La Gran Final de la Serie Rolex Sports Car runs today (11/5) at 4:00 PM ET in Mexico, D.F. If you can't watch, live timing here:

http://grandamerican.vfx.com/Rolex/GrandAmerican_800.asp

Michael McDowell put the #19 Finlay Motorsports Riley on the pole, a first for BMW power (if I grinned any wider, I would just catch more bugs!). McDowell was suspended for 1 race this season, so don't expect politeness if somebody wants to pass.

CART's Gran Premio de Mexico races there Sunday (11/6) at 3:30 PM ET. Live timing is available at:

http://gmsleaderboard03.vfx.com/ChampCar/Free_LiveTiming.asp

The same McDowell was exactly 3 seconds off the pace in Q1, so don't expect politeness there, either.

OH MAN! I watched that. Ok, so what's going on with that GT class thing? Did anyone see that? I think that move was cheap.

Good stuff, huh? The GTO did the same thing with less altitude half a lap earlier. You don't have to hit a Porsche as hard to get it sideways. David Murry and Andy Lally were both fined $3500. Boo-hoo.

The fierce battle for 3rd place between the #80 Synergy Racing Porsche and the #65 TRG Racing GTO was for the GT class driver's championship. In one of the quirks of endurance racing, Craig Stanton (-1 in points) was listed for both the #80 & #81 cars. He drove the #80 car earlier in the race for whatever minimum number of laps required to get points; but was in the #81 car (7th/3 laps down) at the finish. If either Porsche finished ahead of the #65 car, Stanton got the Championship. If not, Marc Bunting and Andy Lally shared the crown. I think David Murry is the kind of guy you would want as a teammate.

Stanton got the GT driver's championship, TRG Pontiac got the team crown, and Porsche won for manufacturer's (3 wins/10 podiums).

DP was not as interesting. Wayne Taylor and Max Angelelli needed only to drive 1 green lap each to clinch the driver's championship. Though the team (1 car/14 races/5 wins/worst a pair of 6ths) championship winning #10 Suntrust Pontiac/Riley set fastest lap, they never led a lap.

The #01 Ganassi/Sabates CompUSA/Telmex Lexus Riley of Scott Pruett and Luiz Diaz was the class of the field, leading the most laps. Poor fuel mileage/pit strategy required a late splash & go stop which dropped them to 3rd, handing the lead and win to the polesitting #19 Finlay Motorsports BMW/Riley of Michael McDowell and Memo Gidley. 7400'/2255m altitude had everybody gasping for HP and flailing for downforce, so there was not a lot of passing.

Finlay gave BMW their first pole and win, but the team is changing to Ford/Doran next year. BMW needs to get in here with some factory engine support. Synergy Racing is moving from GT to DP next year with Doran chassis and Porsche factory engine support.

EDIT/CORRECTION: Mea Culpa. Synergy Racing, with not much apparent support (dull gray/exposed carbon fiber) from sponsor Rx.Com or BMW, started their #8 DP class Doran/BMW in all 14 Rolex races in 2005. Finishing between 7th & last; they placed 13th team and 17th in driver points. Sounds like a full-season test session. They like the Doran chassis. Porsche likes them.

In 2006, Porsche powered cars get new approved "upside down" transaxles for a big C/G advantage. EDIT END

Some would have expected Brumos Racing, the Porsche flagbearer stateside for decades, to get this kind of help. Possibly their lack of funds to upgrade from their old Fabcar chassis made them a bad bet. I had been thinking that GrandAm needed to let the Porsches run the 3.9L; and tighten the intake restrictors on the big block Pontiac motors. Considering how badly Porsche abused the rest of the ALMS LMP2 field at Petit and Laguna Seca (admittedly with a more advanced car), I'm not so sure.

Next year the Rolex Series races the streets of Long Beach CA and the brand-new Miller Motorsports Park at Salt Lake City UT. They ditch the oval + infield at Fontana CA (boring) and Mont-Tremblant CN (a shame; the wet race there this year was awesome!).

I hate grand-am, their so ugly