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\u00a0<\/p>\nRound eight of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron \u2013 the Grand Prix of Mosport \u2013 came to a premature end for Robertson Racing on Sunday after a GT class rival caused substantial damage to the team\u2019s Ford GT.<\/p>\n
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The penultimate race of the season also witnessed the Atlanta-based outfit\u2019s first retirement in 19 starts, an incredible statistic that had looked set to continue before the accident involving Dirk M\u00fcller\u2019s Rahal Letterman Racing BMW M3 48 laps in.<\/p>\n
Moments after replacing co-driver David Murry at the team\u2019s first scheduled pit stop, Andrea Robertson was beginning to set competitive times when an over-ambitious move from M\u00fcller sent his BMW into the Ford\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Murry had shown impressive pace to climb from eighth to sixth during his stint, which included an excellent scrap with the works Corvette.<\/p>\n
And up until the accident at least, Team Manager Andrew \u2018H\u2019 Smith had been pleased with the car\u2019s speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t have the best qualifying but the pre-race test proved that we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut obviously the whole team is disappointed with how it ended. It looks like he\u2019s gone for a gap that wasn\u2019t there. We\u2019ve checked the replays and spoken with Andrea and it\u2019s 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 \u2018shop. There\u2019s a lot of damage though which means we need to build two cars instead of one ahead of Petit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robertson Racing returns to action at Road Atlanta for the team\u2019s home race and championship\u2019s ten-hour season finale on September 29 \u2013 October 2 when a second Ford GT, currently under construction, will be campaigned for the first time.<\/p>\n