Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid Ohio - Live reporting from the VICI Racing pits

7:55 PM The team's job at Mid Ohio is almost complete now. The crew members' will fly back to the team's Florida base tomorrow morning while the trucks will make the long journey by road. It's been a busy few days but the car's crew, including Alex, Jody, Juan Carlos, René (times two), Harri, Max and Daniel are still in high spirits, it's a close-knit unit and they define 'team work'.

7:45 PM A huge hydraulic tail lift raises the car up to the top deck of the truck where it is stowed away. The transporters are meticulously converted for the job and before the car is packed it is thoroughly cleaned by the crew. Overseeing the packing operation at every step is the calm influence of towering Crew Chief Alex, quietly spoken but ruthlessly professional this stage of the job is completed without a hitch and in record time.

6:30 PM As the thousands of race fans stream out of the track the crew is hard at work packing up. The team carries enough equipment to equip a small army and each piece is meticulously packed away in the truck. It's one of the unsung jobs that has to be done by the team but it goes smoothly and efficiently.

5:10 PM "The race went well, the pit crew worked really well and everything went smoothly for sure," says Nicky, "I think we have made another step forward this weekend, we are moving in the right direction, and everyone is pushing together. The track was good to drive, just the odd bit of dirt where cars had gone off, although it was busy out there."

5:00 PM After less than a quarter of an hour in the car for Francesco, at 1 hr 39 mins (3:49 PM) the third full course yellow occurs when the #66 Acura suffers a fire in the pits, and the ensuring caution period lasted for half an hour as a replacement medical helicopter needed to be in place before racing could resume. After 2 hr 5 mins (75 laps, 4:15 PM) Francesco pits to change driver and tires and another slick stop helps Nicky to maintain the race momentum. At 4:55 PM the checkered flag is waved with Nicky crossing the line in ninth place in the #18 car which has completed 101 laps of the Mid-Ohio circuit.

1:50 PM ALMS brings its own unique glamour wherever it goes and this weekend is no different: in the baking heat the traditional pre-race festivities are taking place place in the final minutes before the green flag is scheduled to be waved at 2:10 PM.

1:45 PM Nicky is getting prepared to get in the cockpit, brother Francesco is helping him. The two young drivers are focused and quietly preparing for the race, without fuss. Both undoubtedly will be future stars of American sports car racing.

1:40 PM The #18 car is on the grid as the build up to the race counts down. ALMS series this week is visiting the 2.258-mile 13-turn classic sports car track at Mid-Ohio for the seventh time. Nestling in the gently rolling hills of Lexington, Ohio, 60 miles north of Columbus and 70 miles south of Cleveland, this is one of America’s traditional circuits.

11:30 AM The driver autograph session is well underway. ALMS fans are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable - and always keen to meet the drivers. Nicky and Francesco are kept busy signing 'hero cards'. The paddock is busy, in fact its packed, there are more fans at Mid Ohio than ever this year.

8:30 AM Max is making minor adjustments to the air line rig in the pits. Each member of the team has a defined role, they work smoothly and in harmony with almost clockwork precision. These are the exacting standards demanded to succeed in a series like ALMS. Nothing less will suffice. The pit is now being prepared for the race.

8:20 AM Running a couple of laps to bed the new brake pads in and complete system checks, Nicky is back in the pit with less than a third of the session completed. After an out lap Nicky posted a 1:32.768 after 4 minutes of the session, followed by a 1:29.170, before returning to the pit.

8:00 AM The temperatures here in the gently rolling countryside of Lexington are rising steadily, it's into the 70s already. Today there is a fair bit of cloud cover. Nicky reckons we might get a shower, others are not so sure.

7:50 AM The start of the Warm Up session is a few minutes away. Technical Director & Chief Engineer Roland Wall is in discussions with the Crew Chief, Alex Zaric. Roland has called for a three lap session this morning, with a focus on bedding in new pads and system checks.

6:30 AM We're on the way to the track. Race day today will get underway bright and early with a 30 minute warm up session (8:00-8:30AM) before the Acura Sports Car Challenge American Le Mans Series Race, the fifth round of the series, gets underway at 2:10PM. The race is scheduled to last 2 hours and 45 minutes with the checkered flag expected to drop at 4:55PM. With perfect weather conditions predicted a big crowd is expected today.