AUSTIN, Texas (September 21, 2015)- Headed into Saturday’s Lone Star Le Mans, the penultimate round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Magnus Racing’s hopes for a return to form were cut short within the opening laps as the team experienced gearbox problems. While the team would ultimately manage to get back on track after lengthy repairs, the No. 44 Flex-Box Porsche 911 GT America would be classified 12th in the GTD class and 23 laps down.
“The event was pretty indicative of our season,” stated Magnus Racing team owner and co-driver John Potter. “We had a fast car all weekend and were optimistic for the race, but unfortunately we lost drive early on, and that was that. There were still a lot of positives on the weekend. We were one of the fastest cars in practice, I think we had a good qualifying run, and I know we keep saying it but I believe with a couple different changes of fortune we would have had a really good race. Petit Le Mans is next and that’s one we all want to win, and I think we’re well prepared for it.”
After one of his best qualifying performances of the season, Potter would start from the sixth position for the two-hour, forty-minute race. After repeatedly setting the fastest lap during Thursday and Friday practice, and having finished second during the previous two visits, the team was optimistic on their chances.
Unfortunately, after making a strong start, Potter would lose drive after the second lap, immediately pulling into the pits as the team looked for a quick cure to the problem. After a lengthy examination of the car’s rear-end, it was clear the car would have to be rolled back into the paddock for further analysis and repair. Eventually, the team discovered a terminal issue in the gearbox, having to switch to a backup and effectively losing nearly an hour in the process.
In typical Magnus fashion, the crew did a stellar job given the challenges of swapping a gearbox, and the Porsche would go back on track within an hour. With no hope of a good finish, the focus simply became on ensuring Potter drove his minimum drive time to score points on the day.
Once Potter clicked off his required time, the team would put teammate Andy Lally in to finish the race, with the Long Island native driving the final 40 minutes to take the car to the checkered flag.
“Yup,” stated Lally. “…..”
With only one race remaining, the entire TUDOR Championship will head to the final race of the championship, Petit Le Mans, in less than two weeks. As a 10-hour race, taking place at the scenic Road Atlanta, the team is looking forward to the opportunity to repeat their podium performance from last year. Practice begins on Thursday, October 1, with the race taking place on Saturday, October 3. The full broadcast schedule will be revealed in an upcoming