While
clearly not as bad off as that, the number 42 Golf did have a few minor
issues to contend with, including Jeff Lawton's brush with a Miata that
left the driver's side scuffed with blue paint.
Notice
Lawton's signature among the paint marks in the picture to the right,
added with a marker during a pit stop.
More costly in terms
of time was the failure of a rear wheel bearing, discovered during Lawton's
second stint, after he replaced Phillips at the wheel. The offending part
was adjusted as Knestis got back in the car for his last run, but he quickly
determined that it was not going to last the night.
Knestis circulated
as the team prepared to undertake repairs, at which point he was called
in. Crew members Cameron Conover (Greensboro, NC, in the image right and
below) and Bill Miller (Flagtown, NJ) completed repairs quickly enough
that only slightly more than 16 minutes was lost in the process. The car
was refueled and Knestis got back in, completing an additional 70 minutes
before quitting for the night.
It was well and truly
dark when Greg Amy jumped in for the last rotation of the race. Interestingly,
he turned the team's fastest race lap (1:36.053) just five laps before
the overall leader took the checkered flag to secure class honors for
the second enduro running. |
