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LAKEVILLE, Conn. -Cadillac Racing drivers Michael Cooper and Johnny O’Connell finished 14th and 17th respectively in race two of the Pirelli World Challenge GT Championship race weekend at Lime Rock Park this afternoon.
Based upon their fast laps from yesterday’s race O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) started from the third grid position and Cooper (Syosset, N.Y.) took the green in from the seventh. On lap one, Cooper got hit by JD Davison in the No. 33 Nissan and was pushed off the track and back to 17th position. O’Connell was able to keep his inside second row starting position and come around in third place. On lap 18 O’Connell reported a “funny motion in the rear” of his No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R Coupe. On lap 24 he was going into Turn One when the right rear tire went flat. He had to pit for a new Pirelli P-Zero tire and returned to the race a lap down in 17th.
“At the start we went into Turn 1 and Turn 2 racing two wide and running pretty clean,” said Cooper. “Going into Turn 3 I got tagged from behind by Davison and he sent me off the track spinning. It put us in a hole that we couldn’t recover from. It is tough to pass with where we are at with our performance. Tough for Cadillac Racing, but we will back at Road America.”
O’Connell had a good start going.
“At the start I was able to hold my third place starting position,” said O’Connell. “Alvaro (Parente, No. 9 McLaren and eventual winner) got a jump, Patrick Long in the Porsche followed and I was in third. Right around lap six or seven I started to feel something funny in the car. I was talking to the guys to see if they could find anything with the telemetry. I must have picked up something early in the race and it finally went flat. I am proud of everyone at Cadillac Racing. We were running third today. I had a good car. It’s a shame. There are nine races to go. We need some help to get us back where we are supposed to be with performance, especially heading into Road America at the end of next month.”
The Pirelli World Challenge series will travel to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for rounds 12 and 13, June 23-26.
The Pirelli World Challenge series races from Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut will be televised on CBS Sports Sunday, June 5 at 4 p.m. ET.
Article by: Kyle Chura
Photo Credit: Richard Prince
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