Porsches Lead Both Continental Tire Challenge Classes In Sebring Test

Subtitle:H. Plumb Posts Fastest Lap In Two-Day Test Session

A pair of Porsches topped the time charts on Tuesday and Wednesday during a two-day IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge test at Sebring International Raceway.

Hugh Plumb ran a lap of 2:16.737 (98.466 mph) in the No. 13 Rum Bum Porsche 911 co-driven by his brother Matt to lead the Grand Sport (GS) competitors.

“We learned a lot when we raced here last year, but Sebring is always a different animal when you come back,” Hugh Plumb said. “It’s a rough track, without a lot of mechanical grip. In the limited time we had on Tuesday, we learned enough to make us feel good for when we come back next month. The Rum Bum guys are always working in the right direction – they’re never complacent with what we have.”

Fastest in Street Tuner (ST) was Andy Lee in the No. 22 Kris Wright Racing with Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche Cayman co-driven by Kris Wright.  Both fast times were set in the dry Tuesday morning session, with the Tuesday afternoon practice and extended Wednesday afternoon sessions marred by periods of heavy rain which limited track time.

NOTES AND QUOTES

- Robin Liddell was in a unique position, testing all three Porsches that Rebel Rock Racing brought to the test. The 2015 GS champion took laps in the No. 6 Porsche 911 in GS and the No. 7 and No. 8 Caymans in ST.

“It was kind of fun, but I was amazed when I looked at the time sheet and saw I had three of the fastest times,” Liddell said. “The ST Caymans were familiar territory, because I drove one of them [to a third place finish] at Daytona. They both felt very good, and we used the test to try out a few changes. The GS car was fun, because I haven’t driven a 911 in quite a while. It was good right off the bat. It had good power, and I was pleasantly surprised. After only a few laps we were only one second off the Rum Bum car, and we can definitely improve the car even more before next month’s race.”

- The No. 99 Automatic Racing Aston Martin Vantage, driven by Charles Espenlaub, also was in attendance. “We made a lot of positive changes early on in the test,” said team owner David Russell. “Then we made some changes that weren’t positive, but we’re learning a lot. We got a lot done here in a relatively short amount of time.”

- Trent Hindman, the 2014 GS champion in a Fall-Line Motorsports BMW, took his first laps in the No. 12 Bodymotion Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport that he will co-drive in GS competition with Cameron Cassels.

“We learned quite a bit about this car, even though we didn’t get in as many laps as we’d hoped because of the weather,” Hindman said. “We learned a lot about how the electrical systems operate, which is a big, big point in this car. We also got Cameron in for a few laps, and it was nice for him to finally drive his race car. My first impression of the car is very good. Porsche has done its homework with the Cayman for quite some time, and this is the highest-performing Cayman they’ve ever produced.

“We’ve got some new-car teething issues – which is OK, it happens – but the ability to have a turn-key package like this from Porsche and have their support getting through these initial problems is really good. I imagine that’s a big selling point for this car.”

- Andy Lee, No. 22 Goldcrest/Wright Porsche Cayman: “I’ve done a lot of testing here, but this will be my first race at Sebring. This is a great place, with a lot of history. The track itself is relatively easy to figure out, driving-wise, but it’s a very difficult place to set up for. The grip level is relatively low, and there are so many pavement changes, that makes it challenging.”

- Opening Continental Tire Challenge practice at Sebring will be held at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Round 2 of the 2016 season takes the green flag at 1:05 p.m. on Friday, March 18.

The test continues on Thursday and Friday with a large contingent of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors, preparing for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 19.