Generac 500 at Road America - Live reporting from the VICI Racing pits

8:25 PM The #18 car is back in the pits. Now starts the task of packing up and heading to our temporary base in Chicago. Racing as the darkness creeps in is always atmospheric and Road America holds a special place in the hearts of US race fans, demonstrated by the big crowds here all three days.

8:15 PM The race finishes with a flurry of fireworks and Nicky brings the #18 car over the line having returned to the cockpit for the final stint; we're in a satisfying 8th place. It's been a tough week, but we've come through well on race day. Everyone is satisfied with the progress made and the crew shake hands and slap each other on the back. These are professional guys, they function as a unit, and our result is everyone's.

7:00 PM We're fast approaching the final hour. Marc is out on track, lapping quickly and reporting no problems with the car. Meanwhile in the pits, Ron is talking to two key members of our set up: David and Mary Watts. David brings the LuxuryMotors.com connection to the team and the 'world's largest online luxury car retailer' is a very important partner to the team; especially so as we will be using their impressive Chicago facilities as a forward hub for the next two races in Ontario and Detroit.

6:40 PM Nicky’s stint is over, it was uninterrupted by any yellow flags and the 25-year-old former Official F1 test driver ran for exactly one hour, returning to the pits on lap 50 (6:34 PM, 2hr 18 mins) to hand over to Marc as the sun gets low and the shadows start to length, one place better in 9th, and having posted a best lap of 2:11.645 (110.70 mph) after a steady stint that saw him lapping consistently in the 2:11s and 2:12s.

5:38 PM Francesco is out and over the wall. “My race was interrupted by the three yellow flags; it felt like Mid-Ohio all over again as all the dramas there happened during my stint," he says. "The tires felt pretty good and I was able to make a good pace and keep out of trouble. With only a few laps yesterday and in warm up this morning it was good to get some time in the cockpit here.”

5:34 PM All the yellows had interrupted Francesco’s running but a final quarter of an hour of his stint saw him lapping consistently and the 21-year-old Dutchman has brought the car in after 1 hr 18 mins in 10th place for the first scheduled stop of the afternoon, handing over to brother Nicky who returns to the race with fuel and four new tires.

4:40 PM The race is underway, but running under yellows. Team owner Ron is in discussion with Porsche Motorsports North America boss Paul Ritchie. For Ron, a veteran of the Porsche 956, 962 and IMSA GTP in his successful driving career, this is his biggest challenge to date. Driven by the overriding desire to win, Ron has steered VICI Racing towards this innovative ALMS development program.

3:50 PM America does razzmatazz in style, so does ALMS. The USAF has done a very low flyover and the National Anthem is now being played. We're just minutes from the start.

3:40 PM We're now just 20 minutes from the green flag and the cars are assembled on the grid. The fans are on the track and our 'local' grid girl is flying the flag for the #18 car.

3:10 PM Marc is familiarizing himself with the RSR cockpit. Not that he needs to. Curiously Marc has driven the #18 car before. One of his jobs is to shakedown each new race car that comes out of the Porsche factory at Weissach. He's driven the entire run of 30 2008-spec RSRs this year, while the 911 Cup cars he pilots each year runs into the 100s. Usefully Marc lives a 25 minute drive from the factory.

2:30 PM We're counting down towards the race now which will kick off in 90 minutes time. Final adjustments are being made. Roland has announced that Francesco will start the race in the #18 car.

1:30 PM The driver autograph session is in full swing. Fans at Road America are passionate and knowledgeable about sports car racing and are eager to talk to Nicky, Francesco and Marc about their chances for the race.

12:20 PM New team member this weekend is Pat Dorning from Florida. He has a long background in motorbike racing and yachting, and his skills with fiberglass are immediately thrown into good use with the bumps the #18 car has endured over the last couple of days.

11:40 AM Francesco who has had little time in the car this week has just run 5 laps during the Warm Up session which Technical Director Roland Wall scheduled to check race set up. The Dutch youngster ran an out lap, followed by 2:20.573, 2:19.301 and a 2:18.823 before an in-lap. The team is now practicing pit stops and driver changes.

8:00 AM Race day at Road America. The track action will kick off with the late morning Warm-Up session (11:05-11:30PM) before the Generac 500, the 7th round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series goes to green flag at 4:00PM. The 4 hour race is due to see the checkered flag waved at 8:00PM.