Date: Aug. 7, 2016
Event: Continental Tire Road Race Showcase (Round 8 of 10)
Series: Prototype division of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Location: Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin (4-mile, 14-turn road course)
Start/Finish: 3rd/3rd (Running, completed 73 of 73 laps)
Winner: Dane Cameron and Eric Curran of Action Express Racing (Corvette DP)
Point Standing: 3rd (242 points, 11 out of first)
 
With just two stops remaining in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the season has come down to a three-horse race with the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP for Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) driver duo of brothers Ricky and Jordan Taylor doing their best to keep pace in their quest for the team’s first title since 2013.
 
The Taylor brothers were looking to gain ground in the championship during Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin against the Nos. 5 and 31 Action Express Racing Corvette DPs, which are the only teams ahead of them in the standings. There were times Sunday when it looked like a possibility but, when the checkered flag flew, they crossed the finish line behind the race-winning No. 31 duo of Eric Curran and Dane Cameron and the runner-up No. 5 duo of Christian Fittipaldi and Joao Barbosa. It was the same order of finish as the previous round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario and it left the No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP 11 points out of the lead and 10 points out of second.
 
On the plus side, it was WTR’s first podium at the iconic 4-mile, 14-turn road circuit since its first visit there in 2011, and the team’s second in a row and fifth in eight races this season.
 
From his No. 3 qualifying position, Ricky Taylor held his position from the green flag of today’s race before handing the Konica Minolta Corvette DP over to his brother during a round of green-flag pit stops 45 minutes in.
 
“We were very concerned initially about tire wear, so I spent the first half of my stint saving tires,” Taylor said. “Then I felt like it left me a really good car for the second half of my stint. And I think that is where I thought we were really strong. I thought we would have a really good shot at winning the race relying on older tires if there was going to be a lot of green-flag racing. I guess that didn’t turn out to be the case by the time all was said and done. But we gave it everything we could and it was good to get back on the podium here at Road America.”
 
Jordan Taylor resumed in fourth place after taking over from his brother and held his position for 25 minutes when, with all but one of the other leaders, he pitted under caution to top off the fuel tank. He resumed in second place behind the polesitting No. 55 Mazda of Jonathan Bomarito and Tristan Nunez after the team opted to not change tires until the final scheduled stop later in the race. The Mazda was the only car among the leaders that did not pit during the caution period and continued out of sequence.
Taylor chased Nunez in the Mazda for the next 17 minutes until the Mazda finally pitted for tires and fuel, handing the lead over to the Konica Minolta Corvette DP for the next four laps.
 
When Taylor got balked by a slower, GT-class Viper, Cameron in the No. 31 Corvette was able to get by for the lead. Two laps later, Barbosa was able to get by Taylor for second place in the No. 5 Corvette.
 
After the final round of schedule stops with 48 minutes remaining, Taylor resumed behind the Action Express Corvettes and the three cars held their respective positions all the way to the checkered flag, including after a restart with two laps remaining.
 
“Obviously, another third-place finish to those two cars at this point in the championship is frustrating,” Taylor said. “I felt like we had a pretty good race. My middle stint wasn’t the greatest and that’s when we lost two spots. But the car was pretty good mid-run to the end on a new set of tires. I thought, maybe on that last restart, if we were close enough, we could have done something. But we were a little bit too far behind and it turned out to be not the greatest day.”
 
With its second win in a row, the No. 31 Corvette team pulled to within one point of the championship-leading No. 5 Corvette team.
 
“Well, another podium finish for us,” said team owner Wayne Taylor. “It’s the wrong end of the podium for me, but it’s a podium, nonetheless. We just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing to the end of this championship chase. We have two really good racetracks for us left on the schedule and we just need to go out and find a way to get it done. As always, thanks to the team, our drivers, Konica Minolta and Chevrolet for hanging in there with us. Only two more races to go and we’ll be racing a new car. We’re going to see if we can go and win these last two races. That’s really all there is to say at this point.”
 
The 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumes Saturday, Sept. 17 with the Lone Star Le Mans, the season’s penultimate round at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The two-hour, 40-minute race will be broadcast live by FS1 beginning at 12:30 p.m. EDT.