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Elkhart Lake In the framework of a race, this was the equivalent of going to hell and back.
Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro were the second-fastest qualifiers for the American Le Mans Series Generac 500 Sunday afternoon at Road America, but just before the first turn of the first lap, the team's Audi R10 TDI was bumped and sent into the gravel. After one lap, Biela had dropped to 22nd place.
No one figured they would be in the winner's circle a few hours later.
"You have to keep in mind that it's a long race," Biela said. "You can't focus on what happened, just what to do."
What the 42-year-old German did was make a pit stop to replace tires damaged by the rocks. Then he quickly made up ground.
With the help of three caution flags, a superior car and a perfectly timed move by Pirro...