Circuit of the Americas, Saturday Quotes

Circuit of the Americas, Saturday Quotes

September 20, 2014 0

Jan Heylen // #58 Porsche GT America Dempsey Racing // Started 8th, Finished 4th // Co-Driver Madison Snow
Madison did a good job, and drove the car to the front. I got in under yellow. When the tires were fresh, I could make up some ground. I could feel right away that the back was really lose. I was hanging on every turn. IT really wore me out with that first set of tires. In a perfect world, we should have pitted earlier. I lost a lot of time on those last three laps because I was just hanging on to the car. I came in, went out and the car was a lot better. I was overheated and did the best I could, but I was not fresh anymore. It’s too bad. The car in the second stint was a lot better. I could have gone a little bit faster, probably a tenth or two or three a lap. I don’t know what that would have done for us, but P4 at the end isn’t a bad result. The cars ahead seemed quick when they were coming from the back. We struggled a bit on my first stint. It kind of killed the momentum at the end, and killed me too. 4th is a good result but we could have done a little better. I’m a little disappointed with my performance, but there you go.

Dion von Moltke // #35 Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS // Started 13th, Finished 13th // Co-Driver Seth Neiman
To sum things up, today was a shit day in the office. When it got hot outside, we struggled to get any grip in our cars. We’ve got a lot of weight and we have to run ride heights a lot higher, so the down force isn’t as effective. We struggle a lot more in the head. Today’s conditions didn’t suit us. The transitions are not our strong area in the car. We’re good in the brake zones here at COTA, but it wasn’t enough to make up for where we were losing to the car’s lower ride height. It was frustrating. Also frustrating to drive things clean because we thought that was our only shot today. Getting clobbered by another car was a little frustrating. It set us back and unfortunately that’s just a part of sports car racing. I owe the 910 a payback if they’re at Petit. It’s not where we want to be, but Petit is two weeks away and that’s where all our focus is. We really want and need to end the season strong. All the boys deserve it. They got me back out as fast as anybody in the pit stops, prepared the car well, and we’ll be pushing hard to get a good result.

Alec Udell // #19 Muehlner Motorsport Porsche 911 GT America // Started 19th, Finished 15th // Co-Driver Mark Klenin
We had a very long day. I had a long stint in the car, which was good for me to get comfortable with the car. It was a definitely a learning experience. Coming out of this, I know a lot more about the car. I’m happy with what I’ve learned and I’m ready to progress on top of that. I’m very excited for another opportunity to get back in one of these cars and get a bit faster. I’m just hoping for that in the future. I have no plans for Petit right now, but I live only a half hour away. I’ll be there just in case something comes up. It’s a fun track to drive and one of the best races on the continent.