IMSA Prototype Challenge – SIMPSON SEEKS GLEN REVENGE

SA’s Stephen Simpson, Goikhberg & Miller intent to make IMSA PC amends at Watkins Glen. South Africa’s Stephen Simpson, regular Russian-Canadian co-driver Misha Goikhberg and American Chris Miller head to the classic Sahlen’s Six Hour at the Watkins Glen looking to make amends following a whirlwind recovery by the Hi-Tide Red Line JDC Miller team to get its #85 ORECA Chevrolet on track to scrape together a few desperate points at Detroit last time out.

“More than anything, I want to go out and win this race for the JDC Miller Motorsport guys,” Simpson admitted. “They really deserve it after they did such a great job repairing and rebuilding the car Detroit.

“Watkins Glen’s is a 6-hour race, so Chris Miller will be joining Misha and me in the driver line up. “The lads at Watkins Glen did a great job when they recently repaved the surface, which has massively increased the grip levels on what has always been a fast track, so now its even faster,” Stephen pointed out of the circuit that hosted the US Grand Prix, back in the days of Jackie Stewart and Jody Scheckter. “We had a successful test there a few weeks ago and that went well, so we have good reason to feel we can have a strong weekend.”

Indianapolis-based Capetonian Simpson and regular teammate Goikhberg head to Watkins Glen International placed third in the Weathertech IMSA PC standings, having won the Daytona 24 Hour and the Long Beach streetrace before their more recent challenges, but they sit just nine points behind log leaders Renger Van Der Zande and Alex Popow and six points adrift of Robert Alon and Tom Kimber-Smith in second.

Stephen will do double-duty at Watkins Glen, also racing a BMW 2-series in IMSA’s sister Continental Production Sportscar championship. “We have been testing the BMW for the last two days and think we will have something we can be competitive in for Watkins Glen next week,” Simpson explained. “The race weekends are nice and busy when I race the BMW on the same weekends as the PC car — typically the BMW races are on the Saturdays and the PC races are on Sundays.”

Catch Stephen Simpson in action in both Sahlen’s Six Hour at the Watkins Glen and in his Production Sportscar race via streaming at www.imsa.com throughout the weekend of 1-3 July.

IMAGES: Stephen Simpson is keen to repeat his Daytona 24 victory at the six hours of Watkins Glen