Fall-line Motorsport roller-coaster on CTSCC race at Barber

Birmingham, AL - It was a heartbreaking day for the three-car BMW team yesterday at Barber Motorsports Park as Fall-Line Motorsports competed in the 2.5-hour Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge race. It started out beautifully with Charles Espenlaub starting on pole in the #48, Al Carter just behind starting 3rd and Mark Boden in the #46 car starting 13th.

#45 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 Coupe: Al Carter

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

The race didn't end nearly as well as it started with the #46 and the #45 both suffering from mechanical failures which stranded them both on the racetrack with just about 30 minutes remaining in the race. Al Carter brought the #48 home in 7th after driving almost the entirety of the race between the #45 and the #48 car.

Espenlaub opened up a good lead in the first stint of the race, pitting before the rest of the field for tires and fuel. He drove approximately an hour-and-a-half, turning flying laps and making the most of being up front.

He handed over the reigns to Carter with an hour remaining and Carter re-joined the race in P7 after a delay in the pits due to a stuck lug nut. Carter fought a tough fight and ultimately took home 7th for the #48.

Things started similarly as well for the #45, Carter started 3rd but settled in running fifth for the opening stint. The car was a bit too tight for the weather conditions Saturday afternoon and the rubber that the IZOD Ind45yCar Series cars laid down Saturday morning affected the set-up.

The Fall-Line team made an adjustment when the #45 made its first routine pit stop and Hugh Plumb got in the car. Plumb drove a great race, running as high as 4th before an unfortunate gearbox issue ended his day.

Mark Boden started 13th and quickly got to work. He moved up four spots before pitting and leaving the driving duties to Bryan Sellers. Sellers quickly began inhaling his competitors and swiftly moved up to second position.

He was running second, when, with just a half-hour to go, his car suffered a fatal failure in the drivetrain that also left him stranded on the track at nearly the same time as teammate Hugh Plumb. 46

Team Manager Michael Harvey commented about the up-and-down day: "Saturday was a character-building day for Fall-Line. I am so proud of my drivers and crew and we will gain strength from adversity. We are now focused on and looking forward to putting the Fall-Line BMWs on the podium at Road Atlanta where we tested last November."

Fall-line Motorsport