Nasr’s action is expressive
IMSA DETROIT BELLE ISLE (USA) JUNE 2 ROUND 5/12
Acura Team Penske just about had enough of a performance edge to score a one-two. That it failed to do so was the result of a long, strong race stint from ex-formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr that ended with the #31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPI-V.R defeating both Acura ARX-05S.
Poleman Pipo Derani’s ESM Nissan faded on raceday with steering issues, leaving the Acuras of Helio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya at the front. But under a fullcourse caution for debris, the other Action Express car, driven by Joao Barbosa, went into the lead and Derani rose to third as most of the leading runners pitted.
When Barbosa stopped to hand off to Filipe Albuquerque with 48 minutes of the 1h40m race to run, the Acuras – now driven by Ricky Taylor and Dane Cameron – moved forward, and with a lead of almost 50 seconds they eventually pitted for a second time. That wasn’t enough to prevent the one-stopping Cadillac of Nasr and
Eric Curran from hitting the front.
Although Taylor and Cameron fought hard (sometimes with each other), they couldn’t get close enough to the Cadillac to make a serious stab at passing before the finish.
In GT Daytona, Katherine Legge, along with team-mate Mario Farnbacher, scored hers and Meyer Shank Racing’s second straight win at Belle Isle, heading an Acura NSX one-two completed by Justin Marks and Lawson Aschenbach.