IMSA PC & Sports Production – Double whammy slows Stephen in Texas

South Africa’s Stephen Simpson was looking good in both of his Lone Star Le Mans IMSA races at the weekend’s meeting in Austin, Texas, but both JDC Miller Motorsports Hi-Tide Red Line ORECA Chevrolet and BMW 228i were blighted by fuel issues.

“The WeatherTech race was a challenge for us,” Indianapolis-based Capetonian Simpson who shares the Oreca-Chevy with the with Russo-Canadian Misha Goikhberg in the series’ Prototype Challenge, explained. “We had a fuel issue one and a half hours into the race, which meant we had to make an extra pit stop and that put us out of contention, which is a pity because we were running well and had the pace for a podium finish.

“Coincidentally, we also had a fuel issue on the BMW during Saturday’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race,” Simpson told of the car he shares with disabled co-driver Michael Johnson in the Continental Tire Sports Production race. “The fuel issues on both cars were not related, but Michael drove very well up until we had to retire – he has overtaken about 12 cars and was making solid progress through the field.”

Simpson’s IMSA season comes to an end at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atalanta, Georgia over the week of 30 September, where the South African hopes to finish the season with a flourish in both classes.