3-4-2006 - Mexico City Race - Colin 2nd, takes points lead

Grand Am – Mexico City - Race Report
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3-4-2006 - Scott Pruett had set the pole on Friday in the #01 Ganassi Riley Lexus, and his plan was to try and set up a win for local man Luis Diaz….. which he duly managed, the pair leading every lap (of the 100) to take victory by less than three seconds, over 17 year old Colin Braun and partner Jorg Bergmeister (Krohn Riley Ford), Tracy and Borkowski in their Riley Lexus (third) and the Wallace / Leitzinger Howard-Boss Crawford.

“It's a total team effort first,” said Luis Diaz “It was a flawless performance. This is the biggest win of my career and I couldn't be happier knowing it came with Chip Ganassi Racing in front of my family and friends.”

It took until lap 46 of the race for the first full course caution in a GA race at Mexico – and thereafter there were two more, plus plenty of close racing (although not for the lead), plus a “physical altercation” between Chris Bingham and JC France, the pair ending up suspended from the next race after their cars collided heavily (and the drivers squared up to each other). "Additional sanctions against the drivers are likely…"

So it was 46 laps of green flag racing to get the event going, in front of an estimated 100,000 Mexican race fans – who saw two starts, as the GTs began their race independently of the DPs. Scott Pruett waltzed away from the field though, two seconds ahead after four laps, 14 after 26.

While conflict accounted for a delay to the Frisselle Doran Porsche (contact with the Lowe’s Riley, and a stop and go for the latter - Brian Frisselle: “He had a run on me and I took a defensive line, but I think he expected me to move, because he just swerved back into line and punted me in the right rear”), Leitzinger was showing real race form (as opposed to less impressive qualifying form) in the #4 Howard-Boss Crawford, and he was fighting for third, with the Pacific Coast Riley – behind the McDowell Playboy Crawford. Colin Braun was fifth, a fine performance from the 17 year old – with Ford power in the Krohn car now. Wayne Taylor was inching up the field, approaching the top six, and the Eddie Cheever Crawford Porsche in sixth. Also in the hunt was the #77 Feeds the Need Doran, despite a spin for Harrison Brix.

Milka Duno was out of the hunt, a drive through penalty (for crossing a white line, while in traffic) putting the CITGO Racing by SAMAX Riley a lap down, and Marino Franchitti has “never worked so hard for 16th place in my life."

Lap 41 and Leitzinger was up into second place – and pit stops were beginning, although they ended up badly timed for some (although without apparently suffering), because that first caution was looming. It came when the Patteron / Negri replacement car stopped on course with smoke appearing from it, but by then the McDowell / Gidley and Finlay / Valiante Crawfords had already stopped, as had the Pacific Coast and SunTrust Rileys.

The seven lap, mid-race caution period saw the rest of the field pit, but when they resumed racing, the pattern was familiar. Diaz pulled away (three and a half seconds in five laps) from Bergmeister and Wallace. In GT, the race-leading Tafel Porsche was assessed a drive through penalty, for passing during the caution period, which dropped it to fifth – and the #64 Collins / Edwards TRG Pontiac took over the class lead. The sister TRG car was hit by Burt Frisselle in the #8 Doran Porsche.

Paul Tracy was enjoying a close race for fourth with Max Angelelli and the #19 Crawford of Gidley – but the second ever FCC in a GA race at Mexico interrupted that battle. This was the Bingham / JC France squabble, which involved some seen-on-TV kicking and punching.

Six laps and they were off again, Memo Gidley then ‘enjoying’ a side to side contact moment with Max Angelelli, the latter penalised with a stop and go – and ending up a disappointing ninth. Gidley was one place ahead.

Diaz seemed to have no trouble pulling out a three second lead over Bergmeister, and the home win was still looking almost a certainty. Third was between Wallace and Tracy, fifth between the PCM Riley (Dalziel) and the Cheever entry (Fittipaldi).

The final caution came as late as lap 92, the #21 BMW hitting the wall. Oswaldo Negri was involved in this drama, and was penalised accordingly. Diaz drove away again in the #01 Ganassi Riley, and that was win number two for the big man’s team this year, ahead of Bergmeister, Tracy, Wallace, Borcheller and Fittipaldi.

It was the first flag to flag win in DP competition.

The DP points table unofficially looks like this:
Braun / Bergmeister 58
Borcheller / Brix 50
Gidley / McDowell 47
Pruett / Diaz 46
Law Donohue 46
Jonsson / Krohn 45
Fittipaldi / Cheever 45
Wallace / Leitzinger 44
Negri / Patterson 44
Taylor and Angelelli 24.

“To have a fifth-place finish at Daytona and a second-place finish in the second race of the year, is not too bad,” said championship leader Jorg Bergmeister.