Willy T did it again

It was the first race in five years, and the track owned by Bill Scott had now somewhat improved. The GT event looked exciting, with Ford, Toyota and Chevrolet having a chance at winning the odds. The weather would play a part in the race, though. Even in july, the track would get as slippery as ever. The track, which was regularly used by government agencies, became slippery because of the dirt spilled by drivers. With a two lap qualifying session used to set up a Time for the grid, you had to be fast right off the bat. Willy T Ribbs and Chris Cord were ready to run and would settle for a one-two for Toyota. It was obviously the team to beat for 1987. Jack Baldwin was next in his Peerless Chevrolet Camaro. Greg Pickett was fourth in his Protofab Chevrolet Corvette, while Tom Gloy was the fastest Ford proponant. Bob Earl would settle for sixth in his Dingman Bros Pontiac Fiero. The next starters were Roger Mandeville, Tommy Riggins, Bruce Jenner, Walt Bohren and Lyn St. James. The race showed some promises, with Willy T Ribbs jumping into the lead, followed by Jack Baldwin and Tom Gloy early on. The there of them moving ahead of the pack. The trio would build up an 18s over Chris Cord after 10 laps. Things would change dramatically, however, on the 16th lap, when Jack Baldwin would be hit with Mark Altman's Porsche 914/6, which collided with Amos Johnson's Mazda RX7. The former was litterally propelled into the Chevrolet Camaro, which ended up ifs race on the roof. Jack Baldwin was unhurt, but had trouble recovering. Tom Gloy would smash his Ford Mustang's front end. A full yellow was set, and Willy T Ribbs still led, followed by Greg Pickett, Chris Cord, Walt Bohren, Bob Earl and Bruce Jenner. The procession would last until lap 56, then rain came, and things would become exciting. Greg Pickett would hit Willy T at Wagon Bend and sent him off. He would spin at turn four, and Willy T was back in the lead! A short span of time before switching for rain tires saw Walt Bohren spin as well as Bob Earl. The Pontiac Fiero would eventually experience ignition taulier and retire as well. When everyone was on rain tires, it was still Willy T on top, followed by Greg Pickett and Chris Cord. Walt Bohren was fourth, nearly one lap down. But the Skoal Bandit Chevrolet Camaro was gaining on the Toyota, and Walt Bohren overtook Chris Cord on lap 73. Rain would become lighter and the drivers faced some kind of dilemma, having to make a crucial choice of switching to dry tires, or not. Willy T Ribbs would take the right decision, and pitting four laps earlier than Greg Pickett. He would gain six seconds per lap before the Chevrolet Corvette was in the pits. When Greg Pickett left pit row, he was 26s behind. The task seemed out of reach with eight laps remaining, but Willy T Ribbs nearly lost the race when he was hit by a backmarker! He spun but kept his self control, and he took a deserved victory. Greg Pickett would cling to his second place, while Chris Cord would pass Walt Bohren who didn't feel like running on dry tires. He surely had some regrets when the chequered fell. The GTU race within the race was also exciting, with Bob Leitzinger dominating the class. Amos Johnson was just behind him, ready to pounce. The two drivers remained together, but Amos Johnson was hit by Mark Altman and lost his front fender. Bob Leitzinger remained in the lead until lap 40, then his engine failed. Amos Johnson would then grab the lead and neveu relinquish it. Tom Kendall was hampered by ignition problems, so he was not in contention for the lead. That left brother Bart fighting with Rick Haynes for second place. It was the Nissan 280ZX which finally emerged as second when Bart Kendall had to pit to check for a wheel nut. A fine result for Rick Haynes in just his second IMSA start!