Albuquerque: Watkins Glen win "magical" after late fuel-saving

Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor emerged victorious in an all-Acura battle in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at Watkins Glen, beating the Meyer Shank Racing entry of Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis by just 0.861s.

Albuquerque grabbed the lead on the opening lap from the pole-sitting car of Blomqvist, but the two Acura squads switched positions a number of times as the #10 WTR ARX-05 adopted an alternative strategy by pitting early in the third hour.

A long red flag period due to lightning in the region set up a 21-minute sprint to the finish, with Albuquerque getting a great run on Blomqvist at the restart and snatching the top spot with a bold pass around the outside at the Bus Stop.

But it wasn’t a done deal for WTR as Albuquerque had to withstand heavy pressure from Briton while trying to save enough fuel to reach the checkered flag in a car that was damaged by contact with a GTD-class Lamborghini, keeping Blomqvist in contention right until the finish.

Speaking after WTR’s third victory of the 2022 IMSA season, the Portuguese driver said it was “magical” how he was able to defy the odds and beat MSR for top honours in the penultimate round on the Michelin Endurance Cup.

“Today was an unbelievable day,” said the 37-year-old. “From the beginning going to P1 and then fighting the entire way there.

"Ricky was putting in amazing laps and recovery when we had a different strategy. The rain and red flag were kind of chaotic, but it played in our favor.

“It was crazy. I had to save fuel, so therefore I could not warm up the tires and the brakes before the restart. So, I had to restart with cold tires and brakes. 

“I knew this [going into the bus stop chicane] was the one and only shot to overtake