Long Beach Brian Simo race report

Brian Simo of Carlsbad, Calif., gained valuable championship points with a fifth-place finish in Sunday's Trans-Am Series race in Long Beach, Calif. The reigning series champion started third in the No. 88 Tommy Bahama Qvale Mangusta and led eight laps of the 39-lap race, but a spin caused him to brush the wall and forfeit the lead. He noted he and his chief rivals, Paul Gentilozzi of Lansing, Mich., and Boris Said of Carlsbad, all had braking difficulties on the tight 1.97-mile street circuit.

"We gained points, that's the good thing," Simo said. "I didn't identify early enough that I had too much rear [brake] bias and I let the rear end chatter. The braking here was a little different than people think. Paul had trouble braking, Boris had trouble braking. It cost Boris the back of his car, Paul the front of his car and me the side of my car."

-Sylvia Proudfoot