Surprise victory for Derani
ELKHART LAKE – Pipo Derani had one shot to win a race.
Jordan Taylor had 43 minutes to screw up a championship.
You don’t need to know much else to guess out how the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase would play out Sunday at Road America.
Derani parked in victory lane for the first time in 16 months, and Taylor wasn’t nearly as heartbroken as might be expected
from someone who drove a dominant car to second place.
“It’s been a long season for us,” Derani said of the ESM team that moved into IMSA’s premier prototype class this season with Nissan.
“Nobody in the team ever thought we were going to be able to challenge for victories after the very tough start we had. It’s not only speed, but reliability was a problem, and it’s getting better and better.”
Derani and co-driver Johannes van Overbeek had enough speed, complete
reliability and a little luck in ending Cadillac’s nine-race unbeaten streak.
Pole-sitter Ricky Taylor, Jordan’s older brother, led by as much as 10 seconds in the car they share, but a series of cautions late in the timed race wiped out their advantage.
Stephen Simpson led by not pitting with the others, a risky strategy that required a green flag to the end. On a restart after nearly two hours of the scheduled 2:40, Jordan Taylor sat second behind him and Derani third.
“Really my only chance was to have a good start, which I managed to do,” said Derani, who swung to Taylor’s outside. “He chose to be on the inside.
The only way to go was on the outside and I had to try something.
“They’re fighting for the championship, but for us a victory would mean a lot, and I had to go for it.”
Derani then followed Simpson and took the lead for good when Simpson pitted with 14 minutes left. He finished 2.356 seconds ahead of Taylor with the other ESM Nissan of Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel third.
The Taylors added seven points to their lead over second-place Christian Fittipaldi and João Barbosa with two races remaining.
The day’s biggest winner may have been James French, even though he is overshadowed racing in the three-car Prototype
Challenge class, which will dissolve after this season.
The driver from Sheboygan had won club-level races at his home track but was winless as a pro (0 for 6 with IMSA).
“I tried to arrange a party at my house, and my parents weren’t so thrilled with that idea,” said French, 25, who was reminded Elkhart Lake has its share of establishments suitable for a victory party. “Siebken’s … Tiki Bar … I’ve heard of those places. I’ve never seen ‘em, but they’re pretty cool.”
French and co-driver Pato O’Ward have won all seven races thus far and clinched the drivers’ championship.
“It’s James’ home race,” said O’Ward. “If this would have been the only one we didn’t win, it would have been kind of sad.”
GT Le Mans class pole winner Dirk Mueller wore out his boots pacing in the pits after controlling the race throughout his stint. Co-driver Joey Hand endured an eventful second half with several yellow flags and plenty of contact.
The Chip Ganassi Ford GT drivers escaped with their first victory since the season opener at Daytona.
In GT Daytona, German driver Jens Klingmann and Finlander Jesse Krohn teamed to give the Turner Motorsports BMW team its first victory since last September.