By Alan Cesar
Jan 30, 2014
Night racing is one of the hallmarks of this event.
With a garage pass, you can watch teams prepare and repair their cars.
Some undergo more prep than others.
The new Deltawing coupe was present.
The Gainsco car had an awful crash mid-race that put Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli in hospital.
Pit road is quiet before the race begins.
Our car corral featured several of our classic project cars, including our Shelby, Catalina wagon, Meyers Manx and Mercedes-Benz 230 S.
To properly celebrate the joining of Grand-Am and the American Le Mans Series into the United Sports Car Series, the staff of Grassroots Motorsports magazine pulled out all the stops. Prizes and exclusive experiences galore made this an event you’ll wish you hadn’t missed.
Anyone attending the event could take part in the staff-led tours of the garages, including a midnight tour that always brings surprises and excitement. Visitors to our tent could also sign up for a chance to win some great prizes, including two gift certificates good for $250 in Wilwood brake products, two Mazdaspeed fleece jackets, and 10 bottles of EFS Combust.
We also gave an exclusive look behind the scenes of the event to four lucky people. These winners—who only had to wear Grassroots Motorsports apparel to our tent to be eligible—got to sit in for the IMSA driver’s meeting before the big race, as well as visit other parts of the track inaccessible to the common fan.
Grassroots Motorsports Experience ticket holders participated in showing off their rides in the infield parking at the GRM tent near Lake Lloyd, and were also treated to a catered dinner Saturday night.
Congratulations go out to Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais for taking the race’s overall win in the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP. IMSA also overturned the controversial penalty levied at Level 5 Motorsports, granting the Ferrari team the win in the GTD class over the Flying Lizard Motorsports team. Our hearts go out to Memo Gidley and Matteo Malucelli and their friends and family, as we all hope for a quick and full recovery from their horrific crash.
For more race results, visit IMSA’s website, or click here for a video recap.
To see a full photo gallery from the event, visit our Facebook page. Watch for full coverage of the event in Grassroots Motorsports magazine. Subscribe today.
We couldn’t have our special Experience without the help of our sponsors. Big thanks go out to Continental Tire, Mazda, Wilwood and EFS Combust.
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