Koch Keeps Rolling

Subtitle:Series Leader Holds Off Alon For Fourth Win In Five Starts

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 26, 2015) – Kenton Koch was pushed to the limit Friday at Watkins Glen International, but he held off championship rival Robert Alon to earn his fourth victory in five Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda starts this season.

Series leader Koch, from Glendora, California, led from start to finish in the 30-minute race after winning the Lites 1 pole Friday morning. But his lead over Alon never grew to more than a second in the No. 60 JDC Motorsports entry, and he crossed the finish just .396 of a second ahead of Alon’s No. 00 Performance Tech Motorsports car.

“The track definitely changed from the conditions during today’s qualifying session,” Koch said. “The track was a bit slicker. The balance on my car was way loose, and I really had to give it all I got to beat Robert and those Performance Tech guys. They were right there.”

Alon tied his career-best finish of second – first recorded last June at Watkins Glen – with his top result of the season. His Performance Tech Motorsports teammate Austin Versteeg, from Sandy, Utah, finished third for his second podium finish of the season.

JDC Motorsports teammates Clark Toppe, from The Woodlands, Texas, and Matt McMurry, from Phoenix, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

John Falb, from Las Vegas, earned his fourth Lites 1 Masters victory in five starts this season in the No. 77 ONE Motorsports entry. His teammate Todd Slusher, from Las Vegas, also won in Lites 2 for the fourth time this year.

Round 6 of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Official Development Series, a 45-minute race, will start at 8:05 a.m. (ET) Saturday on the 11-turn, 3.4-mile layout at Watkins Glen.

Koch held off Alon at the start and on two restarts after caution periods. The final restart came with nine minutes remaining, and Koch quickly built a lead of .758 of a second.

But Alon, from Encino, California, pulled to within .386 of a second with five minutes remaining. The gap between Koch and Alon see-sawed between four- and seven-tenths of a second over the closing laps, with Koch leading by .641 of a second when the white flag flew before the final lap.

Alon’s pursuit of Koch included a track-record lap of 1 minute, 45.511 seconds.

“I believe I had a better pace than Kenton,” Alon said. “I should have made a couple moves but didn’t. I focused on keeping it clean. Looking forward to tomorrow, rain or shine. Next time I’ll make those moves and see if I can’t finish first.”

Versteeg, 16, passed fellow teen standout Toppe in Turn 1 after the first restart with 16 minutes remaining. He came close to joining the lead party with Koch and Alon but ended up 1.037 seconds behind the winner.

Masters

Reigning Lites 1 Masters champion Falb qualified fourth in the class due to a technical problem, but he quickly climbed through the field after the ONE Motorsports team fixed the car after qualifying.

“We had a problem with one of the suspension arms, but we got that fixed up and the car ran well during the race,” Falb said. “We were able to pick up the pace quite a bit. Good result; I’m happy.”

Don Yount, from Dallas, finished second in the class in the No. 28 Yount Motorsports Élan DP02 chassis powered by a Mazda engine for his second podium finish of the season.

Series rookie Dave House, a Silicon Valley executive from Saratoga, California, earned his first career podium finish by placing third in the No. 86 ONE Motorsports entry. This was House’s first career race at the rolling circuit located on a hilltop in the picturesque Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.

“It’s a great track,” House said. “It flows, and it’s so high speed. It’s got interesting corners and so much character. I love Watkins Glen. There’s not a bad section of this track. There are so many places where you can pick up or lose position that all of it is fun.”

Lites 2

Slusher earned his fourth victory of the season and has finished on the podium in all five rounds this season, extending his championship lead in the No. 62 ONE Motorsports entry.

He passed pole sitter Brian Alder when Alder’s BAR1 Motorsports car had a technical problem during the first caution period. Slusher never trailed thereafter.

“It was fantastic, and I had a great time out there,” Slusher said. “Couldn’t ask for a better day, a better track and a better group of guys, and it was a great experience.”

Alder, from Dublin, Ohio, nearly climbed all the way back to the lead after his mechanical hiccup. He closed to within seven-tenths of a second of Slusher at the finish, turning the quickest Lites 2 lap of the race, a track-record 1:50.077.

“We had to crawl our way back, but we ended up right behind Todd at the finish,” Alder said. “A couple more laps, and I think we would have had different results.”

John Salmon, from Lynchburg, Virginia, rounded out the top three in the No. 46 ODU Engineering Race Team entry.

Up Next

Round 6 of Cooper Tires Prototype Lites powered by Mazda, a 45-minute race, will start at 8:05 a.m. (ET) Saturday, June 27 at Watkins Glen International during the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen weekend for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

ROUND 5 POST-RACE QUOTES

KENTON KOCH (No. 60 JDC Motorsports, winner): “The track definitely changed from the conditions during today’s qualifying session. The track was a bit slicker. The balance on my car was way loose, and I really had to give it all I got to beat Robert (Alon) and those Performance Tech guys. They were right there. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I have no idea what’s in store for us. Rain’s going to throw a curve ball, for sure, so I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s going to bring. But a massive thanks to Mazda, JDC and everyone for supporting me. And the Justice Brothers, I really could go on with a whole list. It was a great race.”

ROBERT ALON (No. 00 Performance Tech Motorsports, second): “It was a good race. Performance Tech gave me a great car. I think I probably had the best car out there. It felt pretty solid out there. I believe I had a better pace than Kenton (Koch). I should have made a couple moves but didn’t. I focused on keeping it clean. Looking forward to tomorrow, rain or shine. Next time I’ll make those moves and see if I can’t finish first.”

AUSTIN VERSTEEG (No. 16 Performance Tech Motorsports, third): “The conditions were quite a bit different, but, honestly, I liked it. It made it a little more of challenge trying to drive the car on the slick track and with the aero-push when you were by other cars. I’m confident rain or dry. I know I’m decent in the rain, thanks to NOLA and the torrential downpour. Just got to keep pushing and pushing. I know there are some areas I can improve on.”

JOHN FALB (No. 77 ONE Motorsports, first Lites Masters): “We came out here and tested and made a lot of progress. Then we had to do a lot of work in between. It just wasn’t quite the same in qualifying. We had a problem with one of the suspension arms, but we got that fixed up and the car ran well during the race. We were able to pick up the pace quite a bit. Good result; I’m happy.” 

DON YOUNT (No. 28 Yount Motorsports, second Lites Masters): “I was happy with today’s outcome. I think it was one of those where if you stay out of trouble, you’re going to do OK. A lot of yellows and just stayed out of trouble.” 

DAVE HOUSE (No. 86 ONE Motorsports, third Lites Masters): “This is my first time racing here. I love the track. It’s a great track. It flows, and it’s so high speed. It’s got interesting corners and so much character. I love Watkins Glen. My favorite part is the start to the finish (laughs). There’s not a bad section of this track. There are so many places where you can pick up or lose position, that all of it is fun.”

TODD SLUSHER (No. 62 ONE Motorsports, winner Lites 2): “It was fantastic, and I had a great time out there. Couldn’t ask for a better day, a better track and a better group of guys, and it was a great experience. I won the race, so I am probably a little more excited than normal. But all in all, no matter what, it’s just great to be out here, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.”

BRIAN ALDER (No. 22 BAR1 Motorsports, second Lites 2): “The car was really good. We had the pace to win. Unfortunately, the car shut off on us under the yellow, and we got cycled to the back of the field. We had to crawl our way back, but we ended up right behind Todd (Slusher) at the finish. A couple more laps, and I think we would have had different results. Overall, the Top 1 Oil car ran great. When it was running, it was fast and on pace and had some fast lap times. We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

JOHN SALMON (No. 46 ODU Engineering Race Team, third Lites 2): “This is an awesome track and this is my first time here, so that was the best run I have had so far. Trying to learn the track still. Just an incredible race. Super exciting and great to be here.” (Which part of the track is your favorite?): “I like the carousel. You just put your foot down and hold on tight. The whole place is just epic, and it never lets you rest – even the straightaways. It’s all you can do to look down at your gauges and figure out where you are. So it’s a great time.”