David Brabham scores a win at Road America

By Jonathan Ingram at RacinToday.com:

Elkhart Lake, Wis. – In a battle of two master craftsmen on one of America’s finest road racing circuits, David Brabham held off the challenge from Gil de Ferran for the last 14 laps to bring Highcroft Racing the victory by 0.461 seconds in the American Le Mans Series event at Road America .

The Acuras of Highcroft and de Ferran Motorsports were nose-to-tail as the green waved for a re-start with 29 minutes remaining in the two hour, 45-minute race.

Once again, a two-tire stop for Highcroft had brought Brabham the lead over the de Ferran entry. But unlike Lime Rock, where a puncture cost Brabham and co-driver Scott Sharp the victory, the Highcroft duo recorded the win and ended the four-race winning streak of de Ferran and Simon Pagenaud.

“You just have to drive the wheels off it,” said Brabham of the duel between the two ARX-02a entries. “We knew whoever got out of the pits first was going to win the race.”

The de Ferran team opted for four tires instead of two, a decision driver de Ferran thought would spell the difference. “I felt we were quicker than David,” he said. “But I had too much understeer behind him. I couldn’t quite get close enough to attempt a maneuver.”

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