Stevenson Motorsports Road Atlanta Post-Race Report

Braselton, Ga. (2 October 2015) - After a 10-round championship that started in January at Daytona International Speedway, Stevenson Motorsports clinched the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Championship on Friday as Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis combined for a run to second place at Road Atlanta in the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R on Friday. The effort also generated the Manufacturer Championship for Chevrolet as well as the Team Championship for Stevenson Motorsports.

With rain falling for most of the two and a half hour race, the team No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro Z/28.R of Lawson Aschenbach finished eighth in the order.The run to the IMSA championship was marked not only with speed, but also consistency as excellent preparation and pit stops from the team kept the No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R entry as the championship leader for much of the year-long campaign. A fifth place finish at Road America marked the duo’s worst finish of the year, with Davis and Liddell combining for wins at Sebring International Raceway, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, and Circuit of the Americas.Stevenson Motorsports made its Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS Class debut with the Chevrolet Camaro in 2009, and after coming just a few points shy of the title in 2012, 2013, and 2014, the team finally locked in the top honor with an outstanding run through 2015."It doesn't get any better than this, does it?” enthused team owner Johnny Stevenson as he took in the podium celebrations in a rainy victory lane.  “It is a great feeling for myself, Susan (Stevenson, wife) and the entire crew.  M.J. (Mike Johnson, team manager) and Michael Hoffman (crew chief) do a great job as leaders.  It has been a long time coming, but it is great for my organization and my team! I'm glad to deliver for Chevrolet Racing. They've been a tremendous partner for years. It is a great day--it doesn't get any better than this, rain and all!"Running on the same track where his passion for motorsports was first ignited as a young child, Davis led the opening stages of the race before turning the car over to Liddell after 24 laps. The stint brought the driver duo past the 45-minute mark to lock in the driver championship honors. Liddell looked to add a fifth victory to the championship season tally, but came up just shy as he took second at the checkered flag.The fellow Camaro Z/28.R of Bell and Aschenbach started from fourth with Bell moving up to third ahead of a lap 16 pit stop. Rejoining 12th in the order, Bell was able to move up to run second before turning the car over to Aschenbach on a lap 39 pit stop. A restart on Lap 44 opened the final leg of the race, although No. 9 entry wasn’t able to make the most of the changing conditions on the way home to an eighth place finish.The race will be televised on FOX Sports 1 on October 18 at  9:00 AM ET. Andrew Davis, No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R: "To be honest, the relief is almost indescribable even though we came into this race knowing what we only had to do the minimum drive time. I have all the faith in the world in my Stevenson Motorsports crew; in my Chevy Camaro Z/28.R, in Pratt and Miller; Team Chevy-everyone.  But still knowing the Lady Luck of racing - she can be very fickle at times! It is a tremendous amount of relief I feel at this point in time. I'm just looking forward to celebrating with Robin(Liddell). This is my home track. That is very special and very emotional for me.  The five-year-old me that was watching this race 33 years ago wouldn't believe this. I've seen lots of championships won here, and now I've won one myself."Robin Liddell, No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R: "I was cautious when I got in the car because the conditions were treacherous. To be honest, the conditions before the last stop got worse, and then after the last stop, it got worse again. Then after the last restart, it was really bad.  I'm pleased that they (IMSA) ran, I think they made the right decision, but it was very marginal. The track was really really tricky. I saw a lot of good guys at the front making mistakes. We couldn't have at it as such. We were pushing as hard as we could but trying not to make mistakes because it was so easy to make a mistake and get really out of shape and lose the run."Right now I just feel relieved. I don't really feel emotional one way or the other right now. I just feel relieved that we've got it done.  I'm disappointed that I couldn't win the race. With 20 minutes to go, that was what was in my mind. But we just didn't have that today. I’m really happy with the team-great job. What can we say, we've had a pretty flawless season and that is why we've ended up where we are! I wish we could have more like this!"Matt Bell, No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R: "First of all huge congratulations to Chevrolet for getting the manufacturer title; to Stevenson Motorsports for getting the team title and of course the No. 6 Camaro Z/28.R guys (Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis) for getting the driver title. That is a trifecta right there and it is awesome that they finally did it. The No. 6 car guys have been at this a long time and they have been looking for a championship, and they finally made that happen so that is really cool. I'm proud of them. It is always a team effort. Modestly we are all doing the same amount of work on this team. We had quite a bit of bad luck, but it worked out. "As far as this race goes, I love driving in the rain, but I need it to free-up at the right time in the corners. So I think Lawson (Aschenbach) had an even harder time than I did. He went out when it was raining a little bit harder. He gave it all he could. In perfect circumstances, I think he was running the same times as everyone else, but it took just a little thing...a little bit of traffic or a little bit of standing water in the corners to completely throw him off. I feel bad for him. We gave it everything we had, gave it our best shot and I am happy with where we ended up."Lawson Aschenbach, No. 9 Camaro Z/28.R: "It was tough out there.  First off, hats off to Robin (Liddell) and Andrew (Davis) and everyone on the No. 6 Camaro Z28.R.  They did such a good job this year. The whole program was just flawless. To see them get a championship, and more importantly to get a championship for Stevenson Motorsports...Johnny Stevenson and Susan Stevenson...it was really the plan from the beginning of the year. It didn't really matter if it was the No. 6 or the No. 9, it was just a matter of ‘let's get them a championship.’ I'm very happy for the team. Unfortunately, it wasn't our No. 9 car's day. I was really struggling out there. The car felt good initially, but I'm not sure...we made some changes during the race, and maybe we went the wrong way and really paid the price for it. I just couldn't keep up. Regardless, still a good year, finishing fourth in points. We've had a tough go at it on certain tracks, in certain races, but I'm happy with my first season at Stevenson Motorsports with this Camaro Z/28.R and I hope to be doing the same thing next year."Mike Johnson, Team Manager: “I am proud of this entire team and the effort that everyone put in all year long. It is a relief to win it. I think I am mostly just happy for John and Susan Stevenson, so happy for them after we were so close so many times. It feels good to deliver this for them and a big thanks to all of our partners at Chevrolet and Pratt and Miller and all the guys. This is a very good group and I’m proud of what we accomplished, and ready to celebrate tonight!”