CORE autosport is in the hunt for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the final race of the season at Road Atlanta: the Motul Petit Le Mans.
After a string of four podium finishes, including two wins, CORE and drivers Jon Bennett and Colin Braun sit second in the Championship, four points behind Action Express and 15 points ahead of Wayne Taylor Racing. The maximum points available on a race weekend is 35.
For the 10-hour finale, endurance ace Romain Dumas rejoins the team. CORE has finished no worse than fourth (Sebring) in endurance races this season.
The flowing and fast Road Atlanta track rewards both power and downforce. Last year an ORECA finished third at Petit Le Mans.
CORE has four podium finishes at Petit Le Mans including a Prototype Challenge class win in 2011.
Jon Bennett leads the Jim Trueman Award standings by 64 points.
The CORE shop in Rock Hill, South Carolina is less than 200 miles away from Road Atlanta.
CORE is a five-time IMSA Champion in the Prototype Challenge class (2011 – 2013 in ALMS, 2014 – 2015 in WeatherTech).
Romain Dumas’ last Petit Le Mans was 2013 with Muscle Milk.
Jon Bennett
Driver: No. 54 ORECA 07 LM P2
“Our ORECA 07 works best in high-speed corners and circuits that reward flow. Road Atlanta has many corners that play into the ORECA’s strengths. Turn One, the Esses and Turn Six come to mind.
“From the first sessions at Daytona, we have understood that we can control our process and execution but not the results. Nothing changes that at Petit LeMans. Win, lose or draw; we are prepared to execute at the highest levels.
“Our team has outperformed at every level this year. We have been fast. We have been smart. We have even been a bit lucky. I hope that when the checkered flag falls, all my teammates will hold their head high for a job well done regardless of the outcome.”
Colin Braun
Driver: No. 54 ORECA 07 LM P2
“Our group focuses on improvement and getting better every weekend. The fact that it’s the last race of the year and we’re in the battle for the Championship is great, but we’re going to approach Petit Le Mans no different than any other race this season. We’ve been in this situation before; championship battles coming down to the last race, so it’s business as usual. It’s convenient that we’re not under the pressure of a corporate sponsor or manufacturer. We’re just a small group of guys trying to win races and I think that gives us the strength of being able to make quick decisions and focus on the task at hand. It keeps us lean and mean so to speak.
“Being successful at Petit will be less about ultimate pace and more about having a clean race, being smart in traffic and being able to adjust your strategy as things change. It’s a long, tough race with a lot of traffic.”
Romain Dumas
Driver: No. 54 ORECA 07 LM P2
“Not just since Watkins Glen, but from the very beginning I’ve been very impressed by the team. CORE isn’t the biggest team, but they are very professional and work like they are a big team. The motivation of everyone is very high.
“Petit Le Mans will be a race of strategy, fueling saving, no mistakes and for sure performance. The most important part will be to stay on the lead lap. It’s a quick lap, so you can’t make any mistakes if you want to stay on the lead lap.
“I’m confident with the team because they make smart decisions, so hopefully we can do it one more time. We don’t feel any pressure. It’s the others who are feeling pressure. We’ll continue to enjoy ourselves, do our best and we’ll see how it is at the end.”
