Robertson Racing Shunted Out Of Mosport

Round eight of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron – the Grand Prix of Mosport – came to a premature end for Robertson Racing on Sunday after a GT class rival caused substantial damage to the team’s Ford GT.

The penultimate race of the season also witnessed the Atlanta-based outfit’s first retirement in 19 starts, an incredible statistic that had looked set to continue before the accident involving Dirk Müller’s Rahal Letterman Racing BMW M3 48 laps in.

Moments after replacing co-driver David Murry at the team’s first scheduled pit stop, Andrea Robertson was beginning to set competitive times when an over-ambitious move from Müller sent his BMW into the Ford’s left rear, then down its side and finally over the bonnet. The heavy impact was sufficient to break its rear suspension beyond repair, as well as causing significant damage elsewhere.

Earlier, Murry had shown impressive pace to climb from eighth to sixth during his stint, which included an excellent scrap with the works Corvette.

And up until the accident at least, Team Manager Andrew ‘H’ Smith had been pleased with the car’s speed. 

“We didn’t have the best qualifying but the pre-race test proved that we’ve found a couple of seconds from last year. That was certainly evident before the crash when David drove very well. It was great to see the Ford fighting with a factory Corvette on equal terms.

“But obviously the whole team is disappointed with how it ended. It looks like he’s gone for a gap that wasn’t there. We’ve checked the replays and spoken with Andrea and it’s clear that there was no space to pass. The impact ripped the studs out of the chassis, which is what ended our involvement on the day, although at least it can be repaired when we get back to the ‘shop. There’s a lot of damage though which means we need to build two cars instead of one ahead of Petit.”

Robertson Racing returns to action at Road Atlanta for the team’s home race and championship’s ten-hour season finale on September 29 – October 2 when a second Ford GT, currently under construction, will be campaigned for the first time.

You can also check our extensive Photo Coverage of the American Le Mans Series at Mosport by clicking HERE 

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