The #6 Muscle Milk HPD-ARX 03a - in a class of it's own. ©ALMS.com

The HPD-ARX 03a of Muscle Milk Pickett Racing claimed the American Le Mans Series Monterey by Patron in a race which offered little resistance. A greater surprise was the second and third places, filled by the #95 HPD-ARX 03b of Level 5 Motorsport and #37 Morgan-Nissan of Conquest respectively.

It was action right from the restart when the #4 Corvette put a move up the inside of the Falken Tyres Porsche with Wolf Henzler at the wheel. The GT battle kept on giving, right up to the last corner. Meanwhile in Prototypes it was a case of will anyone win P2?

Both teams tried their hardest not to. The #95 was given a stop and go for blocking on the restart with fifty-five minutes left on the clock. Inside 40 minutes, a final stop for the #95 confused until it became apparent that the #37 still had to do a driver change.

That driver change put the #95 back into the lead, which was assured when Hansson was back on pit road just a lap after taking over the #37 Conquest machine. An electrical gremlin hobbled a fantastic result for the Morgan-Nissan but attrition in the class gave the car enough of a margin to hold onto third place.

Just over half an hour from the end, the sixth full course caution was called thanks to the Dempsey Racing P2 car. Johnny Cocker lost the car when the right rear suspension collapsed which put it off at turn 10.

A final sixteen minute dash for the line was the result. When the race went green, the battle took on a new ferocity. The #18 Performance Tech Motorsports PC car fell almost at the final hurdle, ending the race in the tyres to drivers left, on the run between turns five and six. The fight for PC was getting even closer a minute later as the #05 Core Autosport car dove round the outside at turn 10 and the #9 RSR machine took the inside line. Stuck in the middle, trying to be small and cute was a GTC Porsche.

Next up, in a final few minutes which took away the breath of most who watched it was the battle for the PC classes final step. The #8 was knocked off at turn 3 by a charging Tom Kimber-Smith in the #06 Core car, giving the team a double podium to celebrate.

As Klaus Graf took the chequred flag, the #06 Core machine was right on the tail of the #9 car in second. Despite a slide for the red Oreca FLM, the ELMS refugee could not get into position after the final corner and RSR kept it's grip on the middle step of the podium.

In GT it was just as close with Jan Magnussen and Bill Auberlen battling through the final corners of the race. Once again, track position into 11 proved to be the best way to win, Corvette Racing could cheer on a 1-2 in the Production class.

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