4 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Dan Harper admits his disappointment as drive-through penalty dents Detroit Grand Prix challenge
The reprimand in the closing stages of the series' Fourth Round – the Detroit Grand Prix – meant Harper and his Paul Miller Racing team-mate Max Hesse crossed the line seventh.
It was meted out by stewards after Hesse was deemed to have made contact with one of the Fords as he attempted to find a way past, with the penalty costing them valuable time.
Despite struggling to get their BMW M4 GT3 in the right operating window on the low-grip, street-based circuit, they still managed to bag a second-row start for the 100-minute race.
That laid the foundations for a potential high points haul and even a silverware challenge – and Harper started in positive fashion as he moved ahead of the sister Paul Miller Racing car when the lights went out.
He maintained the position throughout his stint before he handed the reins to Hesse, who kept up his push for a spot in the winners' enclosure.
However, the coming-together with the Ford saw both drivers' good work come to nought and leave them provisionally sixth in the standings on 1128 points after four rounds – 170 in arrears of AO Racing Porche duo Klaus Bachler and Laurin Heinrich who lead the table.
'It was a disappointing race to end a tricky few days in Detroit,' reflected the Hillsborough man.
'We struggled through free practice on Friday as we tried to get the car in the right window on the low-grip circuit and could not quite match the pace of our GTD Pro rivals.
'Qualifying in fourth was better than we expected, we were happy with that, and the race started well, getting into the top three, but unfortunately, it slowly unravelled from there.
'Quicker cars were able to jump ahead on pit stop strategy, and then a small mistake from Max led to contact and a penalty. We salvaged some points with seventh, though, and we will push for more next time out,' added Harper, who is next in action across the Atlantic later in June at the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International circuit in the state of New York.
In their own backyard, Ford was handed a popular GTD Pro triumph thanks to the No.46 crew of Seb Priaulx and Mike Rockenfeller.
They steered their Multimatic Motorsports-run Mustang GT3 to a 1.623-second win from the No.3 Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R co-driven by Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims.
Pfaff Motorsports' Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 was the last of the podium finishers.
