Virginia USC: Giancarlo Fisichella snatches win for Risi Ferrari
Giancarlo Fisichella made a last-lap pass on Wolf Henzler to claim victory for himself and Risi Ferrari team-mate Pierre Kaffer in a thrilling all-GT United SportsCar encounter at Virginia
The Risi Competizione duo were able to work their way back into contention during a pair of caution periods at mid-distance after dropping down the order when poleman Kaffer ran off course on the opening lap.
That had handed the initiative to Dominik Farnbacher, who was able to stretch out a small advantage during the first stint that team-mate Marc Goossens maintained after taking over the SRT Viper in the first round of stops.
Two caution periods soon followed, the pack splitting into two as some chose to make a second stop during the latter. Goossens was the first of those to not stop, but this proved to be the wrong strategy as the Belgian lost ground making his second trip to the pits under green.
Fisichella, having earlier taken over from Kaffer, meanwhile jumped the Rahal Letterman BMWs of John Edwards and Bill Auberlen to lead the group of cars on the optimum strategy.
The ex-Formula 1 star made his final stop with 27 minutes to run, dropping behind the yet-to-pit Falken Porsche of Henzler and Bryan Sellers, but staying ahead of Edwards and Auberlen.
A third safety car - deployed in response to Michael Christensen's works Porsche stopping out on the circuit - then bunched the pack together, leaving a six minute sprint to the finish led by Henzler, who had saved sufficient fuel to not need to stop again.
Henzler was initially able to fend off a hard-charging Fisichella before capitulating on the very last lap, the Italian taking the chequered flag by less than half a second.
Edwards, sharing with Dirk Muller, finished third, just a further two tenths back, ahead of the sister car of Auberlen and Andy Priaulx.
The leading Viper of Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer was fifth, surviving a hairy moment when Bomarito launched himself into the air over a kerb, with Goossens completing the top six.
Corvette driver Antonio Garcia, sharing with Jordan Taylor in the absence of regular team-mate Jan Magnussen after the Dane suffered a heavy crash in practice, came home seventh having made the same pit strategy error as Goossens.
The sister car of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner finished four laps down after contact with the Porsche of Patrick Long gave both cars punctures and severe bodywork damage.
The other works Porsche shared by Christiansen and Nick Tandy had also endured an eventful afternoon, suffering from a jump-start penalty and an early off-track excursion before grinding to a halt with mechanical problems late on.
TURNER AND 8STAR WIN GTD AND PC
GTD class honours went to Turner Motorsport BMW duo Markus Palttala and Dane Cameron, who took the lead shortly after the second caution period and weren't headed thereafter.
The third safety car allowed the Ferrari of Alessandro Balzan and Jeff Westphal to close, but they missed out by a second in the final reckoning. The Porsche of Andrew Davis and Patrick Dempsey completed the class podium finishers.
A pair of PC races run earlier in the weekend were dominated by the 8Star Motorsports team, Sean Rayhall leading every lap of the first race and team-mate Luis Diaz doing likewise in the second.
The full USC field, including the usual headlining Prototype class that did participate at Virginia, will be reunited for the next round as part of the World Endurance Championship bill at Austin next month.
Leading finishers - 82 laps: Pos Cl Drivers Team/Car Time/Gap 1. GTLM Fisichella/Kaffer Risi Ferrari 2h45m33.754s 2. GTLM Henzler/Sellers Falken Porsche +0.492s 3. GTLM Edwards/Miller RLL BMW +0.764s 4. GTLM Auberlen/Priaulx RLL BMW +1.741s 5. GTLM Bomarito/Wittmer SRT Viper +2.595s 6. GTLM Farnbacher/Goossens SRT Viper +3.061s 7. GTLM Taylor/Garcia Corvette +4.966s 8. GTD Cameron/Palttala Turner BMW +16.736s 9. GTD Balzan/Westphal Corsa Ferrari +17.738s 10. GTD Dempsey/Davis Dempsey Porsche +18.384s
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