Third Place Finish at Performance Tech Motorsports After Wild Last 35 Minutes

Performance Tech Motorsports finished third place in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen after a race filled with adversity.

The 2022 running of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen was a messy one, filled with collisions, bad weather and poor luck. The six hour event was plagued by attrition, of the first 90 minutes 47 were spent under full course caution, with additional caution periods to follow throughout the race.

Team Principal Brent O’Neill is happy with the success the team found in the face of adversity.

“Well, Watkins Glen always likes to throw a curve ball, and this year was no exception,” O’Neill said. “We had a stellar lineup and a good car going into the race so we were able to lead a good portion at the start. Around halfway a few issues with the car popped up that the drivers had to manage which really affected our pace. They did an incredible job keeping the car clean and bringing it home which is the biggest contributor to us finishing third.”

Driver Dan Goldburg took the green flag from fourth place, a comfortable starting position amidst such a large field. His one hour and 45-minute stint saw four full course caution periods; he kept his nose clean and avoided attrition. Goldburg pitted the No. 38 from the lead, for the third race in a row, handing the reins over to teammate Cameron Shields.

As the field entered the middle portion of the event Shields began to face his own share of problems on track. First, a competitor ran into the right-rear of the No. 38, breaking its cheese wedge (a carbon piece used to regulate aerodynamics) causing a large vibration. Shields also faced a decrease in power that would go undiagnosed until co-driver Rasmus Lindh’s stint.

With two hours and 48 minutes remaining Lindh buckled in for what promised to be a hot and battle-filled run. While the initial diagnosis of the No. 38 was positive, it soon became clear Lindh was down on power, related to high engine temperatures. Lindh did a stellar job of managing this issue while gaining on the cars ahead until his charge was further thwarted by a red flag for lightning in the vicinity.

With one hour and 25 minutes remaining the red flag was displayed, with the No. 38 in fourth place. After an extended red flag the clock was reset to 35-minutes remaining which lead to a wild sprint to the finish. Lindh pushed the No. 38 to its limits, ultimately allowing the team to leave the weekend with its second endurance podium of the year.  

Next up for the No. 38 Cardio Access Ligier JSP320 is the IMSA Sportscar Weekend at Road America, August 4-7. The No. 38 and the No. 6 Ligier JSP320 will forgo the upcoming rounds at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park shifting the focus to testing for the end of the season instead. For more information on the upcoming races visit https://www.imsa.com/weathertech/weathertech-2022-schedule/.

QUOTE BOARD

Dan Goldburg, Driver of the No. 38 Cardio Access Ligier JSP320

“That was a hard fought day,” Goldburg said. “I’m really happy to come home with third. We came to this event at a disadvantage because we were not able to test ahead of the weekend and most of our competitors did. So we were very busy during practice and I give big credit to our engineer Nathan collaborating with Rasmus for making quick changes to get the car to a good spot. I went into qualifying with two 15 minute practices, so in qualifying I had lots of good sectors but only put together a lap good enough for fourth place. After the last few races, though, I was confident I could do well on my race pace.”

“I rolled off in fourth and really felt good from the start. I got to the lead by about the one hour mark and felt confident I could hold it until my stint was up. A lot of my stint was yellow, I wish there was more green because on the restarts I was gapping the field. I brought the car into the pits in first place with no marks on the car and my job for the day was done. Then the roller coaster began, down on power due to heat, getting hit by two different cars, rain, thinking we were fourth and then getting called to the podium; It was an interesting evening. I’m very happy to come home with third and I should have moved up the points standing by a bit too.”

Cameron Shield, Driver of the No. 38 Cardio Access Ligier JSP320

“This was a very exciting weekend at Watkins Glen just like at Sebring,” Shields said. “There was a lot of anticipation building up to this weekend. It was my first time here. It was a lot of fun learning the track during practice, it’s certainly one of the best tracks in the US. I enjoyed my entire time and to be on the podium at the end is a great reward. About halfway through the race we had some overheating issues with the engine which was causing a bit of a setback but once the weather cooled we were fine. We had that restart at the end and Rasmus did a great job driving through the pack and putting us on the podium.”

Rasmus Lindh, Driver of the No. 38 Cardio Access Ligier JSP320

“Not too bad of a race for us,” Lindh said. “It was really hard coming into the weekend without testing especially because the rest of the teams did. Anyway, it was great for the team to get on the podium. It was a long stint for me, nearly three hours. We were seventh when we got in the car and finished third so I’m feeling really great. Dan did a really great job bringing it in from the lead. I want to thank the whole team for all of the work this weekend, now onto the next one!”