At the track known as America’s National Park of Speed, Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande would love nothing more than to set up camp in victory lane Sunday by scoring the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team’s first-ever IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn Road America circuit.
The team has certainly come close to capturing the IMSA Road Race Showcase each of the past two seasons.
Last year, Taylor found himself in the lead during the closing laps after some creative fuel strategy by technical director Brian Pillar and assistant engineer Adam Banet. But the strategy was dependent upon a late caution flag that ultimately never came. So, after leading eight laps, Taylor had no choice but to pit with five minutes remaining for fuel enough to get him to the finish.
It was a gut-wrenching fourth-place finish for the team that stormed to the 2017 championship at the hands of Taylor and his older brother Ricky, who has since departed for the two-car Team Penske DPi-class effort. And the 2017 race at Road America was gut-wrenching in its own way for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team. Ricky Taylor qualified on the pole in track-record time, and Taylor brothers led the opening 51 laps of the 71-lap race – quite comfortably. But a flurry of cautions during the closing laps of the race bunched up the field and enabled the No. 22 Tequila Patron Nissan of Johannes van Overbeek to slip past for the victory. That second-place finish was relatively easier to swallow for the team, however, as it opened up what turned out to be an insurmountable 26-point lead in the championship for the Taylor brothers.
This year, Taylor, van der Zande and the team arrive at scenic Road America tied for fourth in the championship a seemingly mountainous 19 points behind to the front-running No. 6 Team Penske entry of Juan Montoya and Dane Cameron. With just three races remaining, it will take a flawless sprint to the finish for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team, something it has proven to be more than capable of throughout its history, to be in position for its second championship in three years. With so much ground to make up, it will take the kind of creativity that nearly led to a victory last year at Road America, as well as some breaks along the way.
But, like any mountain climber will say, every climb begins with that first step, and for the No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R team, that first step comes Sunday in America’s Dairyland.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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