Performance Tech Motorsports showcased unparalleled strength at the IMSA Prototype Challenge Round One by battling for three-hours, marking the opening endurance race.
The first event on the calendar appeared to be a drag race as drivers began taking last-lap risks from the drop of the green flag. Both Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier JS P3 entries navigated the wet and occasional rainy Daytona International Speedway avoiding the havoc caused by the competition. The No. 75 NorCan Electric piloted by Cameron Cassels and Max Hanratty finished fourth and the No. 6 Motel 6 of Blake Mount and Dan Goldburg finished thirteenth.
“Kicking off the 2020 season at Daytona on the first weekend of the year is a tall order but I was impressed with how well everyone performed this weekend,” O’Neill said. “Cameron was awesome in qualifying and his first stint, it was probably his best drive to date. Max meshed so well with him and did a great job and brought the car home clean.
“Dan impressed us all with how quickly he adapted to the new car on this track in this weather. Blake fought through the changing conditions and showed good pace. I think this weekend preludes to how strong we’ll be at Sebring. We have a little work to do, but we’re right there.”
The fourth-place finish of Cassels and Hanratty was welcomed with open arms after an eventful start to the weekend. A last-minute engine change Friday night saw the pair enter qualifying Saturday morning with large, untested changes to the prototype. Cassels had his most impressive qualifying effort to date earning third place. He carried that momentum into the race where he battled for the entirety of his stint in mixed weather conditions consistently running the fastest times on the track.
Cassels advanced as high as second before handing the car over to Hanratty. He rejoined the field and quickly settled into the battle around him. With just under two hours remaining his main goal was to keep pressure on the top spots while conserving tires and fuel. He drove the No. 75 to the lead actively working to keep all competitors behind him. The top-six fought straight to the checkered flag with Hanratty claiming the fourth spot in the end.
Goldburg and Mount’s weekend was just as eventful as the No. 75. The pair started the weekend with a baseline set up on the No. 6 Motel 6 and worked tirelessly to find the most suitable setup for the 180-minute race. Goldburg impressed the crowd during his first IMSA Prototype Challenge qualifying in a Ligier JS P3 earning seventh overall. He had a strong start to the race taking advantage of the wet conditions to pass multiple competitors. Goldburg handed the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier JS P3 over to Mount at the one hour mark running a slightly different strategy than the competition.
Mount ran for one hour advancing further into the field before handing it back to Goldburg for the final stint. As Goldburg reentered the track his cold, slick tires met the surface of a damp track causing him to lose grip and send him into the grass where the prototype sunk into the mud. Once retrieved from the grass the Performance Tech crew readied the car for Mount who did fantastically navigated the No. 6 Motel 6 LMP3 to the checkered flag while picking up two spots along the way.
The Performance Tech Motorsports IMSA Prototype Challenge entries have over a two-month break until Round Two at Sebring International Raceway. In the meantime the team now switches its focus to the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championships season opener; The Rolex 24 at Daytona. In a convenient move for fans the beginning and end of the legendary race will be aired on NBC for the first time. In addition viewers in the United States can buy the NBC live stream for $2.99 on http://nbc.com/gold/trackpass. For more information on upcoming events visit http://www.imsa.com.
Quote Board
Cameron Cassels, Driver of the No. 75 NorCan Electric Ligier JS P3
“The first race was fantastic,” Cassels said. “We had to overcome a lot to get here including an engine switch last night. We would not have been able to do any of these without the awesome Performance Tech crew. I appreciate them putting in the work to get it ready for qualifying this morning which went great. Max really drove the wheels off it out there. He fought with some of the best guys in the sport and I’m really proud of him. From my perspective, we both had a ton of fun out there. I think the new rule on a mandatory bronze is fantastic I just wish the minimum drive time was a bit longer so we all were out there battling more. With this momentum, we’re sitting really strong for the rest of the season. We started a heck of a lot stronger than last year and I plan to finish that way.”
Max Hanratty, Driver of the No. 75 NorCan Electric Ligier JS P3
“First of all I’m super proud of the Performance Tech guys,” Hanratty said. “We had a nightmare start with engine trouble. All of our on-track sessions were really spent trying to dial in the engine and the car so going into qualifying we weren’t sure what to expect. The car wound up being strong and Cameron did an awesome job qualifying it. When we got to the race there were really tough conditions but Cameron was still able to drive the wheels off it and hand it over to me in third. I’m really proud of how great his stint was. After that, it was just up to me to keep in a podium position. I struggled a bit on my end with traffic and changing conditions but if anything I can use this as a learned experience for the rest of the season. Now it’s onto the next one which I’m sure we’ll be strong at.”
Dan Goldburg, Driver of the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier JS P3
“That was a heartbreaking end to the day,” Goldburg said. “I had a great first stint though. It was my first weekend in the car and of course, it had to rain. I had a spin, caught back up and overall just had an eventful first bit. I felt really confident with the car on rain tires. I came into the pits, Blake took over and he handed it back to me in sixth. I got back in the car on slicks which could have been great but as I exited the pits I had some tire spin. I tried to back off after that and ease into the throttle but as soon as I tried to get to power the car spun right into the wall before I even got to the first corner. I was heartbroken. I got out of the car, the team changed the nose and Blake jumped back in to finish the race. Sebring is my home track and after this weekend I’m even more excited to race there.”
Blake Mount, Driver of the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier JS P3
“As a team, we struggled with the cars at the beginning the weekend but were able to work through it quickly which I think speaks volumes,” Mount said. “The car presented a problem and Dan and I had to come up with a solution with the engineer and team which is really good for us as new teammates. I think we did come up with that solution, in the end, unfortunately, we did have to start the race in the rain though. I think mine and Dan’s progress over the weekend is something that can’t be ignored by the competition. We ran up in third and had the opportunity to be in first. A slight mistake cost us the race but I’m still leaving the weekend positive. Dan and I had way more synergy than anyone expected and the next track is Sebring which we’re both comfortable at so I think it will be a great weekend.”
