(Photo by Chris Jones/IndyCar)
Twenty-three-year-old Carlos Munoz (No. 26 Andretti Autosport AndrettiTV Cinsay Honda) from Colombia apexes Turn 8 during Race 1 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit at Belle Isle Park. Munoz earned his first career Verizon IndyCar Series victory on Saturday as severe weather prompted a red flag with 47 of 70 scheduled laps in Race 1 of the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans on the 2.35-mile, 14-turn Raceway at Belle Isle Park. Munoz joins Josef Newgarden as a first-time winner in the Verizon IndyCar Series this season. There have been six different winners in the seven races this season. Munoz started 20th and then picked up the lead on Lap 40 when Andretti Autosport teammate Marco Andretti pitted for fuel and Firestone rain tires in anticipation of rain returning to the area. Munoz remained on track for an additional two laps, building a 26-second lead on Andretti, before also pitting for rain tires. "I wanted to win 100 percent and with all the laps," said Munoz, who joined Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud as drivers who claimed their first Indy car victory at Belle Isle. "Racing is racing, which is what happened with the weather. It was a great call with the strategy and a great result for the team with a 1-2 (finish). I had the fuel to go laps longer. I wanted to get my first win by doing all the laps, but I'm really happy for my team."
(Photo by Bret Kelley /IndyCar)
Marco Andretti (No. 27 Andretti Autosport Merchant First/Snapple Honda) had a good run on Saturday, leading a field-high 23 laps and finishing second, his first top-three finish since the Indianapolis 500 last May. "(Strategy) started very early in the race. We were running eighth and we had a bunch of strong guys in the front so it seemed like a no-brainer (to pit for Firestone primary tires on Lap 9) as long as I could keep it off the fence, which we were able to do," Andretti said. "At the end I really didn't want to come in, but we needed to get some fuel, and I knew whoever stayed out would beat me. It was good for an Andretti Autosport 1-2." Honda power also enjoyed a good moment with its second victory of the season and its first 1-2 finish of the year.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.0110)
Dane Cameron (No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP, started by Eric Curran) passed Jordan Taylor during the final 30 minutes and held on to win Saturday’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, giving the team its first TUDOR United SportsCar Championship victory. They became the fifth different TUDOR Championship Prototype winner in five races in 2015. Ozz Negri (No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2/Honda started by John Pew) took second on the final lap. Joao Barbosa (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP started from the pole by Christian Fittipaldi) spun but recovered to finish third. Jordan Taylor (No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Konica Minolta Corvette DP) was issued a drive-through penalty in the final 10 minutes for contact with Townsend Bell (No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia). Taylor, co-driving with his brother Ricky, came back to finish seventh. The 100-minute race started under sunny skies but finished under heavy rain which began falling during the final hour. Check out a gallery of John Thawley's spectacular images from Belle isle here.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.0110)
Mirco Schultis and Renger van der Zande (No. 8 Starworks Motorsport Martini ORECA FLM09) delivered their first victory of the season in the the Prototype Challenge (PC) class at Belle Isle. Starworks spoiled a strong showing by Performance Tech Motorsports, with James French winning his first TOTAL Pole Award in the No. 38 Ric-Man Detroit ORECA FLM09, and new co-driver James Vance leading the opening 55 laps before van der Zande took the lead. Five laps later, Stephen Simpson (No. 85 JDC/Miller Motorsports UndergroundCellar.com/Young Marines ORECA) took second. Vance held on for third.
(John Thawley ~ Motorsports Photography @ www.johnthawley.com ~ 248.227.0110)
Ian James and co-driver Mario Farnbacher (No. 23 Alex Job Racing Heart of Racing Porsche 911 GT America) won the GTD class at Belle Isle. Christina Nielsen and James Davison (No. 007 TRG Royal Purple/Orion Energy/LaSalle Solutions/PassTime USA Aston Martin Vantage, above) finished second. Dion von Moltke (No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Castrol EDGE Audi LMS) started on the pole, and co-driver Christopher Haase brought the Audi home third. The next event for the TUDOR Championship will be the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen on Sunday, June 28. All four classes will be in action in the race, which serves as the third round of the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.