The third annual HSR Watkins Glen Basic 6 Hour introduced by Mission Meals raced by means of the midway mark and into the early night Friday at Watkins Glen Worldwide the place a mixture of potential first-time and repeat race winners emerged to guide their respective Run Teams.
The Watkins Glen Basic 6 Hour units the stage for the annual Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen IMSA race subsequent weekend and is Spherical 2 of the inaugural season of the HSR Basic Endurance Championship introduced by Mission Meals. The primary main endurance race championship within the U.S. for classic and historic sports activities vehicles, the HSR Basic Endurance Championship introduced by Mission Meals encompasses a year-long schedule of 4 “tribute occasions” celebrating the largest and longest-running sports activities automobile endurance races in america.
Friday featured a symbolic six hours of racing with every of the race’s featured Run Teams – A, B and C – taking to the three.377-mile Grand Prix circuit three completely different occasions all through the day. One ultimate spherical for every Run Group Saturday afternoon will decide this yr’s HSR Basic 6 Hour winners.
Greater than acceptable the week earlier than the Sahlen’s Six Hour IMSA race – and on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans – a pair of Cadillac DPi groups and an identical modern-era Acura ARX-05 DPi entry have stepped as much as steal the highlight within the ultra-competitive Run Group C division.
Defending Basic 6 Hour Run Group C race winners Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss returned to The Glen of their Matador Motorsports 2017 No. 02 Cadillac DPi in a renewed rivalry with their mates and fellow rivals Bob Neapole and Man Cosmo within the RBN Motorsports with Cosmo-Sport 2020 No. 60 Acura ARX-05 ready by Hudson Historics
Each groups are former Mission Meals HSR Basic race winners, however one other entry from Europe that has additionally seen profitable success in HSR’s endurance tribute races has spoiled the occasion thus far at The Glen.
Whereas Neapole and Cosmo received Friday afternoon’s opening phase within the Acura ARX, Iconic Racing and workforce co-drivers Gérard Lopez and former skilled sports activities automobile racing World Endurance Champion Marcel Fässler took management of the race with victories within the second and third segments. Lopez and Fassler – a three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner with the powerhouse Audi LMP1 workforce – co-drive an ex-JDC Motorsports 2019 No. 5 Cadillac DPi much like the Matador machine. They first received collectively within the automobile on the 2023 HSR Daytona Basic 24 Hour introduced by Mission Meals.
Lopez and Fässler convey a snug lead into Saturday’s ultimate spherical. In the event that they maintain on for the victory, it is going to be the primary HSR Basic win for each drivers in an occasion apart from the HSR Basic 24. Lopez has 4 profession HSR Basic 24 wins at Daytona whereas Fassler is a three-time HSR endurance race winner on the “World Heart of Racing.”
Run Teams A and B take to The Glen circuit on the similar time and a pair of stable race-leading rivals has moved to the forefront in each divisions.
Dan Ammann and his coach and professional co-driver Owen Trinkler have taken the Run Group B and mixed total victories in all three Friday segments within the Classic Racing Co. No. 91 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Retaining the Group B lead by means of tomorrow’s ultimate spherical will ship first-time HSR Basic victories for each Classic Racing and workforce drivers Ammann and Trinkler.
David Agretelis had been attempting for an HSR Basic victory for eight years earlier than profitable in Run Group A in March within the season-opening HSR Sebring Basic 12 Hour introduced by Mission. Now he’s getting ready to a second-straight HSR Basic win simply over 80 days since his breakout Sebring victory.
Much like Ammann and Trinkler in Run Group B, Agretelis has swept all three opening rounds in Run Group A to carry the in a single day lead into Saturday’s ultimate spherical in his 901 Store 1972 No. 66 Porsche 911 S/T.
For extra info on the HSR Watkins Glen Basic 6 Hour introduced by Mission Meals, together with the occasion schedule, present entry checklist, Run Group and HSR Class construction and extra, please go to the Official Occasion web page at www.HSRRace.com.
