At the drop of the green flag for yesterday's Fresh From Florida 200, none of the APR Motorsport cars were in prime position for a quick or easy victory. Although solid times were managed in the warm ups, the brand-new supercharged B8 S4 in GS, and the two GTI Mk5s in ST, were starting towards the back of each of their respective classes. Still, it was a long race and anything could happen. Unfortunately it did, but not in a good way for the APR Motorsport team.
Ian Baas put in a strong performance in the APR S4, quickly and steadily moving up from 29th position to the top 10 before the first round of pit stops. Baas pushed the supercharged six up to a high of 6th place before handing of to co-driver Mark White. White re-joined in around 27th spot, and hung around the mid 20's for the entirety of his time in the car. Changing back to Baas at the second and final pit-stop once again saw the S4 on the move, before a puncture on the very last lap took the car out of any contention for a top-ten finish. The S4 ended in 19th position.
The potential is there, with the big sedan showing surprising speed compared to the more 'pure' sports racing cars such as the Porsches and BMWs, but naturally some teething problems were to be expected for the first time out. Matt Plumb was the eventual GS class and overall winner, in the #13 Rum Bum E92 BMW M3.
The results in ST were almost exactly the same as those in GS, in fact, you could substitute the names and problems and it would be almost 100% accurate. The 171 was piloted by last year's 3-time winner Mike Sweeney, with new driving partner Mike Halpin. 181 also had an APR veteran of 2009 behind the wheel, Josh Hurley, joined by Kevin Stadtlander. Both GTIs battled their way through the field, with Sweeney and Hurley handling first round driving duties. They eventually overcame the Jetta GLIs from Irish Mike's Racing before piercing the top-ten, much like the S4 had done.
After the first round of pit stops Halpin and Stadtlander took over for the 171 and 181, with Stadtlander putting in a particularly strong performance. The sheer number of cars in ST meant that the smallest problem or delay could cost precious positions on the track, and unfortunately for APR, problems for the team showed up in the waning laps. After his fantastic performance, Stadtlander handed the 181 over to Hurley within striking distance of a podium finish. It was not to be however as one of the Civics punted Hurley off the track with a hit from behind, ultimately moving him well outside the top ten. The 181 and 171 finished 15th and 16th in class. The ST class winner was the always quick Compass 360 Honda Civic of Aschenbach / Thilenius.
APR Motorsport showed real promise and speed in the Fresh from Florida 200, but the momentum carried from their outstanding late 2009 performances could not translate into victory in yesterday's race. You can bet they'll be working hard to prepare for a more successful round at Homestead Florida, on March 13th.
More info: Grand-Am.com / GoAPR.com
_WRS
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