue, Richard Westbrook, Andy Lally, Sylvain Tremblayand Lucas Luhr dot the field.

There are many correlations that can be made between the Detroit race and this Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course event.  First, the 99 Red Dragon qualified well, yet fell out of contention.  Saturday’s race ran well for a while, but fell down the standings with a failed power steering control unit.  

Second, the Suntrust 10 was running extraordinarily well toward the finish, yet crashed out and failed to finish.  Last week in Detroit, young Ricky Taylor hit the pit wall upon exiting in the lead.  This week, the talented, yet aggressive, Max “the Ax” Angelleli’s Italian temper got the best of the team.  As Max lost second place to Scott Pruett, he went wheel to wheel with Joao Barbosa attempting to hold the final podium position.  This would cut down a tire on both cars, and lose Max any hope of fighting.  

Third, Brumos suffered a poor pit stop due to wheel nut related problems.  Perhaps the team is taking some time getting used to the new center-lock system?

Regardless of the implications of the event, enjoy this series of photos from Mid Ohio.  The race was great.  The next race will be held at the fabulous Road America circuit in two weeks time, always a fan favorite.

The final results had Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante winning in the Spirit of Daytona Corvette Daytona Prototype, while Grand Touring went to Paul Dalla Lana, Bill Auberlen, and Billy Johnson in the Turner Motorsports BMW M3.

Grand Am: Great cars, Great drivers, Great racing!