Performance Tech Motorsports earned its first podium of the 2020 IMSA Prototype Challenge season with the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier finishing in second place.
The team faced a one hour and 45-minute sprint to the finish at Road America as its two Ligier entries chased down the fast-paced Norma’s. Performance Tech Motorsports drivers practiced consistency for the entirety of the race to avoid the debris and chaotic competitors surrounding them.
Team Principal Brent O’ Neill is proud of the work his team put in this weekend, even with the odds stacked against them.
“A track like Road America is always going to favor the car with better straight-line speed,” O’Neill said. “My drivers knew they were going to need to keep their noses clean and lap-times fast if we wanted to finish ahead of the Norma’s at the end. Dan and Rasmus did really great this weekend, especially since Rasmus didn’t know he would be driving until 10:00 p.m. the night before the race. Cameron and Max could have been there at the end if they hadn’t had the spin on the last lap but it was still a good points day for them.”
Dan Goldburg, Delray Beach, Florida, started the weekend off strong for the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier LMP3 by qualifying third for Round 3 of IMSA Prototype Challenge. As the green flag flew over the field Goldburg immediately switched into the defensive position as he held off competitors from behind while keeping those ahead within striking distance. He handed the car over to Rasmus Lindh, Gothenburg, Sweden, in fifth position, primed for a charge to the podium.
Lindh took the reins and settled into the fast-paced rhythm Goldburg had established. He spent nearly the entirety of his stint battling between second and third place as the field around him continued to make careless mistakes. With one-lap left in the race tension rose as the top-five cars all shuffled positions around the 4.048-mile, 17 Turn track. Lindh kept calm and held steady locking down a second-place finish for the team as the checkered flag flew.
Cameron Cassels, British Columbia, spent his 50-minute stint in the No. 75 VB Enviro Care Ligier LMP3 charging through the field. Cassels qualified in 11th place after a rough day, placing him in the danger zone of the midfield for the start of the race. He masterfully avoided his over-eager competition on multiple accounts as they nearly hit whilst attempting novice passes.
Cassels clean racecraft brought the No. 75 in safe with 55-minutes remaining. Max Hanratty, Milwaukee, buckled in for the battle that lie ahead on his home turf. He found himself in a battle for ninth through fifth for the better half of his stint with merely 1.5 seconds separating him and the other four prototypes. A last-lap issue would cause Hanratty to go off the track and finish eighth overall.
The team returns to Road America tomorrow for the two hour and 40-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship feature with the No. 38 Centinel Spine LMP2. The race is broadcast live through its’ entirety on your local NBC station. Up next for the teams IMSA Prototype Challenge entrants is VIRginia International Raceway, August 21-28. For more information on all upcoming events visit https://www.imsa.com/#/.
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Dan Goldburg, Driver of the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier LMP3
“I’m pumped, this is awesome,” Goldburg said. “t’s only the second race for Rasmus and I together and we’re on the podium. I have to thank Motel 6 first as this wouldn’t be possible without them. Performance Tech Motorsports did awesome this weekend, we had a great car in every session. Unfortunately, the Normas are much faster than us at this track. I was happy to qualify 3rd ahead of a lot of Normas and the fastest Ligier. I was quick in my opening race stint, but made a couple mistakes trying to get around the Normas. I got lucky with two yellows to keep me in the fight. Performance Tech Motorsports executed a great pit stop, and Rasmus came out of the pits on fire and really earned us this third. I think Rasmus and I are a very competitive pairing and he’s great to work with, so I welcome the opportunity to race with him more and try to get another step or two up the podium!”
Ramsus Lindh, Driver of the No. 6 Motel 6 Ligier LMP3
“This was my first race with the lmp3 car at Road America,” Lind said. “For me, the car was good and our race pace was really good. The car felt a bit off for me at the end but everything still went well and we finished third so I am really happy.”
Cameron Cassels, Driver of the No. 75 VB Enviro Care Ligier LMP3
“It’s always fun heading to Road America as it is one of the quickest tracks that we visit with IMSA,” Cassels said. “Overall the weekend went ok. I was able to just hang out mid pack and try and pick off a few Norma’s if they made an error. Unfortunately Max had a suspension failure on the last lap that took us out at the end. We will take what we learned from here and push hard at VIR. Congratulations to our team mates in the No. 6 for a hard fought podium.”
Max Hanratty, Driver of the No. 75 VB Enviro Care Ligier LMP3
“Our car handled well all weekend,” Hanratty said. “We started out on a very green track with some older tires and were doing some brake testing which didn’t quite show our pace early on, but felt at the end of practice two we had a really good car going into qualifying. It’s always so difficult to stay ahead of the track once WeatherTech starts running and putting more rubber down, but the Performance Tech Motorsports crew did a great job being proactive and giving us a strong car for the race”
“Once again Cameron and I had some bad luck in this one. I had a suspension failure on the last lap going into Canada corner, but luckily we were able to minimize damage. Definitely some ups and downs for us this weekend and I’m sure I speak for Cameron when I say we’re both really looking forward to the next one and bringing a strong result home for the team. Once again the team was flawless with their preparation and the pit stops. Really proud of the guys and how clean we’ve kept what we can control in the pits.”