The Guernseyman and teammate Mike Rockenfeller powered to first place in GTD Pro at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Detroit Grand Prix, with the so-called Motor City also being the birthplace of Ford.
Priaulx had in fact tasted victory at Detroit last year with AO Racing.
But unlike last year, he had come in off a season’s worst ninth-place finish at Laguna Seca, for little reason other than their No 64 Ford Mustang GT3 being ill-suited to the track.
Priaulx showed promise by qualifying in pole position and then drove the first half of the intense 1hr 40min. race around the tight street circuit expertly, setting up Rockenfeller to continue contesting the win.
Rockenfeller eventually took the chequered flag 1.62sec. clear of some persistent rivals in the No 3 Corvette.
‘I think for myself, it was just to keep the car clean for Mike,’ the 24-year-old said of the task he faced after his pole start.
‘It was the best view for turn one to have that clear air and I think I timed it just right at the start, so I was happy about that.
‘I just had to keep it out of the walls, which I was happy I did. It was pretty smooth running, really, with just one yellow [during my stint].
‘Apart from that, Mike did a great job. I handed it to him and he just finished the car in such a great place for us.
‘I’m really happy with how it went. I can’t thank Ford and Multimatic enough for giving us a great car this weekend.’
Priaulx and Rockenfeller remain seventh in the drivers’ championship and yet, with 858 points, they are just two behind the sixth and fifth placed crews.
Action continues with Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen on Sunday 22 June.
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