IMSA: Koch swims to NOLA double

Kenton Koch completed a weekend sweep of Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2015 Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda series at NOLA Motorsports Park with a win Sunday.

IMSA officials ended the race, scheduled for 30 minutes, early due to unsuitable racing conditions created by heavy, persistent rain. The race was yellow-flagged after 13 minutes and red-flagged eight minutes later, with the checkered flag unfurled shortly thereafter.

Koch led from start to finish for the second straight race in the No. 60 JDC Motorsports entry. It was the third victory of the season for championship leader Koch.

“It was a benefit starting out front today,” Koch said. “I was able to just put down the laps. But the track was pretty treacherous. I did have a blast out there. JDC, Cooper Tires and everyone did a great job out there, especially Mazda Motorsports for giving me the opportunity."

Koch’s JDC Motorsports teammate Matt McMurry finished second in the No. 20 entry, with Austin Versteeg finishing third in the No. 16 Performance Tech Motorsports Élan DP02 chassis powered by a Mazda engine on Cooper Tires.

The race already was shortened from a scheduled 45 minutes to 30 minutes due to schedule changes for the Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana caused by rainy weather Saturday.

Heavy rain fell during the entire race Sunday, which fell under caution after four laps around the 13-turn, 2.75-mile circuit when Michal Chlumecky’s car went off course. Championship contender Clark Toppe also had an incident that left debris on the front straight as rain intensified.

Toppe’s accident and other weather-related incidents caused IMSA officials to throw the red flag. The race never resumed due to the rain and wet track conditions. All of the drivers involved in incidents were unhurt and cleared to drive.

Reigning Lites 1 Masters Champion John Falb finished first in class and fifth overall in the No. 77 ONE Motorsports entry. Teammate Todd Slusher completed a Lites 2 sweep of the weekend in the No. 62 ONE Motorsports entry, finishing eighth overall.

Masters

After starting sixth overall, Falb gained one position through the shortened race to earn his third victory of the season, extending his Lites Masters points lead.

“The rain kept coming down, and they couldn’t keep the track clear, and it was like a lake going down the back straight,” Falb said. “Unfortunately, these cars aren’t too good in the rivers, and it caused a lot of headache for people. But we ended up doing a couple of 360s, but other than that, we kept it clean enough and brought it home.”

Performance Tech Motorsports driver Joel Janco is 4-for-4 for podium finishes this season after placing second in his No. 25 Prototype Lites entry. Gerhard Watzinger placed third in the No. 32 ONE Motorsports entry for his second podium finish this season.

Lites 2

Slusher earned his third victory of the season and has finished on the podium in all four rounds this season, extending his championship lead. He was caught in an incident under caution late in the race that precipitated the red flag but preserved his victory because he led the last completed lap.

“With all the spray and all the puddles, it was hard to control the car,” Slusher said. “Probably the worst thing is not being able to see and having cars stop in front of you in the spray, and you can’t see them until you’re on them. I love driving the cars, I love the track, but this track in the rain is not one to play around with.”

Brian Alder found his way the podium for the first time this weekend with a second-place finish in his No. 22 BAR1 Motorsports entry. John Salmon rounded out the top three in the No. 46 ODU Engineering Race Team entry.

Rounds 5 and 6 of Cooper Tires Prototype Lites powered by Mazda will take place June 25-27 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York, during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.