Monterey, Calif. (2 May 2015) – Stevenson Motorsports was back in victory lane on Saturday as Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis combined for their second consecutive win in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in round three of the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship.
Davis opened the race from behind the wheel, running in second position until ducking into the pits for a lap 14 pit stop. This proved to be the move of the race, as he returned to the track with fresh Continental Tires and moved quickly up the order. A lap 52 pit stop then set the stage for Liddell to take over the lead on lap 70 and charge to the finish to score the duo’s third consecutive podium this season and grow their lead in the championship points standings.
The No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R of Matt Bell and Lawson Aschenbach finished the race 11th after Bell started the 2.5-hour event from pole position and led the opening 39 laps. A lap 40 pit stop locked the young duo into a fuel strategy that ultimately saw Aschenbach forced to pit lane late in the race, ceding a podium position.
“We made a gutsy call early, and it paid off,” said team manager Mike Johnson. “Track position is so important here. It worked out great for the six, but I feel so bad for the nine. Every weekend, those guys are up front, right there in a strong place but they tried something different and it just didn’t work. In years past (with more yellows), it would have worked but they just missed it by a lap. It’s unfortunate. We were happy with the 1-2 finish at Sebring but I hate where the 9 car finished today. But we still had great execution across the board and will look to do it again at Watkins Glen.”
“The early call there by Mike Johnson to bring me in to pit was key,” said Davis. “It was a super-smart move. I was able to duck in there and be safe in because Mike saw there was going to be a yellow. That was probably one of the most fun times I’ve ever had. Our Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28 was just performing really well at that point in time. The Continental Tires did great although they did start to fall off a little near the end, so it was a bit hair raising. Kudos to the guys for the strategy call in the pits, and always for the Stevenson Motorsports crew working hard to keep our Chevy up front. Great race and great victory here at Laguna Seca.”
“We were very lucky today with the strategy,” said Liddell. “Mike (Johnson) and Andrew (Davis) made a really good call between them just when the pits were closing and we were able to dive in and take advantage. It was a risky strategy because we expected a lot of yellows around here. That strategy really put us in a good spot. It wasn’t easy at the end. I was hanging on for dear life kind of thing. I was trying to keep my head about me and do what I had to do. Overall the car performed extremely well this weekend. It is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team with Pratt and Miller, Team Chevy and all the guys at Stevenson Motorsports. It is a very professional group and we are constantly searching for every aspect we can. We have a competitive car. The strategy put us in position to win today.”
“It is a bit frustrating, I’m not going to lie,” said Aschenbach. “This season we’ve such a fast car, and everyone at Stevenson Motorsports has done such a great job, and we can’t seem to get over that hump and get the win. We took a little bit of an alternative strategy and ended up getting stuck that way due to some of the cautions and the way things fell. It didn’t quite work out for us there. But hats off to the team. Our Team Chevy Camaro Z/28.R was fast. Even on old tires there near the end, we were leading but I was trying to save fuel. I held the lead there, but then we knew we really had to save fuel, so I had to back off and let them go. But hats off to the team and obviously great job by Matt (Bell) at the beginning. We had the speed. We are going to get one sooner or later.”
“We knew we were going to have a hard time with tires,” said Bell. “We are the heaviest car in the field. I started up in front, and I thought my best chance was just to try and run away. The No. 6 car (Stevenson Motorsports team car driven by Andrew Davis) got real lucky on their dive-in, and that put the No. 13 right up behind me. The No. 6 was kind of my buffer there for a while. Once the No. 13 was behind me, I had to kind of defend it a little bit. He was really fast in certain parts of the track, and we were really good in other parts of the track. But overall, his less weight actually helped him over the stint. He could push and still have some tire left to keep going. By the end of that stint, I pretty much had no rubber left on those tires. Big shout-out to the team, and Team Chevy. The car did phenomenally. It did exactly what we wanted it to do. It was consistent; it was one of the fastest cars on the track, even on old tires. I couldn’t be happier.”
