The #71 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 EVO was in the lower reaches of the Top 20 in GS at the 45-minute mark, but a clever, forward-thinking strategy, allied to fast and consistent driving by the three-man crew of Frank DePew, Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell brought an eighth-place result.
With heavy morning rain leaving the grass-covered run-off areas totally devoid of grip, it took just light contact from a rival in the middle of Turn 1, just fifteen minutes into the race, to send Frank into a spin costing him vital time. This led to him losing contact with the pack and ultimately falling off the lead lap.
Despite excellent work by the Rebel Rock Racing pit crew, the Aston Martin was held at the end of pitlane by race officials and was not allowed rejoin until the safety car – which had been deployed following an incident on-track – had driven past.
This frustratingly meant that Andrew Davis – now installed in the car – was forced to fight for track position with cars a lap ahead of him, without any of the benefit of the blue flags shown for the aid of the other cars.
Fortunately, a lucky break did come with 50 minutes remaining when another safety car period was declared just minutes after Robin’s final fuel stop. This allowed the Scotsman – who won the 2015 title with Andrew – to regain the lead lap while most of the field was stationary in the pits.
Restarting in 14th place with 40 minutes to go, Robin charged forwards; passing car after car and coming home in eighth place; a result that puts him and Frank seventh in the Drivers’ points in the GS class for the team from DeLand, FL.
The series continues at Watkins Glen, NY, on June 19-21.
Frank DePew: As always the four hour races are tough but a lot of fun. We were a little off in terms of where we needed to be with the car setup for qualifying which put us further back on the grid than we would have liked. At the race start I was patient for a few laps but was being significantly held up by the three cars in front of me who were losing touch with the field somewhat. The Porsche and Toyota in front had more straight line speed so they were quicker on the straights but slow in the corners. A few laps in, I got a good run out of the final turn and put me alongside the Porsche but contact sent me spinning into the run off area with minimal damage to the car. This incident left us in 30th place and ultimately a lap down to the GS leader when I pitted. I credit our strategist Sean Heckman and the driving of Andrew and Robin, for getting our lap back. Given the circumstances I am pleased we finished 8th!
Andrew Davis: Regardless of weather conditions, I was ready for the intense battle that everyone has come to expect when our show comes to Mid Ohio! It was quite fun fighting my way through the field. It’s always a balance of aggression and discretion when running the middle stints of this race, so I was pleased to hand the car off to Robin in the same shape as it was when I first hopped in. The crew called a great race from the pit box, and our over the wall gang performed exceptionally. Big thanks to Frank and Robin for having me aboard once again.
Robin Liddell: Given the weather on race morning we were fully expecting a wet race. However the sun came out before the start and it turned into a classic Mid Ohio tussle; with the late race cautions we had the chance to move up the order and gain some valuable points. Credit to Sean Heckman who stepped into Charlie Ping’s shoes to call strategy. Charlie is busy with the 24 Hours of Le Mans this week. The crew did their usual excellent job with multiple clean pit stops.