Winning result extends lead in Prototype Challenge championship standings
Lakeville, Conn. (22 July 2017) – It was another great race outing for Kelly-Moss Road and Race (KMR) and driver Colin Thompson as the squad scored victory on Saturday in Round 5 of the Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda at Lime Rock Park.
Thompson started from the pole after scoring a quick time of 49.498-seconds around the 1.5-mile circuit during qualifying Saturday morning. Once he took the green flag, Thompson led every lap of the 50 lap race which was slowed by just one caution period.
The win once again reflected the strong effort of the KMR crew as the squad worked hard to have the car ready for the Lime Rock event.
“It was very last minute until we got the parts for the car – until almost 7am the day before we got here to Lime Rock,” explained Team Owner Jeff Stone. “It was a mad thrash to get everything ready for the race weekend. Everybody worked in perfect harmony as a team. I can’t say enough about how well everybody worked together. Colin (Thompson) came here and did his job. We all gave him a good car and he had a great drive. There was a little more excitement than there needed to be but it was great to watch and we’re just happy to have another win.”
While the race may have looked straightforward with Thompson leading from start to finish, the win didn’t come easy.
“On paper, it looked really simple because we started on pole and won the race but there was nothing simple about it!” said Thompson from Victory Lane. “Kenton (Koch, second) put on so much pressure. I was fortunate through traffic a couple of times and he made some small mistakes so I was able to get a little bit of a gap. With these Prototypes on a short track like this with no straightaway to cool the tires off, you’re just trying to cool the rears down anywhere you can. So as soon as I saw a gap I would try to cool them down, and then Kenton would catch back up again. It was a lot of back and forth and a rollercoaster of emotions for everybody, but we brought home a win and it does nothing but help us in the championship.”
Not only did Thompson lead every lap, but he was also credited with the fastest lap of the race with a 49.498-second flyer on Lap 14.
As the Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda next travels to Trois-Rivières, Thompson continues to the lead the way in the championship standings.
The Lime Rock Park event will be televised on FS2 at 8:00 PM ET on Thursday, August 24.