Beyond the Flag
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IMSA: Taylor Brothers Dominate at Belle Isle

By Alex Herbst

Jan 31, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The Konica Minolta Corvette driven by Jordan Taylor, Rick Taylor, Max Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello (10) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; The Konica Minolta Corvette driven by Jordan Taylor, Rick Taylor, Max Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello (10) during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a sloppy race in 2015, the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship was clean and green for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic in Belle Isle.

Racing in the shadows of car giants Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship looked to put on a show for their biggest supporters in Detroit. With three classes in action on Saturday, there was action all over the track, culminating in a victory for the Taylor brothers, racing for their father’s prototype team.

The early favorites for the overall victory, the VisitFlorida Racing team and Action Express Racing team, would crash together early when Marc Goosens in the #90 Corvette lost his rear wing and crashed hard in the next corner, collecting the #31 of Dane Cameron. That would eliminate two of the strongest challengers for Ricky and Jordan Taylor, who stole the lead from Joao Barbosa on the start and never looked back.

Meanwhile, in the PC category, the points were tied between two of the team entering the weekend, but one of those teams would not be on the grid for the start. The #85 JDC-Miller Motorsports team needed to change their chassis after qualifying and ran out of time before the field went to green. Once the race was underway, it looked as if the CORE Autosport team was set to eliminate their bad luck from the start of the season, only to spin with just a few laps left, handing the victory to the #8 of Starworks Motorsport.

Finally, in the GT Daytona class, Detroit muscle would shine through on Saturday, as the Dodge Viper team of Ben Keating and Jeroen Bleekemolen would be victorious in their manufacturer’s backyard. In fact, all three winners in Belle Isle race with manufacturers based nearby in Detroit.

Here are the full results for IMSA at Belle Isle (class winners in bold):

  1. Jordan Taylor, Chevrolet, Prototype
  2. Joao Barbosa, Chevrolet, Prototype
  3. Renger Van Der Zande, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge
  4. Colin Braun, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge
  5. Tom Kimber Smith, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge
  6. Kyle Marcelli, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge
  7. Jonathan Bomarito, Mazda, Prototype
  8. Johnny Mowlem, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge
  9. Joel Miller, Mazda, Prototype
  10. Jeroen Bleekemolen, Dodge, GT Daytona
  11. Jorg Bergmeister, Porsche, GT Daytona
  12. Alessandro Balzan, Ferrari, GT Daytona
  13. Alex Riberas, Porsche, GT Daytona
  14. Andrew Davis, Audi, GT Daytona
  15. Corey Lewis, Lamborghini, GT Daytona
  16. Leh Keen, Porsche, GT Daytona
  17. Madison Snow, Lamborghini, GT Daytona
  18. Jens Klingmann, BMW, GT Daytona
  19. Andy Lally, Audi, GT Daytona
  20. Marcus Palttala, BMW, GT Daytona
  21. Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, Lamborghini, GT Daytona
  22. Oswaldo Negri Jr., Honda, Prototype
  23. Dane Cameron, Chevrolet, Prototype
  24. Matt Bell, Audi, GT Daytona
  25. Misa Goikhberg, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge
  26. Marc Goosens, Chevrolet, Prototype
  27. Ashley Freiberg, Chevrolet, Prototype Challenge

More from Beyond the Flag

The next race for the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship will come on Independence Day weekend, with the Sahlen’s Six Hours of Watkins Glen. Of course, the eyes of the sports car world will shift to Le Mans, France in the coming weeks for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where many of these drivers will compete. Coverage can be seen for both of these races on the Fox Sports networks.

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