Koch: Alternative Strategy Nearly Paid Off With GTD Podium

Photo: Perry Nelson/IMSA

Korthoff Competition Motors’ alternative strategy nearly paid off with a podium result in Sunday’s Monterey SportsCar Championship according to Kenton Koch, who combined with Seth Lucas for a fourth place result in the GTD class on Sunday.

Koch, who started the No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo from class pole, led a class-high 43 laps through an opening double stint before handing the car off to 19-year-old Lucas for the run to the checkered flag.

The unconventional strategy, which typically sees the lesser-experienced driver start, was planned in advance of the two-hour and 40-minute race to give the Silver-rated teenager an experience of closing out a race amid the seasoned Gold and Platinum-rated drivers.

“We went on this alternate strategy of starting me and having Seth finish,” Koch told Sportscar365. “Seth, with a little bit less experience, so we threw him to the wall just to get him some of that experience. He did well.

“We needed the race to go green the whole time for our strategy to pull out and it did.

“Because of that we were able to stretch a gap amongst some of our peers. When we got into the end of the race, once we got Seth in, he was able to get up to speed and hang tough and hold position pretty well.

“He had one of the best factory Ferrari drivers on the planet behind him. He held him off for actually five, six laps and gave a good defense and I was really proud of him for that.

“Then Daniel [Serra] threw a dive-bomb on there in Turn 2 and it is what is is.

“I’m happy we finished fourth and the car was in a good position for us to fight with. I couldn’t really be happier with the progression we had.”

The fourth place class result marked the team’s best finish of the season and followed up from a sixth place finish on the streets of Long Beach.

“I think we have the speed,” said Koch. “At Sebring, we were on for a potential win or podium, pretty easily, to be honest.

“Here, we qualified on pole and I think we had good pace in the race and was almost on the podium.

“I think our time will come when we can get a podium or a win this year and I think Seth will be really happy to be a part of that good result and I think he’s going to contribute to that result as well.

“I’m happy to be with him and happy that he’s been able to improve and get to where he’s at now to be able to hold of Daniel Serra for five laps. That’s pretty good.”

Koch said he used his opening two-hour stint to not only prove the strength of the team but also pass on pointers to Lucas, who was put in the challenging position of closing out the race.

“This was Seth’s first time here,” said Koch. “He never had been to this track before and he gained experience in the car.

“You could tell at the beginning of his stint he was still getting his footing but by the time he got a quarter away through his stint he was doing the mid to low ’23s that he needed to be doing.

“That was within a half-second of the guys he needed to be battling.

“To be a half-second off amongst the quick guys he was with, I couldn’t really ask for much more, to be honest. He kept the car clean, he was in traffic and didn’t make any mistakes. I can’t ask for me.”

Jonathan Grace contributed to this report