It was a sometimes chaotic afternoon’s action at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca that saw a dominant weekend from Mazda turn bad when it mattered, the Michael Shank racing Ligier Honda taking the overall win, and the #67 car taking an historic first win for the new Ford GT, after Richard Westbrook pulled off a magnificent fuel saving run to see off the very quick Ferraris.
With the field split into two grids for two separate 2-hour races, 18 cars took the start for the opening race, featuring the eight prototypes and 10 GTLMs
It was a neat and tidy start in the Prototype class, with John Pew hanging back in the #60 MSR Ligier. Ryan Dalziel started from pitlane in the #90 Visit Florida Corvette DP, and there was double side to side contact between the Action Express DPs as they sorted things out.
In GTLM it was a little more fast and furious, with Tommy Milner making a move on the Fords though Turn 2 but then losing out as the #62 Risi Ferrari came through to give the Ford pair a Ferrari sandwich; Daniel Serra away safely in the lead from Ryan Briscoe and Dirk Muller.
That quintet (with Milner hanging on in there), started to pull away from the rest.
Up front though the Mazdas were pulling away, 10 seconds clear before a full-course yellow. The Safety Car scrambled, for a tyre dislodged from the barrier at the top of the Corkscrew – bad news for the Mazdas but good news for the #90 Corvette DP as Dalziel was allowed to join the back of the Prototype train. Everyone pitted under caution – but when the race went back to green the Mazdas immediately pulled away again, with Serra edging away at the front of the GTLM chain, the #25 BMW opting for a second stop, fuel and tyres.
33 minutes in and a second full-course caution was called as there was major drama, and contact between the championship-leading #5 Action Express (Christian Fittipaldi) and #10 Wayne Taylor Racing (Ricky Taylor) Corvette DPs saw both cars deep into the gravel, a tussle through T9 continued into the braking zone for Turn 10 where the #5 lost traction, Fittipaldi lost the rear end and hit the #10, Taylor was trying to hold the outside line, and therefore was an entirely innocent party.
Soon after there was trouble for the leading Mazda though in the subsequent pitstops with the crew unable to fuel the car, causing it to drop to the rear of the field. Rayhall (who stayed aboard) emerged from the pits in the lead in the #0 DeltaWing, Dirk Werner staying out after his tactical stop running second overall.
The #10 DP made it to pitlane having lost two laps but the #5 was coming back under tow. After the pitstops though, the #5 seemed in good fettle but the #10 looked to be in further trouble.
In the GTLM pitstops Porsche played a tactical card and managed to get out between the two Ferraris, but now it was the Risi car ahead!
As the green flags flew with 48 minutes gone, Eric Curran blasted by the Werner BMW but Ozz Negri went up the inside of the DP into T1 for second and was soon on the tail of the #0 – up the inside of T11 he took the lead and looked to pull away.
The Mazdas meanwhile were looking to fight back from 5th and 6th slots, Bomarito now aboard the #55 had leapfrogged the team car and soon set about Marc Goosens in the #90 for fourth.
A lap later Curran was looking at the rear of the #55, Bomarito on a real tear, grabbing second from Rayhall before the end of the lap! Negri was now just now 5.5 seconds up the road.
Rayhall lost three more spots next time around with Curran, Goossens and Joel Miller all moving up.
In GTLM Alessandro Pier Guidi grabbed third from Fred Makowiecki, #68 Ferrari ahead of #912 Porsche with Joey hand and Richard Westbrook moving by the Porsche soon afterwards.
With 56 minutes gone there was trouble again, this time for the #70 Mazda as Joel Miller pulled off course before Turn 7; no fire in the belly of the Prototype. A third full-course yellow was inevitable with the #70 stranded, off course on drivers left, the car was quickly deemed a retirement.
After the yellow it was back to action with the surviving Mazda now on the tail of the leader, the GTLM-leading BMW though opted to pit and it was Fisichella to the lead, with Joey Hand up to second.
Behind the leaders there was a hard fought battle developing between the Corvettes and Porsches with Oliver Gavin strong arming Patrick Pilet off the track through T11 in a battle for fourth, Pier Guidi had opted to pit under caution.
Fisichella though was getting away at the front, until he pitted with 49 minutes remaining; it would be fuel only for the #62. Ford now led the class, and the leading GT found itself fifth overall after the Prototype woes earlier.
Moments later there was trouble for the #55 though, off course after a spin through T10 and straight into the pits. Bomarito stayed aboard, and took fuel only. The leader had pitted for fuel too, the spin for the #55 came after clattering the kerbs, Bomarito spun round with no other contact.
All of that put Curran into the lead, but next Goossens found a way by, the #90, after starting from the pitlane, led the race with 46 minutes remaining.
The #90 pitted on that same lap, Curran meanwhile stayed out again. For the #90, the choice was fuel and right-hand-side tyres. Curran stayed out for two further laps before pitting for fuel and right side tyres, Negri therefore inherited the lead of the race again, Goossens just getting by the #31 for second with Joey Hand in close contention. Hand was fourth overall by this point in the #66 Ford (though owing a stop), Westbrook completing a Ford 1-2 in the #67.
Negri held a 15-second advantage over the battling DPs with 40 minutes remaining, Bomarito soon back to 4th, a further 5 seconds back.
23 minutes remaining and Negri’s advantage topped 20 seconds, Bomarito meanwhile was beginning to suffer on older rubber, dropping back from the DPs which were by now battling hard.
In GTLM the Fords swapped positions, Westbrook to the lead as Hand stumbled, Garcia though not close enough to take advantage, the Corvette man still third with Pier Guidi in close attendance.
With nine minutes left the lead was over 30 seconds, but did Westbrook need fuel?
6 minutes left and Hand pitted for a splash, emerging fifth behind the #912 Porsche.
90 seconds on the clock and Garcia pitted from second in GTLM, the #68 Ferrari up to second place with Makowiecki up to third in class.
At the flag, with the fuel tanks surely almost dry it was Ozz Negri for the overall win, Richard Westbrook delighting Ford with a first victory for the apparently aptly named Ecoboost engined Ford.
For Mazda, the race was a bitter pill to swallow, finishing off the podium with the surviving car, the #90 and #31 DPs completing the podium.
In GTLM the last gasp fuel stop for the #66 Ford saw a 1-2 slip away, and the even later stop from the #3 Corvette saw the podium completed by the #68 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GTE and #912 Porsche 911 RSR.
