OPPOSITION VIEW

All talk pre-season centred around Penske and Joest entering the fray, but any concerns the newcomers would blow the competition away were dispelled immediately as Cadillac and Nissan shared the opening three rounds between them, prior to Acura’s breakthrough win at Mid-ohio.

Filipe Albuquerque opened Cadillac’s account at Daytona for Action Express and took another victory at Long Beach (right, top) to head the standings after the most recent round at Watkins Glen.

“We want to win and we want to win against the best – whenever we win, it’s more tasty,” he says. “Joest is a team with a lot of history and knowledge about endurance racing and Penske is the

Ferrari of the United States.

“But it’s great as well to see that these big teams join up and they don’t beat everyone in a glance. Mazda and Penske were in a different class in Mid-ohio, but I’m not worried because IMSA is doing their best to balance everyone.”

Pipo Derani is tired of fielding accusations that his Daytona/ Sebring double in 2016 (right, bottom) was assisted by elderly Daytona Prototype opposition and having the best engine – the same HPD unit now powering Acura – so was especially happy to win Sebring again this year in the Esm-run Nissan Onroak DPI.

“We proved people wrong that our 2016 success was not because the series was weaker,” says the Brazilian. “By adding Penske and Joest this year you have more teams with high capabilities, but it’s not like they came in and dominated from the start. It hasn’t been easy for them.”