Elkhart Lake, WI --- There was a lot to look forward to as the Autocon crew prepared to visit Road America for the Generac 500, a unique four hour event on one of the most exciting and challenging road courses in North America at Elkart Lake Wisconsin.

The high speed nature of the elongated 4.05-mile circuit would allow the strengths of the JeanRichard Creation CA06H prototype to shine. Just like all drivers in the American Le Mans Series paddock the Autocon trio of Michael Lewis, Chris McMurry and Bryan Willman count the Road America course as a favorite place to challenge themselves with famous high speed turns and elevation changes.

Indeed the outlook was to continue learning what the new Creation wanted in terms of a successful set up, and Lewis and Willman took advantage of the extra test day provided on Thursday in that pursuit. McMurry joined for the pre-qualifying practice on Friday, and all three drivers were posting very respectable times.

"We were looking good going into qualifying and our love affair with the new car was blooming," according to team owner Lewis. "We were finally joining the other, non-factory prototypes which is where we should be."

Lewis was the designated pilot to qualify the car and methodically brought his times down, saving the best for last and cranking out a final time of 1:55:707, a mark more than two seconds better than in the official practice sessions that same day, and a full second better than the team’s qualifying time last season in its Lola EX257.

The mood was positive leading right up to the reconnaissance lap to position the car on the final grid, just 60 minutes before the race, and in preparation for the Grid Walk where fans are allowed to mingle with the cars and drivers on the starting grid.

Lewis reported that something was just plain wrong with the cars handling during the recon lap. There was a very big push that hadn’t appeared in prior practice sessions. Unfortunately, the only option was to pull the car from the starting grid in order to fully explore the issue, which the team opted not to do because it would have meant starting the race from pit lane.

"The car was a handful when they dropped the green, certainly not the car we had in any session prior to the race start," stated leadoff driver Lewis. "I was holding on as best I could but we were dropping positions to cars that had no business challenging us. I pitted once for a quick look but soon after I knew we had to fix the issue."

The Autocon crew pushed the car behind the wall and back to the trailer for a major examination of the setup issue, and rescaling the car to determine what element of set up was askew. “Evidently something got changed that shouldn't have been changed during the pre-race set up,” concluded Lewis.

Once the setup was re-established, Willman strapped in, and the skies opened up for a ferocious mid-summer Wisconsin downpour. Although all the ALMS cars are capable of running in wet conditions the combination of lightning (endangering corner workers) and standing water caused the yellow conditions to continue for over one hour. Willman did an outstanding job in his return to green flag racing, pitting for dry tires as conditions improved and keeping the entry in contention for as many points as possible.

“Yeah, you could call my stint a cleansing experience,” said the ever-animated Willman.

With just one hour remaining in the event, McMurry took to the cockpit to take the entry to the finish. Soon he gained one position to fourth in class as the Intersport Creation succumbed to electrical issues. Although not the outcome Autocon had hoped for, Road America did mark the fourth straight points paying finish for the team.

"My stint felt long because we should have been battling our fellow prototypes for position," stated McMurry. "Whatever caused our issues at the beginning remains a bit of a mystery but the crew did a great job of fixing it as fast as possible. We just have to learn from it and get ready for Mosport, another track that the Creation will like. It is fast and challenging and I really look forward to racing there."

McMurry did add some drama as the race on the last lap when challenged the infamous Kink, a flat out turn on the tree lined back side of the course. "I got a bit off line and got onto the wet grass at about 150 mph," explained Chris, who had spun during practice in the kink when a left rear suspension piece broke. "Everyone will say you can’t spin in the kink and survive, so I guess it was my lucky day with two spins there and nary a nick on the car to show for it. I think I used two lives though.”

McMurry will be joined by Tony Burgess for the Mosport event. The Toronto native has a ton of miles at his home track to compliment a vast amount of experience gained in Europe including prototype appearances across the continent. This driver combination should position the Autocon entry for success in light of both drivers experiencing the top podium position in previous events at the venue.

As noted, the next round of the American Le Mans Series is the Mobil 1 presents Grand Prix of Mosport from Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The race will start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 26 and will be broadcast live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.