Mike Lewis and Autocon turned a few heads with their first podium in round three at Mid Ohio, but this past Saturday at Lime Rock they opened some eyes by leading the overall race for the first time in team history and finishing second – the team’s second straight podium – in the P1 class in the AER-powered JeanRichard Lola EX257 AER.

The Autocon entry qualified a solid 4th in class and started 7th overall for the New England Grand Prix. With McMurry again taking the first stint, the start was more than successful. Chris moved quickly to 4th overall by the first turn with a bold move to the inside at Big Bend, and maintained his position long into his session. Just before the first full-course yellow McMurry was 3rd overall and turning very competitive times, including his personal best for the weekend of 49.9 seconds.

Many of the teams elected to pit on the first full-course yellow that resulted from a clash between Dyson Racing and Corvette, sending both off at turn three. But it was too early for the Autocon strategy – which was aiming for a single pit stop depending on the frequency and duration of full-course yellows – and McMurry inherited second.

About an hour into the race Autocon was one of only three cars on the lead lap, and the team moved into first overall when the remaining teams pitted under an additional full-course caution caused by the Mazda Courage and Risi Ferrari tangling in a nasty accident in the high speed Diving Turn that leads onto the front straight.

“The view from the cockpit sure is a lot nicer when you’re in the lead,” said McMurry. “Kudos to our chief engineer and race architect Bud Wilkinson for calling a great race, and planning a great strategy. We don’t have the pace that the big budget manufacturer teams do, so our game is fuel strategy, and it was working perfectly. It is fun to compete against the best in the world and show that sometimes the underdog can be on top.”

Many people enjoyed seeing the fresh blue face of the Autocon livery leading an American Le Mans Series race, which prior to then this season has been dominated by the silver Audi and yellow Porsche. McMurry did a masterful job of leading the entire field for a number of laps, and running equal times to the Penske Porsches and the factory Audi effort before succumbing to the superiority of their efforts.

“It was a good first stint by any measure,” added Lewis. McMurry earned the Founder’s Cup for the race, duplicating the same honor Lewis earned at Mid-Ohio. “Chris worked hard thru traffic, which there is a lot of on this circuit, and his defense of the lead was perfectly balanced between making the big teams work hard and eventually conceding to the superior car, while more importantly protecting our position in the big picture.”

Deep into McMurry's stint, and still maintaining 3rd overall and 2nd in class, McMurry came upon lapped traffic in the form of a Panoz GT2 that already had been involved in an incident in the same spot earlier in the race. The Panoz initially appeared to concede the inside line to the faster Autocon car, but then turned down and contact ensued sending the Lola inside grass of Big Bend. McMurry pitted immediately because, “I’ve learned in the past it is better to pit then to risk breaking down on the track especially when you run on our race strategy. Been there, done that, and I didn’t want our good run ruined.”

Lewis jumped in the car on fresh tires and a full fuel load. The car appeared to not be damaged from the contact, but post-race inspection discovered that Lewis did an incredible job nursing the wounded Lola home for over an hour and at a good pace considering that the left front steering was bent, and that there was possible steering rack and shock absorber damage.

“I felt really bad for Mike. I only had 10 laps left in my stint, and could have been a little more patient. He did an amazing job under the circumstances. I’ve been in the position of driving second many times before, and the car is rarely as good later in the race. So, it is always harder going second, and honestly, its no fun when you’re there to race hard and instead you have to baby sit the car around the track,” said McMurry.

McMurry and Lewis are tied for 3rd in the P1 class drivers championship after the second place finish at Lime Rock, which was also the final race for the much-heralded Audi R8. The next race for Autocon and the American Le Mans Series is the Grand Prix of Utah, where two next generation diesel powered Audi’s, called the R10, will begin competing on a regular basis after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans last month in France.
 
“When you reach the podium it proves we did a great job,” Lewis continued. “The R8 is regarded as the best sports car in the history of racing with something like 50 wins to its name. To stand next to their Herculean effort on the podium during their final event is an indelible racing image, and something that we will always remember.”

The Utah even is set for 6 p.m. MDT on July 15 at the new Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City. The driver lineup be Lewis and the ever-popular Bryan Willman. CBS will broadcast the race from 2-4 p.m. EDT on July 16. American Le Mans Radio will provide live coverage on www.americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA Live Timing & Scoring.