Mid-Ohio: Porsche race report

HENZLER GOES FLAG-TO-FLAG AS THE FARNBACHER-LOLES PORSCHE GT3 CUP CAR DEFEATS CADILLACS, CORVETTES TO WIN SCCA SPEED WORLD CHALLENGE GT RACE AT MID-OHIO

--Wolf Henzler, from Nurtingen, Germany, started his Applied Materials Farnbacher-Loles Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car from the pole and held the rest of the field at bay to win his first SCCA SPEED World Challenge of the season after starting three of the four races on the pole--

LEXINGTON, Ohio - May 21 - In the SCCA Speed World Challenge GT race at Mid- Ohio Sports Car Course, Wolf Henzler, from Nurtingen, Germany, put his Applied Materials/Farnbacher-Loles Porsche 911 Cup racer on the pole, got a good jump on the field at the standing start, and led the entire 50-minute event to score his first win of the season.

Henzler, who won the two World Challenge races he competed in last year (Infineon Raceway and Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway), had started three events from the pole this year, but had not broken into the win column until today.

"Farnbacher-Loles Racing re-painted our car blue to accommodate our sponsor, Applied Materials, and maybe it gave us good luck. We were in the position for a podium finish in Atlanta when a lapped car pushed us off the track, so we really need this win to get back in the points battle," he said.

Veteran Cadillac driver John Heinricy started the race second on the grid, and pressured Henzler for all 29 laps, but could not catch the defending Porsche Michelin Supercup titleholder. Max Papis, also in a Cadillac, finished third. Robin Liddell, from Edinburgh, Scotland, qualified eighth in his AXA Financial Jon Groom Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, and was running as high as fifth when a Corvette he had just passed pushed him off the track - the second time in two events this has happened to Robin. Unlike Atlanta, however, where he was a DNF, Liddell was able to pit during a yellow so the crew could bent bodywork that was rubbing a tire, and Robin came back to finish 13th. His car owner and teammate Jon Groom was 15th in his Porsche.

The SPEED World Challenge from Mid-Ohio will be televised in its entirety on Saturday, May 28 on The Speed Channel at 4:00 PM EDT.

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