Stevenson Motorsports Pre-Watkins Glen Report

Thursday, June 30, 2016

For Round 5 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTD Championship, the twin No. 6 and No. 9 Stevenson Motorsport Audi R8 LMS machines head to the newly re-paved Watkins Glen International.
 

The full six hours will be broadcast LIVE! - Sunday, July 3 from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM ET on FS1 with the green flag at 10:10 AM ET.

TRACK SPECS: 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course located in Watkins Glen, New York.

STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS DRIVER LINEUP: 
No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS
Andrew Davis + Robin Liddell                                                                     
No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS
Matt Bell + Lawson Aschenbach

TOP-FIVE IN DETROIT: The Jacksonville, North Carolina-based team heads north again following a fifth place finish for Davis and Liddell in their No. 6 Audi R8 LMS around the streets of Belle Isle just a few short weeks ago. The brother No. 9 Audi R8 LMS of Bell and Aschenbach fought back from a mechanical issue to return to the track and take the checkered flag despite having to go behind the wall following the first yellow of the short street sprint.

LOOKING TO CONTINUE GLEN WINNING STREAK: Stevenson Motorsports has stood on the top step of the podium at Watkins Glen every year since 2012 with Liddell and John Edwards driving to a win in GRAND-AM Rolex Series competition in both 2012 and 2013 while Davis and Liddell drove to back-to-back wins in Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge competition at the track in 2014 and 2015, en route to the 2015 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship title.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: While the 2016 edition of the historic six-hour race marks the first race laps for the team’s new twin Audi R8 LMS machinery, Stevenson Motorsports tackles the circuit with no shortage of experience. The team has 27 starts around the circuit, starting back in 2003 and has notched an impressive six starts in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen event with two of those resulting in a win and seven podium performances overall. Outside of their success as a team, driver Aschenbach also boasts a win in Continental Tire competition in 2010 with Compass360 Racing and Liddell scored a GT class win in the Six Hours in 2006.

Long History of Podiums at Watkins Glen: The track record at Watkins Glen goes back to 2003, when team owner Johnny Stevenson scored a podium finish in his Rolex GT Class debut. And in celebration of the team's return to where it all started at the Glen, a look at Stevenson Motorsports: 

TESTING, TESTING…: With the paddock buzzing about the newly re-paved surface of the famous circuit, Stevenson Motorsports has a leg up on the competition after putting valuable test laps in with their Audi R8 machines in May.

PWC ROAD AMERICA: Both Davis and Aschenbach were back in Pirelli World Challenge action last weekend at Road America as Davis took home a top-10 finish in Round 13 of GT competition in his No. 76 Calvert Dynamics /Porsche 911 GT3 R while Aschenbach fought back from a suspension issue in Round 11 of GTS competition to score a sixth place result on Sunday in his No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop /Chevrolet Camaro. 

SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow Stevenson Motorsports on Twitter @stevensonmotor, and Instagram @stevensonmotorsports and Like them on Facebook at Facebook.com/StevensonMotorsportfor LIVE updates throughout the weekend!

FROM THE DRIVERS:

Andrew Davis, No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS – "Watkins Glen is always a driver's favorite, and the historical significance of the 6 Hour race continues to make a big impact within our sport. I'm certainly very proud to have claimed a small piece of that history with a victory in 2011. In addition to that result, I have had the privilege to grace that hallowed victory lane many times with Stevenson Motorsports. For whatever reason, it's just one of those places where we seem to shine. Robin Liddell and I claimed victories in both 2014 & 2015 in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. We also narrowly missed a Sahlen's 6 Hour win back in 2009, settling for a strong runner up finish. I truly enjoy driving at the circuit. It checks all the boxes of what a race track should be. With the new pavement, it's an entirely new experience. We were able to test our #6 Audi R8 LMS at the circuit a couple of months ago, and I must say they did an amazing job on the resurfacing. It's glass smooth, and has tremendous grip which will play into the strengths of our new cars. With a Stevenson Motorsports team that knows how to get the job done, I'm hopeful to extend our win streak at the Glen for another year!"

Robin Liddell, No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS – “There's no question that the track at Watkins Glen has been transformed over the winter, and the smooth grippy surface is now a match for any of the finest European road course facilities such as Spa or Silverstone. I have always really enjoyed racing at Watkins Glen over the years; the track itself is a perfect blend of natural elevation and high speed corners and is a real favorite with the drivers. The test from the Stevenson team's perspective was productive and gave us another opportunity to progress with our learning and development of the Audi R8. We made a number of changes throughout the day which really helped the car and gave us some direction going forward.”

Lawson Aschenbach, No. 9 Stevenson Motorsports Audi R8 LMS – “Watkins Glen is one of my favorite tracks in North America! The Audi Sport R8 LMS will suit the track well with the elevated grip levels and high speed corners. Also, Stevenson Motorsports has a solid track record there and I have no doubt we have all the pieces in place to continue the success. I'm looking forward to the 6 Hour! It was good to test there before the race weekend as that allowed us to learn how the new surface changes our setups. The track is incredibly smooth and it seemed to gain a bit of grip. You can probably run the car a bit more aggressively now that the surface will be a bit easier on tire wear. I think fans are going to see a lot of new track records and some intense racing as cars can possibly go two wide in places they couldn't before!”