Rebel Rock Racing staged a dramatic recovery to claim a top-five finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio; the longest round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, on Sunday.
Frank DePew, Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis lay outside the top 20 after the opening 30 minutes of racing, but together the trio relentlessly ascended the order to take their Aston Martin Vantage GT4 to fifth place, despite suffering with fading brakes for a large portion of the race.
It is a result that promoted Frank and Robin – last year’s series runners-up – to second place in the current standings; just 130 points away from the leaders.
The team from DeLand, FL, who scored the first global win for the new GT4 Aston Martin at Sebring in March, arrived at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car course after an intensive two-day test the previous week in which significant progress was made.
Combining his laps in the #71 Vantage with a pair of 45-minute ‘sprint’ races in the IMSA VP Racing Challenge, Frank showed consistent pace on track.
Starting the race from 21st on the GS-class grid, the eight-time IMPC race winner made up several positions initially, but then lost ground after a spin 15 minutes in and a drive-through penalty incurred for contact on the first green-flag restart.
IMSA Mid Ohio 2024
It was at this point that #72’s fightback began; Frank setting his best laps of the race as his stint concluded at the one-hour mark and handing driving duties over to Andrew Davis for the next section.
Davis, who is only appearing in the two four-hour races this year, climbed aboard and continued the recovery as he made it up to P16; resolutely sticking to the racing line after a strategic early pitstop put him at risk of going a lap down.
Two Full-Course Yellow periods over the next hour and a strategic early final stop to top off with fuel played to the team’s advantage and meant that when the green flag waved for the final time, with 45 minutes left, Robin restarted in ninth spot.
The Scotsman – who won the 2015 IMPC title with Davis – charged up the order, gaining some positions on track as rivals pitted for their own final fuel stops.
He rose to fifth with 10 minutes to go and remained in a tight battle for fourth right to the flag.
It was a seventh top-six finish in the past nine races for the Rebel Rock crew, who now hold second spot in the Teams’ standings and continue the IMPC season at Watkins Glen in two weeks’ time.
Robin Liddell said: It was a tough race so I think finishing fifth was a pretty mega result in the circumstances. Frank drove really well in the test last week and during the weekend his fastest laps were very good so it feels like he’s turned a corner. Andrew, as always, did a good job and it’s great to have him here pushing us on. When I got in the brake pedal was quite long – Andrew had already started to feel it – so I had to manage the brakes for a while until they came back after the long yellow, plus the car had a bit of damage from the early spin so wasn’t 100 percent perfect. It was still driveable though and we’ve taken good points so overall I’m happy with the performance and the result.
Andrew Davis said: It was so nice being back with the Rebel Rock Racing squad. The manner in which the team competes simply sets them apart. Even when things look difficult, we are able to make things happen. I had a great time pushing the limits of the new Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo, and found myself in all sorts of fun battles throughout my stints. Too bad there aren’t more long races, so I could continue with the team. I would like to thank Frank and Robin for the continued opportunities, and the entire Rebel Rock team for a tremendous effort.
Frank DePew said: Andrew and Robin did a super job, but had I performed as I did in the prior races I believe we would have been on the podium, although moving back up to P2 in the championship is mega and I have the whole team’s performance to thank for this, great job from Joe Hall and Bill Ellison on the 72 car, great engineering from Jim Kasperzak, and great calls from Charlie Ping our Master Strategist. It takes a village and I want to thank every single member of the team for their excellent performance.