Franchitti leads Scots 1-2 at Sebring 16 | 03 | 2014
BATHGATE'S MARINO FRANCHITTI led home a Scottish 1-2 in America's oldest sportscar endurance race, the 62nd running of the Sebring 12-hours. Franchitti (pictured left) produced a mesmerising final stint to hold-off fast-charging Ryan Dalziel from Airdrie to win by just 4.682secs.
The two Scots, close friends, battled it out at the head of the 63-car field which fought out the second round of the United Sportscar Championship on the bumpy 3.7-mile circuit in Florida.
Franchitti, partnered by American Scott Pruett and Mexican Memo Rojas in the No 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-Ford EcoBoost DP, looked out of it when he spun with less than two hours remaining.
But the team's decision to make an early pitstop, just before the safety car came out for one final time, proved inspired and gave Franchitti track position for what turned out to be a 20-minute run to the flag.
The Scot, brother of IndyCar ace Dario Franchitti, then produced a series of stunningly quick, but controlled white knuckle laps.
Related: "I've no regrets" — Dario Franchitti
Franchitti — who also won the P2 class last year at Sebring with Level 5 Motorsports — used the three cars lined up between him and the chasing Dalziel to open up a six-second lead over the first two green-flag laps.
"That was a hell of a last 20 minutes," 35-year-old Franchitti beamed afterwards. "We knew the car would be good in the dark. I just had a nice clean track in front of me."
"But when I was backwards at the hairpin earlier in the stint, I didn't think it was going to happen. To be honest the car was a real handful.
“We were lucky the way the traffic went on the restart. We found a sweet-spot at the end.
"It’s pretty big to bring Ford back to victory lane, and to win overall is pretty special. This is certainly the biggest day in my career.”
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Florida-based Dalziel — the former FIA World Sportscar champ, and partnered by American Scott Sharp and Aussie David Brabham — led the race at halfway.
Piloting his Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX LMP2, Dalziel was left frustrated by the traffic between him and Franchitti at the restart.
"That's, ultimately, what cost us the race," he admitted afterwards, "but that's racing. On the final restart, I just had too much traffic to get passed before I could get to Marino.
"I’m sure at some point we could have reeled him in: we were chipping away at it. I think we were the better car, but that’s the way it goes.
"And Marino's car was fast, plus he was doing a great job. I guess if I couldn't win the race, then the next guy I'd rather have on the top step of the podium would be Marino."
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Jim McGill