# 2015 Lone Star Le Mans

The 2015 Lone Star Le Mans was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 19, 2015. The race was the eleventh round of the 2015 United SportsCar Championship.

## Background
### Preview

International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2015 IMSA Tudor United SportsCar Championship (IMSA TUSC) in August 2014. It was the second consecutive year the event was held as part of the United SportsCar Championship. The 2015 Lone Star Le Mans was the eleventh of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2015 by IMSA, and was the eighth round not held as part of the North American Endurance Cup. The race was held at the twenty-turn 3.426 mi (5.514 km) Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on September 19, 2015.

### Entry list

Thirty-eight cars were officially entered for the Lone Star Le Mans. Action Express Racing (AER) fielded two Chevrolet Corvette DP cars while VisitFlorida Racing (VFR) and Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) fielded one. Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) entered one Ford-powered Riley MkXXVI. Mazda Motorsports had two Lola B12/80 cars and Michael Shank Racing (MSR) entered one Ligier JS P2 chasis with Honda HR28TT twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 engine. They were joined by DeltaWing. The Prototype Challenge (PC) class was composed of Nine Oreca FLM09 cars: two from BAR1 Motorsports and two from Starworks Motorsport. CORE Autosport, JDC-Miller MotorSports, Performance Tech, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, and RSR Racing entered one car each. GTLM was represented by eight entries from four different brands. In the list of GTD entrants, twelve GT-specification vehicles were represented by six different manufacturers. The No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Audi R8 LMS ultra was reinstated to the Tudor United SportsCar Championship after making its first appearance since the Laguna Seca round. Lone Star Racing made their series debut.

## Qualifying

Friday afternoon's 90-minute four-group qualifying session gave 15-minute sessions to all categories. Cars in GTD were sent out first before those grouped in GTLM, PC, and Prototype had three separate identically timed sessions. Regulations stipulated teams to nominate one qualifying driver, with the fastest laps determining each classes starting order. IMSA would arranged the grid to put all Prototypes ahead of the PC, GTLM, and GTD cars.

### Qualifying results

Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡. P stands for Prototype, PC (Prototype Challenge), GTLM (Grand Touring Le Mans) and GTD (Grand Touring Daytona).
| Pos. | Class | No. | Team | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
| 1 | P | 01 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Scott Pruett | 1:58.441 | _ | 1‡ |
| 2 | P | 60 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian | Oswaldo Negri Jr. | 1:58.512 | +0.071 | 2 |
| 3 | P | 5 | Action Express Racing | Christian Fittipaldi | 1:59.008 | +0.567 | 3 |
| 4 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor | 1:59.033 | +0.592 | 4 |
| 5 | P | 31 | Action Express Racing | Eric Curran | 2:00.011 | +1.570 | 5 |
| 6 | P | 90 | VisitFlorida.com Racing | Michael Valiante | 2:00.111 | +1.670 | 6 |
| 7 | P | 0 | DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone | Memo Rojas | 2:01.570 | +3.129 | 7 |
| 8 | PC | 11 | RSR Racing | Chris Cumming | 2:02.222 | +3.781 | 8‡ |
| 9 | PC | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Matt McMurry | 2:02.697 | +4.256 | 9 |
| 10 | P | 70 | SpeedSource | Tristan Nunez | 2:02.779 | +4.338 | 10 |
| 11 | P | 07 | SpeedSource | Tom Long | 2:03.484 | +5.043 | 11 |
| 12 | PC | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports | James French | 2:03.586 | +5.145 | 12 |
| 13 | PC | 54 | CORE Autosport | Jon Bennett | 2:03.697 | +5.256 | 13 |
| 14 | PC | 8 | Starworks Motorsport | Mike Hedlund | 2:04.009 | +5.568 | 14 |
| 15 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche North America | Patrick Pilet | 2:04.396 | +5.955 | 17‡ |
| 16 | PC | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Mike Guasch | 2:04.432 | +5.991 | 15 |
| 17 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Dirk Werner | 2:04.490 | +6.049 | 18 |
| 18 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche North America | Earl Bamber | 2:04.625 | +6.184 | 19 |
| 19 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García | 2:04.651 | +6.210 | 20 |
| 20 | GTLM | 17 | Team Falken Tire | Wolf Henzler | 2:04.813 | +6.372 | 21 |
| 21 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | John Edwards | 2:04.968 | +6.527 | 22 |
| 22 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Tommy Milner | 2:05.245 | +6.804 | 23 |
| 23 | GTLM | 62 | Risi Competizione | Giancarlo Fisichella | 2:05.996 | +7.555 | 24 |
| 24 | PC | 61 | BAR1 Motorsports | Don Yount | 2:08.350 | +9.909 | 16 |
| 25 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Dion von Moltke | 2:11.097 | +12.656 | 25‡ |
| 26 | GTD | 33 | Riley Motorsports | Ben Keating | 2:11.658 | +13.217 | 26 |
| 27 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Bill Sweedler | 2:11.729 | +13.288 | 27 |
| 28 | GTD | 007 | TRG-AMR North America | Christina Nielsen | 2:11.761 | +13.320 | 28 |
| 29 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Patrick Lindsey | 2:12.213 | +13.772 | 29 |
| 30 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter | 2:12.478 | +14.037 | 30 |
| 31 | GTD | 80 | Lone Star Racing | Dan Knox | 2:12.835 | +14.394 | 31 |
| 32 | GTD | 23 | Team Seattle / Alex Job Racing | Ian James | 2:12.935 | +14.494 | 32 |
| 33 | GTD | 97 | Turner Motorsport | Michael Marsal | 2:13.054 | +14.613 | 33 |
| 34 | GTD | 22 | Alex Job Racing | Cooper MacNeil | 2:13.126 | +14.685 | 34 |
| 35 | GTD | 45 | Flying Lizard Motorsports | Mike Vess | 2:16.353 | +17.912 | 35 |
| 36 | GTD | 76 | Compass360 Racing | Ray Mason | 2:16.518 | +18.077 | 36 |
| 37 | PC | 16 | BAR1 Motorsports | No Time Established | No Time Established | No Time Established | 37 |
| 38 | PC | 88 | Starworks Motorsport | No Time Established | No Time Established | No Time Established | 38 |
| Sources: ||||||||

## Race
### Race Results

Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡. P stands for Prototype, PC (Prototype Challenge), GTLM (Grand Touring Le Mans) and GTD (Grand Touring Daytona).
Final race classification :
| Pos | Class | No. | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Tire | Laps | Time/Retired |
| Pos | Class | No. | Team | Drivers | Engine | Tire | Laps | Time/Retired |
| 1 | P | 01 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Joey Hand Scott Pruett | Ford EcoBoost Riley DP | C | 73 | 2:41:07.039‡ |
| 1 | P | 01 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Joey Hand Scott Pruett | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L V6 Turbo | C | 73 | 2:41:07.039‡ |
| 2 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor Ricky Taylor | Corvette Daytona Prototype | C | 73 | +16.910 |
| 2 | P | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing | Jordan Taylor Ricky Taylor | Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 | C | 73 | +16.910 |
| 3 | P | 90 | VisitFlorida.com Racing | Richard Westbrook Michael Valiante | Corvette Daytona Prototype | C | 73 | +44.212 |
| 3 | P | 90 | VisitFlorida.com Racing | Richard Westbrook Michael Valiante | Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 | C | 73 | +44.212 |
| 4 | P | 60 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian | John Pew Oswaldo Negri Jr. | Ligier JS P2 | C | 73 | +44.575 |
| 4 | P | 60 | Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian | John Pew Oswaldo Negri Jr. | Honda HR28TT 2.8 L V6 Turbo | C | 73 | +44.575 |
| 5 | P | 31 | Action Express Racing | Eric Curran Dane Cameron | Corvette Daytona Prototype | C | 73 | +1:06.753 |
| 5 | P | 31 | Action Express Racing | Eric Curran Dane Cameron | Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 | C | 73 | +1:06.753 |
| 6 | PC | 54 | CORE Autosport | Jon Bennett Colin Braun | Oreca FLM09 | C | 73 | +1:28.158‡ |
| 6 | PC | 54 | CORE Autosport | Jon Bennett Colin Braun | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 73 | +1:28.158‡ |
| 7 | PC | 11 | RSR Racing | Chris Cumming Bruno Junqueira | Oreca FLM09 | C | 73 | +1:53.822 |
| 7 | PC | 11 | RSR Racing | Chris Cumming Bruno Junqueira | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 73 | +1:53.822 |
| 8 | PC | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports | Conor Daly James French | Oreca FLM09 | C | 73 | +1:57.517 |
| 8 | PC | 38 | Performance Tech Motorsports | Conor Daly James French | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 73 | +1:57.517 |
| 9 | PC | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Mike Guasch Tom Kimber-Smith | Oreca FLM09 | C | 73 | +1:58.239 |
| 9 | PC | 52 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Mike Guasch Tom Kimber-Smith | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 73 | +1:58.239 |
| 10 | P | 5 | Action Express Racing | João Barbosa Christian Fittipaldi | Corvette Daytona Prototype | C | 72 | +1 lap |
| 10 | P | 5 | Action Express Racing | João Barbosa Christian Fittipaldi | Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 | C | 72 | +1 lap |
| 11 | P | 0 | DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone | Memo Rojas Katherine Legge | DeltaWing DWC13 | C | 72 | +1 lap |
| 11 | P | 0 | DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone | Memo Rojas Katherine Legge | Élan (Mazda) 1.9 L I4 Turbo | C | 72 | +1 lap |
| 12 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Bill Auberlen Dirk Werner | BMW Z4 GTE | M | 72 | +1 lap‡ |
| 12 | GTLM | 25 | BMW Team RLL | Bill Auberlen Dirk Werner | BMW 4.4 L V8 | M | 72 | +1 lap‡ |
| 13 | GTLM | 62 | Risi Competizione | Pierre Kaffer Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 13 | GTLM | 62 | Risi Competizione | Pierre Kaffer Giancarlo Fisichella | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 14 | PC | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Misha Goikhberg Matt McMurry | Oreca FLM09 | C | 72 | +1 lap |
| 14 | PC | 85 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Misha Goikhberg Matt McMurry | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 72 | +1 lap |
| 15 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche North America | Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy | Porsche 911 RSR | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 15 | GTLM | 911 | Porsche North America | Patrick Pilet Nick Tandy | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 16 | GTLM | 17 | Team Falken Tire | Bryan Sellers Wolf Henzler | Porsche 911 RSR | F | 72 | +1 lap |
| 16 | GTLM | 17 | Team Falken Tire | Bryan Sellers Wolf Henzler | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | F | 72 | +1 lap |
| 17 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche North America | Earl Bamber Jörg Bergmeister | Porsche 911 RSR | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 17 | GTLM | 912 | Porsche North America | Earl Bamber Jörg Bergmeister | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 18 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García Jan Magnussen | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 18 | GTLM | 3 | Corvette Racing | Antonio García Jan Magnussen | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 19 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | John Edwards Lucas Luhr | BMW Z4 GTE | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 19 | GTLM | 24 | BMW Team RLL | John Edwards Lucas Luhr | BMW 4.4 L V8 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 20 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 20 | GTLM | 4 | Corvette Racing | Oliver Gavin Tommy Milner | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | M | 72 | +1 lap |
| 21 DNF | PC | 8 | Starworks Motorsport | Mike Hedlund Renger van der Zande | Oreca FLM09 | C | 70 | Suspension |
| 21 DNF | PC | 8 | Starworks Motorsport | Mike Hedlund Renger van der Zande | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 70 | Suspension |
| 22 | GTD | 33 | Riley Motorsports | Jeroen Bleekemolen Ben Keating | Dodge Viper GT3-R | C | 69 | +4 Laps‡ |
| 22 | GTD | 33 | Riley Motorsports | Jeroen Bleekemolen Ben Keating | Dodge 8.3 L V10 | C | 69 | +4 Laps‡ |
| 23 | GTD | 97 | Turner Motorsport | Michael Marsal Markus Palttala | BMW Z4 GT3 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 23 | GTD | 97 | Turner Motorsport | Michael Marsal Markus Palttala | BMW 4.4 L V8 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 24 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Christopher Haase Dion von Moltke | Audi R8 LMS ultra | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 24 | GTD | 48 | Paul Miller Racing | Christopher Haase Dion von Moltke | Audi 5.2 L V10 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 25 | GTD | 23 | Team Seattle / Alex Job Racing | Mario Farnbacher Ian James | Porsche 911 GT America | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 25 | GTD | 23 | Team Seattle / Alex Job Racing | Mario Farnbacher Ian James | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 26 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Patrick Lindsey Spencer Pumpelly | Porsche 911 GT America | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 26 | GTD | 73 | Park Place Motorsports | Patrick Lindsey Spencer Pumpelly | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 27 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Bill Sweedler Townsend Bell | Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 27 | GTD | 63 | Scuderia Corsa | Bill Sweedler Townsend Bell | Ferrari 4.5 L V8 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 28 | GTD | 80 | Lone Star Racing | Marc Goossens Dan Knox | Dodge Viper GT3-R | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 28 | GTD | 80 | Lone Star Racing | Marc Goossens Dan Knox | Dodge 8.3 L V10 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 29 | GTD | 007 | TRG-AMR North America | Christina Nielsen Kuno Wittmer | Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 29 | GTD | 007 | TRG-AMR North America | Christina Nielsen Kuno Wittmer | Aston Martin 6.0 L V12 | C | 69 | +4 Laps |
| 30 | GTD | 22 | Alex Job Racing | Leh Keen Cooper MacNeil | Porsche 911 GT America | C | 68 | +5 Laps |
| 30 | GTD | 22 | Alex Job Racing | Leh Keen Cooper MacNeil | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | C | 68 | +5 Laps |
| 31 | GTD | 76 | Compass360 Racing | Pierre Kleinubing Ray Mason | Audi R8 LMS ultra | C | 68 | +5 Laps |
| 31 | GTD | 76 | Compass360 Racing | Pierre Kleinubing Ray Mason | Audi 5.2 L V10 | C | 68 | +5 Laps |
| 32 | GTD | 45 | Flying Lizard Motorsports | Jason Hart Mike Vess | Audi R8 LMS ultra | C | 66 | +7 Laps |
| 32 | GTD | 45 | Flying Lizard Motorsports | Jason Hart Mike Vess | Audi 5.2 L V10 | C | 66 | +7 Laps |
| 33 DNF | P | 70 | SpeedSource | Jonathan Bomarito Tristan Nunez | Mazda Prototype | C | 65 | Belt |
| 33 DNF | P | 70 | SpeedSource | Jonathan Bomarito Tristan Nunez | Mazda Skyactiv-D 2.2 L Turbo I4 (Diesel) | C | 65 | Belt |
| 34 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter Andy Lally | Porsche 911 GT America | C | 46 | +27 Laps |
| 34 | GTD | 44 | Magnus Racing | John Potter Andy Lally | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | C | 46 | +27 Laps |
| 35 DNF | PC | 61 | BAR1 Motorsports | Ryan Lewis Don Yount | Oreca FLM09 | C | 33 | Accident |
| 35 DNF | PC | 61 | BAR1 Motorsports | Ryan Lewis Don Yount | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | 33 | Accident |
| 36 DNF | P | 07 | SpeedSource | Tom Long Joel Miller | Mazda Prototype | C | 23 | Belt |
| 36 DNF | P | 07 | SpeedSource | Tom Long Joel Miller | Mazda Skyactiv-D 2.2 L Turbo I4 (Diesel) | C | 23 | Belt |
| 37 DNS | PC | 16 | BAR1 Motorsports | John Falb Todd Slusher | Oreca FLM09 | C | -- | Did Not Start |
| 37 DNS | PC | 16 | BAR1 Motorsports | John Falb Todd Slusher | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | -- | Did Not Start |
| 38 DNS | PC | 88 | Starworks Motorsport | Alex Popow Sean Rayhall | Oreca FLM09 | C | -- | Did Not Start |
| 38 DNS | PC | 88 | Starworks Motorsport | Alex Popow Sean Rayhall | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | C | -- | Did Not Start |
| Sources: |||||||||
Tyre manufacturers :
| Key ||
| Symbol | Tyre manufacturer |
| C | Continental |
| M | Michelin |
| F | Falken Tire |