Rainier Ehrhardt/Associated Press In the No. 12 Lola-Toyota, Neel Jani of Rebellion Racing negotiates a corner at Road Atlanta on Saturday.Rebellion Racing avoided the snags and skids that befell its competitors in the Prototype I class, winning the Petit Le Mans on Saturday at Road Atlanta by a margin of three laps.
The Lola-Toyota started on the pole and asserted its pace advantage from the onset, putting distance between itself and its closest rivals, Dyson Racing and Muscle Milk Pickett Racing, in the 1,000-mile endurance race, which was the finale of the 2012 American Le Mans Series.
The Pickett squad finished 6 0 laps behind Rebellion, having left the track for more than an hour for suspension repairs after coming into contact with a GTC Porsche. Despite the lackluster performance, the third-place result was sufficient to earn Pickett the overall American Le Mans Series P1 championship.
In the P2 class, Level 5 Motorsports finished one-two, with the second-place car being driven by brothers Dario and Marino Franchitti, as well as Scott Tucker, who drove a leg in the winning car as well. Marino Franchitti was previously a test driver for the Nissan DeltaWing, the prototype with the cigarlike fuselage and Batmobile mien.
Having crashed spectacularly during practice last Wednesday, the DeltaWing was repaired in time for competition on Saturday, with Lucas Ordoñez and Gunnar Jeannette placing fifth over all after starting from the back of the grid. As a demonstration vehicle, however, the DeltaWing was not a factor in the championship points. (Speed TV)
Here are othe r race results from the weekend:
- Matt Kenseth avoided direct involvement in a record 14 cautions at Kansas Speedway on Sunday to win his first race of the Nascar Sprint Cup chase. A number of prominent drivers, including Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, got loose on the new track surface. Though he finished eighth on the afternoon, Brad Keselowski retained his overall lead in points. Kenseth was followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Paul Menard onto the podium. (ESPN)
- Despite winning his third consecutive MotoGP race, Dani Pedrosa gained nominal ground on Jorge Lorenzo, the series leader, closing the points gap to 23 at the Malaysian MotoGP. The race was called after 14 of 20 laps because of torrential rain. Lorenzo finished in second place, bolstering his position with two races left in the season. (Visor Down)
- Mikko Hirvonen, the No. 2 driver for Citroën in the World Rally Championship, won his first rally of 2012 on Sunday in Sardinia. Hirvonen was aided by the retirement of Sébastien Loeb, his teammate and nine-time W.R.C. champion, after the No. 1 driver crashed on Friday, the rally's first stage. Hirvonen is positioned to lead the Citroën team in 2013 in the absence of Loeb, who is expected to race an abbreviated rally schedule. (W.R.C.)
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