Team SPT Tames "The Devil" with IMG Charter Tony Senese

Team SPT brought home an impressive 4th in class and 9th overall this past weekend at the Devil in the Dark 12 hour enduro at NJMP Thunderbolt.

After IMG charter member Tony Senese qualified the Spec E30 BMW in 32nd position, it looked like an uphill battle for himself, team owner Sean Curran and hotshoe Peter Thibault to get back into contention. And battle they did. All three drivers buckled down and drove their hearts out. Crew Chief Spencer Anderson orchestrated some excellent pit stops with crew Zephyr Belski and Robbie Cassella as the green and white BMW steadily made up ground on the leaders.

Right from the start, the BMW achieved impressive gas mileage. Tony ran a full 1 hr and 50 minutes on the team's first stint, moving them up to 16th overall and 7th in class. Pete drove next and hot shoed it to 5th in class and 10th overall. When Sean finally took the wheel, the team was in the lead of the 17 car E3 class and 5th overall. For nearly half of the race, Team SPT's #77 BMW held fast lap ahead of the mostly-Miata E3 field.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of the 4th stint, a relay rattled loose and the crew spent 8 laps diagnosing and fixing the problem. The electrical gremlin dropped the team to 6th in class, several laps down from the class leader. It may have been a downer, but the team was far from out. The drivers and crew quickly found their groove again and started working back up through the field, past slower and faster cars. Night fell and the skies opened, but Team SPT kept pounding out the laps.

At five minutes to midnight, a soggy checkered flag flew against a pitch black sky. Team SPT crossed the line 4th in E3 with a fast lap of 1:37.325.

Tony reflected fondly on the gruelling 12 hour endeavour after the team's first successful finish. "This was the first enduro for Team SPT and we learned a lot to apply to future races."

Congratulations to all of the teams and drivers who completed the full 12 hour Devil in the Dark. And to the front-runners in the E3 class, watch out - Team SPT will be back.

 

*Tony Senese will take the green flag at the IMG Get Loud! at Lime Rock event this Memorial Day, May 28.
For more information and to race with Tony, visit www.imgracing.com