MONTEREY, Calif. (November 16, 2019) – After a season of consistency in which Magnus Racing and the No. 44 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO have finished in the top-10 in every event, the team would finally return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium for the first time in six months, taking third during Sunday’s round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Having last taken a podium at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March, Sunday’s result would mark the team’s second podium of the year, closing out the sprint season championship for drivers John Potter and Andy Lally on a high as they head to the final event of 2019 in October.
“This was a great way to close out our sprint season,” stated Magnus Racing team owner John Potter. “The team has worked hard all season, and while we’ve had great pace throughout the summer, we were finally able to have everything come together today. Laguna Seca has always been a good venue for us, and the streak continued today with another podium. Andy drove incredibly, I was very happy with my stint, and we all should be really strong for the upcoming finale at Petit Le Mans.”
Making a strong start, John Potter would take the green flag for the two-hour, forty-minute race holding and embark on one of his strongest drives to date. Balked by the two Lexus teammates throughout much of his run, the Utah resident put his veteran experience to use, managing his tires while awaiting on opportunity to make his way by. When an opportune moment presented itself, John would make his move and elevate himself to eighth, making up lost time to the field in front of him and and finally catching the No. 33 AMG whom he pushed hard in the closing laps of his stint. With the race set for an all-green flag affair, Potter’s drive through the field would prove critical, putting teammate Andy Lally in a prime position for the final two hours.
Following a clean stop by the crew, Lally would make immediate work of the field in front of him, advancing to seventh within the opening laps and beginning an upward march reminiscent of some of his greatest drives. Throughout his middle stint, the Long Island native would demonstrate the incredible pace of his machine, pushing hard and picking off the field one-by-one, moving up to fourth by time the final round of pit stops came.
Following yet another strong stop by the team, the focus shifted to a podium finish, with Andy giving chase to the No. 9 Porsche. As the laps wore on, it was clear the Magnus Lamborghini had the pace, but the tricky nature of Laguna Seca would make it tough to pass. Finally, with 25 minutes remaining, Andy would pull off the move to secure the team’s spot on the podium, not putting a foot wrong until the end and crossing the line in third.
For Lally, it was the highlight to a season that has shown considerable promise and finally beginning to show its true potential.
“The guys deserved this one,” stated Lally. “As consistent as we’ve been, this team is driven by an incredibly competitive group of people, all of whom have wanted to see the results we knew were capable of. It wasn’t really a breakthrough race because we knew we had the car and the team, but everything finally came together. I’m looking forward to Petit Le Mans and confident our momentum can continue.”
While the “sprint” season comes to a close with the weekend’s festivities, one round remains in the overall championship, with the upcoming Petit Le Mans wrapping up the 2019 season. A 10-hour event that has seen the team come heartbreakingly close to victory in previous years, the combination of Potter, Lally, and endurance driver Spencer Pumpelly presents one of their best opportunities, taking place on Saturday, October 12.
