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Long Beach, CA. (April 19, 2023) – The Long Beach Street Circuit brought no shortage of action this weekend for Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America, and NOLASPORT was among the teams jockeying for hard-fought positions.
Having only raced at Long Beach for the first time last season – scoring a win in the Carrera Cup Pro-Am class – NOLASPORT walked away with three top-10 finishes in four races this weekend between its two Porsche 992s.
In Race 1 on Saturday, full-course yellows were displayed for more than half of the 40-minute sprint, but NOLASPORT drivers Thomas Merrill and Dan Clarke found ways to advance up the order. Merrill, in the No. 47 Porsche, battled nose-to-tail inside the top 10 and completed a crucial pass before a two-car collision ended the race. Merrill was nearly collected in the incident himself, but quickly maneuvered past to avoid damage and finish eighth.
Clarke, meanwhile, capitalized on others’ mistakes to gain four positions throughout the race – starting 14th and finishing 10th in the No. 64 Porsche.
Race 2 on Sunday saw more green flag time but less good fortune for the NOLASPORT pairing, as both Merrill and Clarke faced issues early in the race. Merrill’s Porsche was issued a drive-through penalty after brief contact sent a competitor spinning, while Clarke was relegated to an early retirement due to damage from contact elsewhere on the first lap. The drivers finished 10th and 16th, respectively.
With the weekend’s results, both drivers still maintain their spots within the top 10 of the Pro class championship standings. Clarke holds seventh and Merrill ninth with six doubleheaders remaining in 2023.
NOLASPORT now travels cross-country for another set of street circuit rounds, this time at the Formula One Miami Grand Prix on May 5 – 7. Race 1 is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, at 2:05 p.m. ET and Race 2 on Sunday at 12:25 p.m.
For team news and updates throughout the season, follow NOLASPORT on Instagram and Facebook.
Quotes:
Dan Clarke: “It wasn’t the best weekend for the No. 64 NOLASPORT-Reis Nichols car. We are working hard to learn important qualifying tweaks that some of the really fast teams are excellent at.
“Race 1 was a really good recovery drive for us. I was grateful to make it through the chaos on Lap 1 and we were able to score some points. Race 2, though, was a real bummer for me – a bump in the fountain on Lap 1 damaged the radiator and water was leaking on my front right tire. Luckily, we didn’t cook the engine and we were able to make it back to the pits safely to retire.
“Other drivers had way worse weekends still, so I’m glad at least to avoid any big drama. We need to be faster in qualifying to race up front where we should be, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of learning Miami!”
Thomas Merrill: “It’s always been a dream to race at Long Beach. I’ve always heard about how awesome the track is and it definitely lived up to the hype, what a great track. The event was killer as well, it was so cool to see all the fans out there.
“Our program has been getting stronger each time we hit the track. The guys are learning more about the car and I’m learning more about how to get that last two percent out of it. I feel like we left a little on the table in qualifying, which makes you pay in this series with .15 seconds being the difference from third to ninth.
“But our race pace was fantastic, and I was very encouraged by what we showed in Race 1 and our potential for Race 2. Sadly, we were handed a penalty that I personally don’t agree with, but sometimes that happens. To still come away with a top 10 speaks to how hard the NOLASPORT guys have been working and we’re looking forward to Miami!”
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