Doran 370Z NISMO takes second at Watkins Glen Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Race

WATKINS GLEN, New York — Cincinnati-based Doran Racing continued its string of solid finishes with its best result of the season ­– a second place finish at the Continental Tire 150 at The Glen at the storied Watkins Glen International circuit in upstate New York. The Doran No. 14 car now has four top 10 finishes and two podiums in the first six rounds of the 2014 CTSC championship season.

As great as the podium finish was, it could have been better. Driver BJ Zacharias had a run on the race leading Z28 Camaro going into the final turn, when the car’s fading grip caused the driver to slide. A lapped slower car blocked Zacharias’ other route to the win, so the No. 14 370Z NISMO crossed the line just 0.169 second back in second place.

“It really came down to the last 45 minutes of the race,” said series veteran Zacharias. “Brad (Jaeger) left me with a great handling car in a good position, and Kevin Doran made a great call to only change left side tires and give us a chance to win it.”

The 3.4-mile Watkins Glen road course is fast, which took a toll on the tires and fuel consumption of the heavier, V8-powered Grand Sport (GS) class competition.

Zacharias was happy with the results: “The team fired on all cylinders today and the guys really nailed the pit stops. I’m really proud of the entire team and their efforts today.”

Tim Bell Racing took a hard-fought eighth place finish in their No. 28 car after a challenging qualifying session left them at the back of the GS field for the start. Bell worked the car up through the field. Then he turned it over to co-driver Dane Cameron who turned some of the fastest laps of the race late in the 150-minute contest.

Things started badly for Doran’s No. 41 sister car. John Farano was starting the car, which had been fast all week at Watkins Glen, when a Mustang jumped the flag and created a massive pile up. The melee collected the No. 41 and badly damaged it along with several other cars.

The GT Academy team of Steve Doherty and Brian Heitkotter had to start their Altima at the back of the field after qualifying seventh in the Street Tuner (ST) class.

Improper brake ducting cost them 27 positions at the start. Doherty started the Altima well, getting as high as 15^th position before the driver change. Heitkotter brought the car home 22^nd, as the car had to be driven in fuel saving mode to finish the race.

The race will be broadcast on Sunday July 6 at 10:00 a.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.  Now the CTSCC series moves to Mosport, Ontario Canada July 9-10. For more information about the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, visit www.imsa.com.

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