Gil de Ferran went out on top.
The 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time CART/Champ Car champion, driving his last race, won the LMP1 class and overall title in the American Le Mans Series season finale on Saturday at the Monterey Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
De Ferran, who announced his retirement this summer, and co-driver Simon Pagenaud completed 168 laps in their de Ferran Motorsports Acura ARX-02b and finished 0.662 seconds ahead of LMP2 class winners Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz.
David Brabham and Scott Sharp of Patron Highcroft Racing, also driving an Acura ARX-02b, clinched the season title in LMP1 by finishing second in class and third overall. Alameda Times-Star
“It certainly wasn’t easy,” understated de Ferran. “There wasn’t much time to think about anything else. Coming into the weekend, there were a lot of different thoughts going through my head. But I had a job to do as a driver. It was a tough weekend from that standpoint. In a way, the race was so intense that I never had time to think of anything else.”
“We decided to keep the tires on during the last (pit) stop. We were having a hard time keeping heat in the tires, and we were very, very tight on the fuel window. I hope the crowd enjoyed the great battle. (The final laps) I was trying to do my best and get through traffic to open a gap. It was the only way to save fuel. I needed to get on the straight far enough ahead where I could lift early and save fuel. I took some risks going through traffic and using some of my experiences.”
“I was trying to plan the traffic ahead, and that’s a good word to use. You have to look ahead and decide where you are going to back off and where you are going to dive-bomb in there. Honestly, there was no time for anything else. We were running out of fuel and tires, and Adrian was coming.”
Fernandez agreed the battle was a classic.
“It was a good fight,” Fernandez said. “Coming into the race it was going to be our chance to win overall. [Gil de Ferran] was very strong but we were strong too. We were saving fuel and he was doing it too. In the last few laps, I got into a rich mixture but it wasn’t enough to pass his speed on the straights. I got by him 1 or 2 times but he kept getting me back. I had a run going into him in the corkscrew but he didn’t make any mistakes. He is such a good driver, he never made a mistake. On the final lap I got some bad traffic and never could make a good run. I was faster everywhere except the straight but he is such a good driver it’s hard to pass him.” Monterey County Herald
“The car was fantastic,” said Simon, “we had some issues at the beginning of the weekend but we worked around the problems and the car was a joy to drive. I had a real blast, I even enjoyed the traffic. It was very special for me to start the race for de Ferran Motorsports today in Gil’s final event. I was determined to have a really good stint and hand the car over in good shape.”
The victory was the icing on the cake for de Ferran who determined to make the tenth and final round of the American Le Mans Series one for everyone to remember. As well as his last race, Laguna Seca was also the scene of his first ever IndyCar victory in 1995 when he was driving for the legendary Jim Hall. In honor of Jim and his iconic Chaparral marque, Gil has run the number 66 on his car since his sports car team hit the track at Salt Lake City in 2008. In order to bring the synergy alive he invited Jim Hall to join him this weekend with two of his most treasured Chaparrals – the 2 and the 2E and as a final tribute Gil unveiled his Acura with a ‘one-off’ milk white livery for the weekend.
“It is great to have won here again in front of Jim and with the car in this fantastic livery,” said Gil. “It seems to bring my career to a full circle whilst honoring one of the true greats of our sport. I have loved every minute of driving this sports car and I am now commiting myself to the business of running the team. I have a fantastic group of guys at de Ferran Motorsports. We have all been on an incredible journey over the past 18 months and this victory and all the successes this year are a tribute to them. There have been some very hard times but days like to today make it all worthwhile.”
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