Grahovec/Mason Pair Comes Back from Mid-Race Incident To Record 15th in Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW M4 at Mid-Ohio

Grahovec/Mason Pair Comes Back from Mid-Race Incident To Record 15th in Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW M4 at Mid-Ohio

Topics: Mid-Ohio 120, Toby Grahovec, Ray Mason

Grahovec/Mason Pair Comes Back from Mid-Race Incident To Record 15th in Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW M4 at Mid-Ohio

Tom Blattler
Fast Track Racing
5 May 2018

For Immediate Release

Grahovec fights back from 26th in 2-hour Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge

LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 5, 2018) – The tandem of Toby Grahovec and Ray Mason had to fight back from a mid-race incident and made up numerous positions to place 15th Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Mid-Ohio 120 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge two-hour race.

Driving the No. 26 Classic BMW/Vess Energy Group BMW M4 GT4 sports car, Mason, the Columbus, Ohio veteran, started 17th in the 36-car field and moved up inside the top-ten before a mid-race incident had him forced off the 2.258-mile, 13-turn track in turn one.

Grahovec, the multi-time sports car champion from Celina, Tex., took over the driving chores on lap 32 with the No. 26 Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW BMW M4 GT4 in 26th position. Toby, a former SCCA national champion at Mid-Ohio in 2005, worked his way through the field and even un-lapped himself over race leader Patrick Gallagher late in the two-hour contest.

Despite a late race “splash-and-go” pit stop, Grahovec placed 15th at the checkered flag in the Grand Sport division. Toby entered the event third in ICTSCC points, just five markers back from leaders Spencer Pumpelly and Dillon MacHavern.

“We had a fast car today at Mid-Ohio,” said Grahovec. “We just had some tough luck, especially when you get into the wet grass. Luckily, we just had cosmetic damage with the M4 and the car ran well even after the incident. I was able to drive through much of the field and even pass the leader Gallagher. But this series is very competitive and you can’t have any mishaps. We’ll take this finish and move onto Watkins Glen (June 28 – June 30). We got some valuable points today.”

In the first two IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge races, Grahovec placed fourth at Daytona and second at Sebring.

Saturday’s 77-lap ICTSCC race was won by the duo of Nate Stacy and Kyle Marcelli.

The Mid-Ohio 120 taped-delay telecast will be aired on Fox Sports 1 at 12:30 p.m. EDT next Saturday (May 12).

The Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW team now moves to Watkins Glen International for the fourth 2018 IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge event on June 30 in the Continental Tire 240 (Four Hours) at the Glen.

# # #