SCC: Lime Rock: ICY/Phoenix Racing race notes

Subaru Road Racing Team Delivers at Lime Rock Park
Team Drivers Chuck Hemmingson and Kristian Skavnes achieve historic win at the Grand-Am GT Classic KONI Challenge race over Memorial Day weekend.

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, May 27, 2007 - The Subaru Road Racing Team followed-up last week's near podium at Laguna Seca with another quickest race lap and a 1st-place finish at Lime Rock Park this past weekend. With 15 laps to go, team driver Kristian Skavnes piloted the #111 Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B into the lead and never looked back.

At the podium ceremony, team co-owner and driver Dave Rosenblum as well as crew chief Paul Hacker emphasized that the win had everything to do with teamwork. "The boys were up until one o'clock this morning making sure the cars were race-ready, and afterwards, our pit strategy worked well. On top of that, Chuck and Kristian drove one heck of a race," commented Dave Rosenblum. "From the time we got here, you could see how focused Kristian was for this race," added Hacker.

Mired at mid-pack, the #141 car was bumped off the road twice - once with Rosenblum in the car and another time with Davy Jones behind the wheel. Rosenblum also had a near miss with a competitor blowing an engine early in the race, which brought out the first of a few full-course cautions.

The cautions allowed Hacker to work his pit strategy for #111. Hemmingson had worked his way from 5th starting-grid position to 4th when he turned over the car to Skavnes with about an hour to go in the race. Skavnes re-entered the field in 12th, then began moving up the field, setting the race's quick lap in the process. With about 20 minutes remaining, another full-course yellow bunched up the field. The green flag dropped with about 15 minutes to go. By that time, Skavnes was sitting in 2nd. He immediately passed for the lead during the first green lap and built up a gap of more than six seconds by race end.

At the podium ceremony, the crowd began chanting, "Subaru! Subaru! Subaru!" It was sweet music amid the flying champagne.

-credit: icy/pr