Drivers Dr. Jim Norman and Spencer Pumpelly know they have a fight on their hands at this weekend’s Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan.

After Norman won the first three GX races of the season, he and the no. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman finished third behind a pair of Mazda 6 SKYACTIV diesels at April’s Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta. While the weekend was made more dramatic by a rollover that Norman had when he slid sideways into the gravel at turn one during practice, the Cayman — with David Donohue partnering Norman — showed no ill effects and still contended for the win before finishing third.

With this weekend’s race set on the temporary Belle Isle circuit, the team is banking on the superior handling of their Porsche Cayman to get them back to the top of the podium.

“We knew the Mazdas were getting better and better each race, and as we saw in Atlanta they have found both speed and reliability,” said Norman. “You can’t win every race and David was charging at the end but with how the yellows worked out, we just ran out of time. But one thing our Cayman does have is incredible handling, and on the Belle Isle street circuit the combination of the BGB Cayman and Spencer Pumpelly will be hard to beat on Saturday. The Belle Isle circuit is very challenging and I really enjoy driving it. It should be a lot of fun in the Cayman!”

Pumpelly, who missed the previous GRAND-AM round at Road Atlanta because of a conflict with the American Le Mans Series, is looking forward to rejoining Norman at this weekend’s race at Belle Isle. Pumpelly has partnered with Norman in his GX class victories at the Circuit of the Americas and Barber Motorsports Park. The BGB Motorsports team has continued to develop the Cayman during the break since Road Atlanta to maintain the lead they enjoy in the Driver and Team Championships.

“I’m excited to get back in the BGB Cayman with Dr. Jim this weekend,” said Pumpelly. “I really missed getting to drive the Cayman on my home track at Road Atlanta, but it’s exciting to get back behind the wheel at Belle Isle. We will have our work cut out for us with the Mazdas, as they showed in Atlanta have really hit their stride, but the BGB Motorsports guys are up for the fight. I’m looking forward to the challenge and, of course, our goal is to keep Dr. Jim and BGB in the championship lead and the best way to do that is to win on Saturday.”

BGB Motorsports team owner John Tecce is also prepared for the challenge of competing against the Mazda 6 SKYACTIV diesels, which are particularly suited to a track such as the temporary circuit on Belle Isle. After four races, Norman leads the GX class Driver’s Championship while BGB Motorsports leads the GX Team Championship.

“The beginning of the year was about winning as many races as possible to score as many points as possible,” said Tecce. “Now we are racing against a purpose-built race car that is much lighter, has an advantage over us in every way, and has found reliability. So we have had to go home and literally throw everything BUT the kitchen sink at the Cayman. A lot of time has gone into the Cayman’s development and more will come between Detroit and Ohio. I had predicted that Barber, Atlanta, and Detroit’s need for torque would make them our three worst venues relative to the diesels. We are trying to steal one here before we get to tracks that are better suited to the Cayman.”

The Chevrolet GRAND-AM 200 will be shown live on SPEED Channel on Saturday, June 1 at 5:00 PM ET.

Source: BGB Motorsports

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