2010 American LeMans Series Thread

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mlittle
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Post by mlittle » Tue Apr 20, 2010 3:06 pm

Current 2010 American LeMans Series Standings


~~~LeMans Prototype Class
----LMP Drivers' Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]Greg Pickett, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]Klaus Graf, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[3]David Brabham, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[4]Simon Pagenaud, 46 pts(1 win)
t-5th}[5]Paul Drayson, 38 pts
t-5th}[6]Jonny Cocker, 38 pts
t-7th}[7]Chris Dyson, 36 pts
t-7th}[8]Guy Smith, 36 pts
t-9th}[9]Emanuele Pirro, 30 pts
t-9th}[10]Sascha Maasen, 30 pts(1 win)
----LMP Chassis Standings
t-1st}[1]Porsche, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]HPD, 46 pts(1 win)
3rd} Lola, 43 pts
----LMP Engine Standings
t-1st}[1]Porsche, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]HPD, 46 pts(1 win)
3rd} Judd, 38 pts
4th} Mazda, 36 pts
5th} AER, 10 pts

~~~LeMans Prototype Challenge Class
---LMPC Drivers' Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]Scott Tucker, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]Christophe Bouchut, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[3]Gunnar Jeannette, 46 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[4]Elton Julian, 46 pts(1 win)
t-5th}[5]J.R. Hildebrand, 36 pts
t-5th}[6]Tom Sutherland, 36 pts
7th} Mark Wilkins, 30 pts(1 win)
t-8th}[8]Kyle Marcelli, 28 pts
t-8th}[9]Brian Wong, 28 pts
t-8th}[10]Mitch Pagerey, 28 pts

~~~Grand Touring Class
----GTC Drivers' Standings(top-10+)
t-1st}[1]Jaime Melo, 40 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]Gianmaria Bruni, 40 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[3]Jorg Bergmeister, 40 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[4]Patrick Long, 40 pts(1 win)
t-5th}[5]Bill Auberlen, 39 pts
t-5th}[6]Tommy Milner, 39 pts
t-7th}[7]Dirk Muller, 31 pts
t-7th}[8]Joey Hand, 31 pts
9th} Pierre Kaffer, 30 pts(1 win)
t-10th}[10]Jan Magnussen, 29 pts
t-10th}[11]Johnny O'Connell, 29 pts
----GTC Manufacturers' Standings
t-1st}[1]Ferrari, 40 pts(1 win)
t-1st}[2]Porsche, 40 pts(1 win)
3rd} BMW, 39 pts
4th} Chevrolet, 29 pts
5th} Ford, 12 pts

~~~Grand Touring Challenge Class
---GTC Drivers' Standings(top-10+)
t-1st}[1]Butch Leitzinger, 50 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Juan Gonzalez, 50 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[3]Bill Sweedler, 39 pts
t-3rd}[4]Romeo Kapudjia, 39 pts
t-5th}[5]Leh Keen, 30 pts(1 win)
t-5th}[6]Bret Curtis, 30 pts
t-5th}[7]James Sofronas, 30 pts
t-8th}[8]Shane Lewis, 28 pts
t-8th}[9]Jerry Vento, 28 pts
t-10th}[10]Ricardo Gonzalez, 27 pts
t-10th}[11]Luis Diaz, 27 pts
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Corvette to Celebrate 50 Years at LeMans............

Post by mlittle » Wed May 12, 2010 12:45 pm

This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans will mark the 50th anniversary of Corvette's first participation in the world's most prestigious sports car race. Chevrolet will celebrate this motorsports milestone with a salute to the Corvette Legends of Le Mans at the American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 21-22.

The spotlight will shine on Corvette's racing heritage with a special display of historic Corvettes that raced at Le Mans and appearances by legendary Corvette drivers. Corvette Racing fans will be able to give the American Le Mans Series' most successful team a grand send-off before the twin Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars begin their transatlantic journey to France, where they'll compete in the world's biggest sports car race on June 12-13.

"It is an honor for Chevrolet to salute the men and machines that have contributed to Corvette's racing heritage at Le Mans since 1960," said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Chevrolet Marketing. "They are part of Chevy's longstanding tradition of developing technology on the track to improve the design, performance and efficiency of Corvettes on the street. The hardware has changed dramatically over five decades, but the challenge and excitement of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has endured through the years."

Four Corvettes competed in the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans – three entered by sportsman Briggs Cunningham and one by Camoradi USA. Cunningham's No. 2 Corvette driven by Dr. D.ick Thompson and Fred Windridge will be on display at the Laguna Seca event, and Thompson will be on hand to describe his Le Mans experiences. The No. 2 Corvette retired at 20 hours, but the sister No. 3 Cunningham Corvette driven by John Fitch and Bob Grossman won its class and finished eighth overall.

Chevy's second-generation Corvette made its Le Mans debut in 1967 with Corvette legends D.ick Guldstrand and Bob Bondurant sharing the driving duties. Entered by Dana Chevrolet, the red, white and blue coupe blitzed the Mulsanne Straight with big-block horsepower. Guldstrand will be reunited with the restored Corvette and share his memories of Le Mans at the historic Corvette display in the ALMS paddock.

The 1969 Greenwood Corvette competed in the Triple Crown of sports car racing – the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Constructed and campaigned by John Greenwood, this star-spangled Corvette was driven by top road course drivers of the period including comedian d#$% Smothers and Chevrolet performance specialist Don Yenko. Greenwood, Bob Johnson and Jim Greendyke raced this remarkable machine at Le Mans in 1973.

Chevrolet will close the circle of Le Mans Corvettes with a 2011 Corvette Z06 painted in the traditional white and blue American racing colors carried by the Cunningham Corvettes 50 years ago. This one-of-a-kind Corvette Z06 (VIN 0001) will be sold at auction later this year to benefit the National Corvette Museum.

No team has enjoyed more success with Corvettes at Le Mans than Corvette Racing, winner of six GTS/GT1 class titles since 2001. The twin Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars will compete in the six-hour Laguna Seca endurance race against GT class rivals Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Jaguar. Corvette Racing's quartet of drivers – Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R, and Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R – have a total of 17 Le Mans class victories. They'll be joined in Laguna Seca by Corvette Racing ambassador Ron Fellows, a two-time winner at Le Mans.

Fans will be able to participate in a variety of activities, including driver autograph sessions, tech talks, and a Q&A with the Corvette Legends of Le Mans. Chevrolet will stage a 7.8-mile ride-and-drive that puts customers behind the wheel of new Chevrolet vehicles, including Equinox, Silverado, Traverse, Malibu, Tahoe, Camaro and Corvette.

The collection of vintage and contemporary Corvette race cars that will assemble at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca spans half a century of motorsports history. The iconic drivers who raced these machines are a bridge to racing's past. For two glorious days in May, the past and present will exist side by side at the American Le Mans Series Monterey.
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Dayton dominates Monaco Historics

Post by mlittle » Thu May 13, 2010 4:37 pm

Every other year, Monaco hosts its' own version of the Monterey Historics, known as the Monaco Historics..............and Patron Highcroft Racing's Duncan Dayton dominated, winning both races this past weekend. The reigning American Le Mans Series LMP1 champion team owner already held the record for the most wins ever around the streets of the famous Mediterranean principality prior to the weekend's events. But Dayton made it a perfect 10 by taking his ex-Graham Hill 1959 Lotus 16 and 1970 Brabham BT33 historic Formula 1 machines to victory lane.

After being inspired as a young child to get into motor racing being taken to see the movie "Grand Prix" by his father, Dayton originally fulfilled a lifelong ambition to drive at Monaco in 1997, taking a Cooper T67 Formula Junior car to victory.

He won again in 2000 aboard a Brabham BT11 Climax V8 and drove his Lotus 16 for the first time in 2002 - actually finishing second. Since then, however, he has been on a huge winning steak in the front-engined machine - taking five wins in a row.

Dayton won in the Brabham BT11 again in 2004 and has now notched three consecutive victories aboard the BT33 - winning in 2006, 2008 and now this year.

"When I first drove out the pit lane for the first time in 1997, the thought of winning at Monaco was merely a dream - let alone the possibility of taking ten victories here," Dayton said. "You hope that you can do well, but it is such a special place and I was just excited for the opportunity to race there. Taking both wins on the weekend was an amazing feeling. To stand on the podium again to hear the national anthem was pretty special."

After a gearbox issue in qualifying pushed him back to third on the grid for the Class B race for Pre-1961 Front engined Grand Prix cars (1947 - 1960), Dayton quickly made up for lost time on the opening lap, sprinting into the lead in the run up the hill to the Casino on the opening lap and charged to victory. "I was fastest in the morning session on Saturday in the Lotus but it got stuck in fourth gear I eventually got it into neutral and coasted to a halt," Dayton said.

"The guys at Hoole Racing in the UK who prepare the car for me worked on repairing the gearbox and we decided to skip the second session to concentrate on getting ready for the race. I had a blazing start and was able to get into the lead going up the hill and never looked back. I was expecting a huge battle with my rival and good friend Joaquin Folch, but he clashed with another car and then had a similar gearbox problem as well."

Dayton was second behind ex-BTCC champion Frank Sytner in first qualifying session on Saturday aboard the Brabham BT33, but then was 1.8 faster than the field in the second session in Class F for Pre-1975 Formula 1 machines. He lined up second behind Sytner on the grid and chased the Brit on the opening lap before the Hensketh driver clipped the inside barrier on the apex of the corner before the Monaco tunnel. Dayton pounced on the error and was able to slip through into the lead.

"I was a little bit worried about being able to catch Frank because his Hensekth is a 1974 car and obviously a lot more modern than my 1970 Brabham," Dayton said. "When he clipped the barrier it pushed him sideways and he had to get out of the throttle. That was the opportunity I needed and I was able to grab the lead by the time we exited the tunnel.

"I wasn't sure whether he had damaged his car, but I had to push like hell because there were another couple of guys who were really quick. We had a mid-race safety car which pulled the gap back but I was able to stack up the guys behind me and get a good jump on the field after the swimming pool section before the restart and was able to then pull away.

"The Brabham is great to drive around there. To have that Cosworth DFV pushing you up the hill is really an awesome feeling. The guys at Hoole Racing and Restoration did a brilliant job as always. I am so fortunate to have my top notch guys back home in the shop in Danbury and also have a great team in the UK to rely on as well."

Dayton will return to the other side of the pit wall for the next round of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on May 22. He'll hand over the driving duties to joint championship leaders David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud at the Monterey circuit. Patrón Highcroft Racing's endurance specialist Marino Franchitti will also be aboard the car for the six-hour enduro.

"We have some great memories from winning the ALMS championship at Laguna last year. This year we are out for the win and then set our sights on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Winning at Monaco was an amazing feeling, but we now are very keen to target a win for the team at the 24 hour."
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Laguna Seca Preview

Post by mlittle » Fri May 21, 2010 2:34 pm

Image
For the first time in several years, Laguna Seca will host the ALMS's final pre-24 Hours of LeMans event. The six-hour event, which will race into the sunset on the Monterey Peninsula, could be a harbinger of how some of this year's LeMans entrants will do in France in a few weeks


----From the classic Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans to the traditional two-hour and 45-minute format, there’s always been a variety of race lengths in the 111 previous American Le Mans Series races. But Saturday’s round from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will mark the first-ever six-hour event.

A half-around-the-clock enduro is not necessarily a step into the unknown for competitors, as a similar 1000km/six-hour format exists in the European-based Le Mans Series. But it’s not only the race length that has changed, as the previous season-ending four-hour round held in October is now run in May.

"A six-hour race is inherently more complex than four: We'll have more stops to manage, and Laguna is typically a caution-filled race, which makes it tough to follow a pre-determined strategy,” explains Thomas Blam, Flying Lizard Motorsports chief strategist. “We could also see a wide swing in temperatures from race start to finish which will make setup challenging."

With a 2:30 p.m. local start time, teams will contend with varying track temperatures, starting in the heat of the day before transitioning to cooler night-time hours. It will be those final minutes that will count the most, making Thursday evening’s practice session all the more valuable for teams and drivers.

And with another bumper grid of 35 cars, there will be no shortage of story lines, especially after last month’s thriller on the streets of Long Beach.

Patron Highcroft Racing’s Simon Pagenaud made a daring last-lap move on the Aston Martin Racing Lola of Adrian Fernandez to take the overall win. The popular victory for he and co-driver David Brabham has had time to sink in and may go down as one of the finest drivers of the young Frenchman’s career.

While the factory Aston Martin won’t be present this weekend, Pagenaud, Brabham and endurance co-driver Marino Franchitti will have to contend with other LMP1 machines that are likely to be significantly quicker down the straightaways.

“There is one long straight at Laguna which the faster LMP1 cars will enjoy but it is not as long as what we had at Long Beach,” Brabham said. “I am hoping we will see less of an issue of the straight line speed disadvantage we saw in the last race but we won't really know until we get there.”

While no balance of performance adjustments have been made to the prototypes since Long Beach, Pagenaud and Brabham are confident the team’s LMP2-spec Honda Performance Development ARX-01c will be well-suited to the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit.

The likely challenge from the heavier, but more powerful LMP1-spec machines will come from Intersport Racing’s Lola B06/10 AER, notably with Jon Field behind the wheel. The veteran Ohio racer, making his return to the cockpit following his horrific accident at Sebring in March, led the race at Long Beach for over 30 minutes.

Field’s Lola clearly had a power advantage over the lighter and more nimble P2-spec cars such as Highcroft’s HPD and the Team Cytosport Porsche RS Spyder. Will that trend continue this weekend, and can any of the P1 teams take advantage of it?

The team that has the greatest potential to pull it off is Drayson Racing, which makes its first return trip to a circuit with its Lola B09/60 Judd. Five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro is back with the squad after his impressive outing at Sebring. The rapid Italian will be a sure bet for the pole, especially without competition from Peugeot or Aston Martin this time.

Team CytoSport’s Greg Pickett and Klaus Graf, who are currently tied for the LMP championship lead with Pagenaud and Brabham, could also play a factor with the addition of Porsche ace Sascha Maassen. And don’t completely discount Dyson Racing’s Lola B08/86 Mazda either, fully rebuilt from a fire in testing last month, and running 30kg lighter after its early season weight penalty for using Isobutanol fuel has expired.

While the focus up front will on the fight for overall honors, the GT battle shouldn’t be overlooked, either, especially after the equally exciting showdown at Long Beach.

The Flying Lizard Motorsports duo of Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long broke through for their first victory of the season and now sit atop the standings with Sebring winners Jamie Melo and Gimmi Bruni for Risi Competizione.

Will the Porsche vs. Ferrari rivalry continue, or will another manufacturer score its first victory of the year? Corvette Racing and BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team are the prime candidates, but as the American Porsche factory driver points out, it could be any of a half-dozen cars that could wind up in victory lane.

“Every race there’s a fight like [we] had at Long Beach,” Long said. “It’s when you’re absolutely driving for every single inch of the racetrack. A ‘Vette, a Ferrari, a BMW or a Porsche could have won that race. It was clear by the pace and by track position. It came down to pit stops and hard wheel-to-wheel racing.

“I think that’s where the ALMS is maybe underrated when it comes to how close the racing is and also what kind of drivers and teams are involved in GT-level racing. I think that’s why when people ask me what I want to do ultimately in my career, I let them know that I’m doing what I could have only dreamed of doing. It’s pretty cool.”

But there have been a few rules adjustments to spice up Round 3. The BMWs are now back to Sebring weight after getting a 25kg weight increase prior to Long Beach, while the Pratt & Miller Corvettes lose 10kg of its 25kg weight penalty imposed by the ACO at the start of the season. This was initially due to a small homologation issue with the production-based engine, and there’s now some talk over the power plant’s crankshaft journal size. It’s something program manager Doug Fehan hopes to have resolved soon with meetings scheduled for this weekend.

Another talking point will be the additional points that up for grabs, being an endurance race. Twenty-five points goes to each class winner, compared to 20 for a standard-length event, giving teams all the more incentive to perform.

Those extra points could come in handy if you’re Level 5 Motorsports or Green Earth Team Gunnar, as both squads are also tied for the LMPC championship lead. Six cars are entered in the spec-prototype category, including the second Level 5 machine which didn’t start at Long Beach because of an issue over minimum and maximum drive time rules.

IMSA has since released a cumulative rules update outlining changes to the minimum and maximum drive times. While everything essentially remains the same as it was last month, there’s further clarification that the drive time for a driver entered in two cars is cumulative among the two entries. For Laguna Seca, this means Scott Tucker must drive a minimum of 90 minutes but not exceed four hours total in both his Nos. 55 and 95 entries to score points.

There’s also been a change in the GTC ranks for this weekend, as IMSA has allowed GRAND-AM and World Challenge-spec Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars to run the 3.8-liter version of Porsche’s Flat 6 power plant. However, as a result, the car’s minimum weight has been increased by 25kg.

With the majority of the teams using Porsche’s new 2010 model Cup car, it remains to be seen if this adjustment will have a huge impact on the battle up front. Both TRG (GRAND-AM Cup car) and GMG Racing (World Challenge Cup car) will likely benefit from the rules change. But how close can they come to the the trio of Alex Job Racing entries, which have been the cars to beat? Saturday’s race could answer a lot of questions after a fascinating start to the 2010 season.
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Dyson Racing Fastest in Morning Practice

Post by mlittle » Sat May 22, 2010 5:20 am

Image

-----Guy Smith put Mazda power out front at its home track with the fastest time in Friday’s first official practice session for the American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Patrón. Dyson Racing’s English ace posted a best lap of 1:14.335 (108.385 mph) in the Lola-Mazda coupe that he will drive with Chris Dyson and Andy Meyrick.

Smith was 0.452 seconds quicker than Patrón Highcroft Racing’s Simon Pagenaud, a winner here last year with Gil de Ferran. The young Frenchman, driving PHR’s HPD ARX-01c with David Brabham and Marino Franchitti, was 0.315 seconds better than Muscle Milk Team CytoSport’s Klaus Graf. The German, teaming with Memo Gidley and Sascha Maassen, was quickest in Thursday’s test session.

In LMPC, Johnny Mowlem was quickest for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports with a lap of 1:19.976 (100.740 mph) in the ORECA FLM09 that he will drive with Tom Papadopolous and Ryan Lewis. The British pilot, a GT class winner at the track in 1999, was nearly a full second clear of Burt Frisselle in one of Level 5 Motorsports’ two entries. Kyle Marcelli was another 0.14 seconds back in Genoa Racing’s entry.

The GT class was a tight battle again. Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Jörg Bergmeister went quickest at 1:23.980 (95.937 mph) in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that he will drive with Patrick Long. Extreme Speed Motorsports’ Johannes van Overbeek was second at 1:24.120 (95.777 mph) in the Ferrari F430 GT that he will drive with Scott Sharp. BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team’s Joey Hand was next up, only 0.064 seconds behind Sharp in the E85-powered BMW M3 GT that he will drive with Dirk Mueller.

Andy Lally, the GT Challenge pole-winner at Long Beach last month, went quickest in class Friday for TRG. His best lap of 1:28.054 (91.948 mph) in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup he’ll drive with Rene Villeneuve and Henri Richard was 0.336 seconds better than Bryce Miller’s Orbit Racing Porsche. Terry Borcheller was another 0.33 seconds back in GMG Racing’s entry.
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Dyson Racing on Point for Saturday's Race

Post by mlittle » Sat May 22, 2010 5:13 pm

Image


Guy Smith gave Mazda power its first overall pole position on its home track Friday. Dyson Racing’s popular Brit set a fast lap of 1:12.338 (111.377 mph) in qualifying for the American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Tequila Patrón. Smith outpaced Muscle Milk Team CytoSport’s Klaus Graf by 1.517 seconds for his first career pole position in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

It also is the first pole position for isobutanol, which is powering the Lola-Mazda coupe that Smith will drive in Saturday’s six-hour race with Chris Dyson and Andy Meyrick. Smith was quickest in Friday’s two practice sessions as the Dyson squad captured its first overall pole position since Butch Leitzinger’s FQ at Portland in 2006. This also marked the first overall pole position for Dunlop in the Series.

“At the beginning of the session, I wanted to put my time in on the fourth or fifth lap,” Smith said. “On the fourth lap, I was in a bunch of traffic and it was all a bit fraught. I got to the Corkscrew and took a breath. Then I tried to get my head down and go. The team said that we were 1.3 seconds behind in P2 and I thought, ‘That’s going to be a lot to overcome.’ So I composed myself, and put down a whole lap. It was great when they told me I was P1.”

Three manufacturers filled the top three spots in LMP qualifying. After Graf – who will drive Muscle Milk’s Porsche RS Spyder with Sascha Maassen and Memo Gidley – was Intersport Racing’s Clint Field with a 1:15.208 (107.127 mph). He will drive Intersport’s Lola B06/10-AER with father Jon and Nikolas Konstant.

Dyson Racing hadn’t been on pole position at Mazda Raceway since 2003. Coincidentally, that was also the last time the team won at the circuit. While a lot can happen in six hours, Smith is hoping it doesn’t.

“Tomorrow, we are looking for a very boring race. We want to just drive around, drive our own race, not make any mistakes,” he said. “The Dunlop tires are really good. We've never run them here; it was a bit of the unknown. We knew they'd be good, but they have exceeded my expectations. Dunlop worked hard in the winter, and worked hard with the Europeans. It's great to show we can battle with the Michelins and the Yokohamas. It's really good competition.”

Jaime Melo took pole in GT for Risi Competizione and Ferrari, just as he did at Mazda Raceway in 2007. His best lap of 1:22.752 (97.361 mph) in the Ferrari F430 GT that he will drive with Gianmaria Bruni was 0.315 seconds quicker than Johannes van Overbeek in the first of Extreme Speed Motorsports’ Ferraris. “I didn’t expect to be that fast, to be honest,” Melo said. “We were struggling with under steer in the practices and we tried many things and got it right just at the end. We have always been close to pole here, but only managed to get it once before so it feels good to get it today.”

Corvettes swept the second row in class, led by Oliver Gavin’s lap of 1:23.482 (96.952 mph) in the Corvette C6.R he will drive with Olivier Beretta. The top eight were within 0.732 seconds, another tight battle in the Series’ toughest class.

Melo and Bruni are the class championship co-leaders with the Flying Lizard Motorsports duo of Patrick Long and Jörg Bergmeister. Their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR qualified eighth. With the extended length of the race, an additional five points are up for grabs in the race; the next bonus race is the season-ending Petit Le Mans in October. “We want to be in good shape and consistent for the race,” Melo said. “I did the maximum for sure. You don’t think too much. You focus on your racing line and don’t make any mistakes.”

Johnny Mowlem won his first American Le Mans Series pole with the fastest lap in LMPC Challenge. He drove PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ ORECA FLM09 to a lap of 1:17.800 (103.558 mph) and a scant 0.171-second advantage over Gunnar Jeannette in G-Oil’s Green Earth Team Gunnar entry.

The PR1/Mathiasen team debuted in the Series at the previous round at Long Beach. Mowlem crashed the car in qualifying, and the team completed just three laps before retiring in the race. Friday was a complete reversal. “I'm delighted to deliver for the team,” said Mowlem, who is teaming with Tom Papadopoulous and Ryan Lewis. “I messed up for them at Long Beach and went from a hero to a zero. The team did a great job of putting everything back together this weekend to give us a great job this race.”

As was the case in GT, qualifying in LMPC was just as close with the fastest four cars with 0.456 seconds. Christophe Bouchut was third in class at 1:18.212 (103.012 mph) for Level 5 Motorsports. He and Scott Tucker are tied in the championship with Jeannette and Elton Julian.

“The car felt very nicely balanced. I think on the old tires it does better than on newer tires,” Mowlem said. “As you push more the tires can begin to grip and I think that's what brought in the time for the pole.”

Black Swan Racing captured its first Series pole position thanks to Jeroen Bleekemolen’s lap of 1:26.934 (92.677 mph). He will drive BSR’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry with brother Sebastiaan and team owner Tim Pappas. Jeroen Bleekemolen bested Alex Job Racing’s Butch Leitzinger by 0.669 seconds.

“We had the free practices earlier with some small problems and I didn’t do many laps,” said Bleekemolen, who set foot at Mazda Raceway for the first time this weekend. “I did 20-25 minutes of the last practice and got some time in the car. Then everything went right in qualifying.”

The former Porsche Supercup champion and LMP2 winner for Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours is taken with the circuit. “The Corkscrew is a lot of fun. The elevation is so high that you feel it in your stomach. We don’t have anything like this in Europe. But right now we think of it as another race track. Andy Lally qualified third for TRG at 1:27.797 (91.766 mph). He will drive with Rene Villeneuve and Henri Richard.
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Post by mlittle » Sat May 22, 2010 5:14 pm

ALMS Six Hours of Monterey Starting Grid

1. Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, Bracken, Yorkshire; Andy Meyrick, Chester; Lola B09 86/Mazda (LMP), 1:12.338, 111.377
2. David Brabham, Maidenhead; Simon Pagenaud, Montmorrillon; Marino Franchitti, Edinburgh, Scotland; HPD ARX-01c (LMP), 1:13.009, 110.354

3. Memo Gidley, San Rafael, CA; Klaus Graf, Dornham; Sascha Maassen, Raeren; Porsche RS Spyder (LMP), 1:13.855, 109.089
4. Nikolas Konstant, Los Angeles, CA; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B06/10 AER (LMP), 1:15.208, 107.127

5. Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Tony Burgess, Toronto; Pierre Ehret, Tegernsee; Lola B06 10/AER (LMP), 1:15.775, 106.325
6. Paul Drayson, London; Jonny Cocker, Guisborough; Emanuele Pirro, Monte Carlo; Lola B09 60/Judd (LMP), 1:16.297, 105.598

7. Johnny Mowlem, London; Tom Papadopoulos, Long Island, NY; Ryan Lewis, Indianapolis, IN; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.800, 103.558
8. Gunnar Jeannette, Salt Lake City, UT; Elton Julian, Los Angeles, CA; Christian Zugel, Holmdel, NJ; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:17.971, 103.331

9. Scott Tucker, Leawood, KS; Christophe Bouchut, France; Mark Wilkins, Toronto, ON; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:18.212, 103.012
10. Tom Sutherland, Los Gatos, CA; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, WI; Kyle Marcelli, Barrie, ON; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:18.256, 102.954

11. Scott Tucker, Leawood, KS; Andy Wallace, England; Burt Frisselle, Kihei, HI; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:21.221, 99.196
12. David Ducote; Brian Wong, Newport Beach, CA; Mitch Pagery, Deerfield Beach, FL; Oreca FLM09 (LMPC), 1:21.446, 98.922

13. Jaime Melo, Milan; Gianmaria Bruni, Rome; Ferrari 430 GT (GT), 1:22.752, 97.361
14. Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Ferrari 430 GT (GT), 1:23.067, 96.992

15. Olivier Beretta, Monte Carlo; Oliver Gavin, Yardley Hastings; Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (GT), 1:23.101, 96.952
16. Jan Magnussen, Roskilde; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 (GT), 1:23.201, 96.835

17. Bill Auberlen, Redondo Beach, CA; Tommy Milner, Leesburg, VA; BMW E92 M3 (GT), 1:23.350, 96.662
18. Dirk Mueller, Monte Carlo; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E92 M3 (GT), 1:23.379, 96.629

19. Ed Brown, Las Vegas, NV; Guy Cosmo, West Palm Beach, FL; Ferrari 430 GT (GT), 1:23.394, 96.611
20. Joerg Bergmeister, Langenfield; Patrick Long, Bellaire, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:23.484, 96.507

21. Bryan Sellers, Braselton, GA; Wolf Henzler, Nuertingen; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:23.991, 95.925
22. David Robertson, Ray, MI; David Murry, Atlanta, GA; Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Design Ford GT (GT), 1:24.750, 95.065

23. Ryan Dalziel, Orlando, FL; Paul Gentilozzi, Grand Ledge, MI; Marc Goossens, Huntersville, NC; Jaguar XKRS (GT), 1:26.381, 93.271
24. Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX; Nic Jonsson, Buford, GA; Ferrari 430 GT (GT), 1:26.708, 92.919

25. Tim Pappas, Boston, MA; Jeroen Bleekemolen, Monte Carlo; Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, Haarlem; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:26.934, 92.677
26. Juan Gonzalez; Butch Leitzinger, Rebersburg, PA; Rudy Junco Jr., Monterrey; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.603, 91.969

27. Henri Richard, Los Altos Hills, CA; Andy Lally, New York, NY; Rene Villeneuve, Woodland Hills, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.797, 91.766
28. Shane Lewis, Jupiter, FL; Jerry Vento, West Palm Beach, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:27.950, 91.607

29. Bryce Miller, Summit, NJ; John McMullen, Spring Lake, NJ; Luke Hines, Essex; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:28.126, 91.424
30. Bret Curtis, Valencia, CA; James Sofronas, Newport Beach, CA; Terry Borcheller, Vero Beach, FL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:28.171, 91.377

31. Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Timo Bernhard, Dittweiler; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (GT), 1:28.481, 91.057
32. Robert Rodriguez, Zephyr Cove, NY; Galen Bieker, Burbank, CA; Kris Wilson, Huntington Beach, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:28.590, 90.945

33. Bill Sweedler, Westport, CT; Romeo Kapudija, Lincolnwood, IL; Jan-Dirk Lueders, Barrington Hills, IL; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:29.360, 90.161
34. Ricardo Gonzalez, Mexico; Luis Diaz, Mexico City; Rudy Junco Jr., Monterrey; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:29.547, 89.973

35. Loren Beggs, Montclair, CA; Doug Baron, Pacific Palisades, CA; Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (GTC), 1:29.701, 89.818
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Post by mlittle » Fri May 28, 2010 10:49 am

Current American LeMans Series Standings


~~~LMP Standings
----LMP Drivers' Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]David Brabham, 71 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Simon Pagenaud, 71 pts(2 wins)
3rd} Klaus Graf, 67 pts(1 win)
4th} Chris Dyson, 54 pts
t-5th}[5]Sascha Maasen, 51 pts(1 win)
t-5th}[6]Marino Franchitti, 51 pts
7th} Greg Pickett, 46 pts(1 win)
8th} Andy Meyrick, 41 pts
t-9th}[9]Paul Drayson, 38 pts
t-9th}[10]Jonny Cocker, 38 pts
----LMP Chassis Standings
1st} HPD, 71 pts(2 wins)
2nd} Porsche, 67 pts(1 win)
3rd} Lola, 61 pts
----LMP Engine Standings
1st} HPD, 71 pts(2 wins)
2nd} Porsche, 67 pts
3rd} Mazda, 54 pts
4th} Judd, 38 pts
5th} AER, 25 pts

~~~LMP Challenge Standings
----LMPC Drivers' Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]Scott Tucker, 71 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Christophe Bouchut, 71 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[3]Gunnar Jeanrette, 64 pts(1 win)
t-3rd}[4]Elton Julian, 64 pts(1 win)
5th} Tom Sutherland, 57 pts
6th} Mark Wilkins, 55 pts(1 win)
7th} Kyle Marcelli, 49 pts
8th} Christian Zugel, 44 pts
t-9th}[9]Mitch Pagerey, 43 pts
t-9th}[10]Brian Wong, 43 pts

~~~GT Standings
----GT Drivers' Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]Jorg Bergmeister, 65 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Patrick Long, 65 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[3]Jaime Melo, 55 pts(1 win)
t-3rd}[4]Gianmaria Bruni, 55 pts(1 win)
t-5th}[5]Dirk Muller, 52 pts
t-5th}[6]Joey Hand, 52 pts
t-7th}[7]Bill Auberlen, 47 pts
t-7th}[8]Tommy Milner, 47 pts
t-9th}[9]Jan Magnussen, 40 pts
t-9th}[10]Johnny O'Connell, 40 pts
----GT Manufacturers' Standings
1st} Porsche, 65 pts(2 wins)
2nd} BMW, 60 pts
3rd} Ferrari, 55 pts
4th} Chevrolet, 47 pts
5th} Ford, 18 pts

~~~GTC Standings
----GTC Drivers' Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]Butch Leitzinger, 68 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Juan Gonzalez, 68 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[3]Bill Sweedler, 48 pts
t-3rd}[4]Romeo Kapudjia, 48 pts
t-5th}[5]Ricardo Gonzalez, 42 pts
t-5th}[6]Luis Diaz, 42 pts
t-7th}[7]Shane Lewis, 39 pts
t-7th}[8]Henri Richard, 39 pts
t-7th}[9]Andy Lally, 39 pts
10th} Jan-Dirk Lueders, 35 pts
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Utah Preview

Post by mlittle » Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:05 am

Image

-----After a seven-week early summer break for teams competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the American Le Mans Series is back in action with Sunday’s Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park. A departure from the event’s traditional May date, this weekend’s round in the Salt Lake state will be a scorcher, both with forecasted temperatures reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the battles likely to unfold in all four categories on the track.

Two races into the new combined LMP format, it appears IMSA has gotten the equivalency ratio nearly perfected. While both races have gone in the favor of Patron Highcroft Racing’s LMP2-spec HPD ARX-01c, the 90-minute sprint at Long Beach and the six-hour enduro at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca produced close-fought racing amongst the leading prototypes.

Clint Field put on a commanding performance at Laguna until the Intersport Racing Lola’s engine expired just short of the one-hour mark, while all three P2-spec machines from Team CytoSport, Dyson Racing and eventual race winners Highcroft led at one point, too. More of the same can be expected this weekend in the series’ first two-hour and 45-minute race of the season. IMSA, though, has taken the opportunity to make a small balance of performance adjustment, as Team CytoSport’s RS Spyder has been given a 25kg weight break. How that will play out remains to be seen, especially on MMP’s 3.048-mile, 15-turn Outer Course.

With the 4,000-feet altitude playing in Mazda’s favor with its two-liter turbo, could Dyson Racing be the next team to break into victory lane? Reliability issues have plagued the No. 16 Lola B09/86 this season, but a strong run put in at Laguna Seca proved that Guy Smith and Chris Dyson have a package capable of winning. Sunday could be their day. But if it is, it won’t likely be a runaway victory. Patron Highcroft Racing, fresh from its maiden trip to Le Mans, can’t be counted out of any race it enters and head in as one of the race favorites.

David Brabham and Simon Pagenaud hold a four-point lead over CytoSport’s Klaus Graf, who is rejoined by team owner Greg Pickett this weekend after the veteran driver stepped out of the cockpit at Laguna Seca due to business commitments. With the above-mentioned weight break for the RS Spyder, the California-based team could also play a factor.

There’s also no doubt Intersport’s Lola will dice things up in the race, too, especially in the early stages. Jon Field is no stranger to being up front in Utah, having used the 3,500-feet front straightaway as a launch pad for his twin-turbo AER in years past. After leading at both races its started this year, it would be more of a surprise to not see the No. 37 up front in the opening laps.

But the dark horse this weekend could be the Drayson Racing Lola B09/60 Judd. In a late move due to a non-motorsport related foot injury, Paul Drayson has stepped out of the cockpit. Replacing him is none other than Emanuele Pirro, the team’s endurance driver, pairing with Jonny Cocker. The formidable duo could surprise, depending on how quickly they come to grip with circuit and conditions.

While there’s three, possibly four, legitimate contenders for the overall win, the battle for GT honors will likely be a five or six-horse affair. With wins at Long Beach and Laguna Seca, Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long hold a 10-point lead over in the title race over Sebring victors Risi Competizione with drivers Jamie Melo and Gimmi Bruni.

But as seen in the opening rounds, the factory BMW and Corvettes can’t be counted out of the fight either, as both are itching for their first win of the season. BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team has perhaps been the closest, scoring podium finishes in all three races. A final restart pass by Long cost the No. 90 BMW of Joey Hand and Dirk Muller victory at Laguna, while the pair of Corvettes hasn’t yet been in ultimate contention for the win this year.

It had appeared the Pratt & Miller squad would break through at Le Mans, after a commanding performance put the two C6.Rs out front in the twice-around-the-clock classic. But engine failures, coupled with an earlier crash by the No. 64 machine, knocked Corvette out of the race. If the heartbreak from Le Mans hasn’t set a fire underneath the squad, who knows what will.

And with this weekend kickstarting the summer stretch, with five races over the next eight weeks, it’s important for teams like Corvette to rebound and lay a solid foundation for the run to the season-ending Petit Le Mans in October. After all, the championship is on the line, and the No. 3 duo of Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell are only 25 points out.

There’s one team that won’t be caring about points, though, and that’s the No. 61 Risi Ferrari, which has Ferrari Formula One reserve driver Giancarlo Fisichella and Finnish ace Toni Vilander at the wheel this weekend. It’s currently a one-off race for the pairing, which normally compete in the European-based Le Mans Series with AF Corse.

Other changes from last round include the withdrawal of the Genoa Racing Oreca FLM09, which sits third in the LMPC point standings with podium finishes in all three races to date. With the Primetime entry again another no-show, it means only five LMPCs will take the start.

Scott Tucker, fresh from his Le Mans debut at the wheel of an Audi R10 TDI, returns with co-driver Christophe Bouchut as Level 5 Motorsports continues its pursuit of the LMPC title. The duo currently hold a six-point lead over Gunnar Jeannette in the Green Earth Team Gunnar entry in second. While the spec prototype category is bolstered by the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports machine again, which will be driven by Alex Figge and Max Hyatt this weekend, the GTC class again features a maxed-out field of 10 cars.

After putting in a dominating performance at Laguna Seca, Black Swan Racing will be in search of its second class victory of the season. But don’t count out the armada of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars from the Alex Job Racing stables, which currently head the point standings after wins at Sebring and Long Beach.
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Drayson Racing Fastest on Friday

Post by mlittle » Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:07 am

Image


----Emanuele Pirro put Drayson Racing at the top of the timesheets for the first time in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón with a lap of 1:36.295 in testing for the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix on Friday. The Italian star, a late driver substitution for injured team owner Paul Drayson, set his time on the 20th of the Lola B09/60-Judd’s 25 laps around Miller Motorsports Park.



Pirro, an overall winner at Utah with the Audi factory team in 2006, will drive the closed-top prototype with Drayson regular Jonny Cocker. The five-time Le Mans winner was the team’s third driver at Sebring, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this year.



The Drayson entry led a sweep of the top three times for Lola chassis. Chris Dyson was second-quickest at 1:36.748 in the Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupe that he will drive with Guy Smith. The Dyson entry is running in Castrol colors for the first time this year. Smith had set the early pace before Cocker, Dyson and Pirro swapped fast laps.
 Intersport Racing’s Jon Field was third quickest at 1:36.909. He will drive Intersport’s Lola B06/10-AER with son Clint. The top three cars were separated by just 0.614 seconds.



G-Oil’s Green Earth Team Gunnar went quickest in LMP Challenge, courtesy of Gunnar Jeannette’s lap of 1:43.682 in the ORECA FLM09 that he will drive with Christian Zugel. The former Panoz factory pilot was 1.171 seconds clear of Level 5 Motorsports’ Christophe Bouchut; he will drive with team owner Scott Tucker.

 This is the first race or the new LMPC class at Miller Motorsports Park, and the cars were impressive in their first time out. Only 0.963 seconds separated the second- through fifth-placed cars in class. Level 5’s second entry was third fastest with Andy Wallace’s lap of 1:45.229.


Risi Competizione’s Gimmi Bruni set the fastest time in GT with a lap of 1:47.442 in the Ferrari F430 GT that he will drive with Jaime Melo. Bruni led a Risi 1-2 in the standings with Toni Vilander only 0.873 seconds back in the Ferrari he will drive with current Ferrari Formula 1 reserve driver Giancarlo Fisichella. Both Vilander and Fisichella are competing at Miller Motorsports Park for the first time, and Fisichella is racing in the U.S. for the first time since the F1 2007 US Grand Prix.

 Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Jörg Bergmeister was third in class with a lap of 1:48.534 in the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR that he will share with Patrick Long. Bergmeister is the only driver in the field to win more than once in the Series at Utah, and the Bergmeister/Long pairing won last year’s race.


In GT Challenge, Bryce Miller was fastest for Orbit Racing in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car that he will drive with Luke Hines. Miller was a scant 0.055 seconds better than Butch Leitzinger’s best lap in one of three Alex Job Racing cars.

 The GTC class was the tightest of the day with the top seven cars within 0.987 seconds. Jeroen Bleekemolen, who won with brother Sebastiaan and Black Swan Racing team owner Tim Pappas, was third quickest in class Friday at 1:55.038.


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Pagenaud On Point at MMP

Post by mlittle » Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:08 pm

(from SA, 10 July 2010)
Image


----Simon Pagenaud captured his second straight pole position at the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix on Saturday. The sterling Frenchman set a best lap of 1:34.350 (116.229 mph) in Patrón Highcroft Racing’s HPD ARX-01c that he will drive with David Brabham. Pagenaud, who won the race last year with Gil de Ferran, outpaced Drayson Racing’s Jonny Cocker and his Lola B09/60-Judd coupe by 0.536 seconds. In last year’s race, Pagenaud won the race, pole position and set the fastest race lap. Yep, he likes it here.

“It’s great to be back. This is a very beautiful track,” said Pagenaud, who shares the LMP championship lead with teammate Brabham after victories in the last two races. “I just love how the car reacts here in the high-speed corners and the chicane. I love pretty much everything about this track. I don't know why I am so quick here.”

It ultimately doesn’t matter as long as it keeps up. The pole position may have come as a bit of surprise as the high altitude at Miller Motorsports Park puts the normally aspirated cars such as the Patrón Highcroft HPD ARX-01c at a slight disadvantage compared to the turbo-powered prototypes. The lack of pressure means air can’t be forced as quickly into the engine of the non-turbo cars.

But that’s why they hold qualifying, as the saying goes. Despite the slight disadvantage, non-turbo cars qualified first, second and fourth on the grid with turbos third and fifth. After the Drayson Lola which Cocker will share with 2006 overall race-winner Emanuele Pirro, Dyson Racing’s Mazda-powered Lola B09/86 coupe was third fastest thanks to Chris Dyson’s lap of 1:34.909 (115.614 mph). He will drive with Guy Smith.

“We tried to run a no-downforce setup to keep up with the Dyson’s top speed,” Pagenaud said. “We are usually so quick in the corners and we had to give some of that up. In just a few hours, we've made such a big improvement. Hats of to the team, we showed up with a completely different package and had to adjust.

“We won't be P1 in the corner at the start, I can tell you that right now,” he added. “But we’ll spend the least amount of time in the pits and rely on our team, crew and David to keep going quicker and quicker. Our strategy and fuel saving will be the key because the start will be dramatic.”

Gunnar Jeannette captured his second LMP Challenge pole in four races with a lap of 1:42.592 (106.956 mph) in G-Oil’s Green Earth Team Gunnar ORECA FLM09. A resident of the Salt Lake City area, Jeannette was 0.210 seconds quicker than Level 5 Motorsports’ Christophe Bouchut. GETG and Level 5 sit 1-2 in the class championship with Level 5 winning two races to GETG’s one. But Jeannette leads the class with two pole positions.

“This is fantastic. If I could pick two tracks I wanted to be on pole it would be Sebring and here,” Jeannette said. “This is my backyard so I’m ecstatic to be on pole. So far so good!” Jeannette has been the quickest driver in class in all four sessions so far – Friday’s test, and Saturday’s two practices and qualifying. He said his familiarity with the circuit certainly didn’t hurt, especially as the LMPC cars are racing at Utah for the first time.

“We've been struggling for grip all weekend,” he said. “It’s really tricky in a prototype; you sit very low and even with just a bit of elevation changes it’s kind of hard to see. On such a race that’s only two hours, 45 minutes, the farther up you are the better off you'll be. Some of the sections are tough to get by the GTs or GTCs because our top speeds are so similar. So if we don’t get a good run on them, it's very difficult.” Alex Figge qualified third in the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entry that he will drive with Max Hyatt. The car’s best lap was a 1:43.115 (106.413 mph).

Gimmi Bruni led a 1-2 qualifying effort for Ferrari with his second career pole in the Series. The Italian turned a lap of 1:47.667 (101.914 mph) for Risi Competizione in the car he will drive with Jaime Melo. It was a tightly contested session with Bruni only 0.062 seconds better than Johannes van Overbeek in one of Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferraris. Jörg Bergmeister qualified third for Flying Lizard Motorsports and Porsche at 1:47.921 (101.674 mph).

“This track is very, very good,” said Bruni, who has never raced at MMP before. “I started driving here last week with the two days testing. I'm really comfortable with the track. We've been really good from yesterday to qualifying. It was a mess getting caught with some GTCs, but you wait and you can get the good clear road. I was hoping for more of a gap but for sure it will make for a really good race tomorrow.”

Especially if the race pace is as close as the qualifying pace. The top eight cars in class were within 0.883 seconds, quite remarkable given the expansive circuit layout. “Ferrari brought me here with Jamie to battle with all of the other manufacturers,” Bruni said. “ We're fighting against all the other cars and putting in a lot of effort. If you win, you win. If you lose, you learn how to improve. It’s the best drivers, best teams and best manufactures. I’m so happy to be here.” All four of the Ferraris are running on cellulosic E85 for the first time this weekend. In all, the top eight cars were all running on the biofuel.

In GT Challenge, Jeroen Bleekemolen earned his second straight pole position in class with a lap of 1:54.641 (95.714 mph) in Black Swan Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Bleekemolen and team owner Tim Pappas led for the entire six-hour round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the Series’ last race. “It’s all about learning new tracks since they are all new to me,” Bleekemolen said. “We struggled a bit. The other cars did a two-day test here but it was really good. I can't complain. This place is really nice, very fast. There is a lot of room for errors which makes you push really hard but you can get away with it.”

Bleekemolen, a former Porsche Supercup champion and LMP2 champion at the Le Mans 24 Hours, was only 0.312 seconds better than Orbit Racing’s Bryce Miller who was quickest in Saturday morning’s practice and Friday’s test session. Alex Job Racing’s Luis Diaz was only 0.001 seconds behind Miller. Much like in GT, the gap between the top cars was small. Only 0.975 seconds separated the eight fastest cars.

“A few mistakes can cost you two- or three-tenths with our cars,” he said. “You have to be focused the whole time. By not making mistakes is what gives you the best time.”
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Highcroft Wins in Utah!

Post by mlittle » Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:48 pm

(from SU, 11 July 2010)


-----Patrón Highcroft Racing scored its third consecutive victory in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón on Sunday with a hard-fought victory in the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix. Simon Pagenaud drove the final 1:45 in the team’s HPD ARX-01c, and the Patrón Highcroft crew took advantage of a quick final pit stop to beat Drayson Racing’s Emanuele Pirro to the line by 19.116 seconds at Miller Motorsports Park.

“Coming in to this weekend we knew it would be the toughest race, so that’s what makes it so satisfying - having a package that is not as appealing as others on paper,” said David Brabham, Pagenaud’s teammate who drove the opening stint. “So to come here a bit against the odds shows what’s so special with this great team. We were trying to decide what to do (for the last stop). We could watch what the others were going to do. We asked Simon if they (the Michelin tires) could go another 20 minutes and he said they'd do just fine and they did.”

Pagenaud, who qualified on pole position, and Brabham haven’t lost since the Long Beach round in April. Sunday’s victory was a hard-fought one considering a couple of disadvantages for the Patrón Highcroft car. The high altitude and long front-straight favored the bigger cars like the Drayson Lola-Judd and the turbocharged prototypes in the field.

No problem for PHR’s dynamic duo, especially with quick pit work. The team’s final stop was 18 seconds quicker than the final stop for Drayson. Pagenaud pitted 19 minutes later, and the Patrón Highcroft crew short-filled the fuel tank. As a result, the team gained 18 seconds worth of advantage. “Thanks to the PHR team for what they did in the pits,” Pagenaud said. “We were a bit loose from the lack of rear wing but we got it back toward the end. I kept pushing and kept pushing to make good lap times and I could then take the lead again during pit stops. Being able to take the win is just amazing.”

Brabham started in the car from the point but got shuffled back to fifth place by the first turn due to the massive frontstretch that allowed the bigger engines to outpace the ARX-01c. But the pit work and the HPD’s advantage in the corners helped erase what had been a nearly 15-second lead for Pirro in the closed-top coupe. He and Jonny Cocker led twice for 32 laps. Brabham and Pagenaud combined to lead three times for 36 laps.

“The pit stop again was amazing, it rocketed us into the lead,” Brabham said. “If we were a bit more back it would have made it extra difficult for Simon. Hats of to the Patrón Highcroft team for coming back after the start and winning this race.” The pairing also increased their championship lead in LMP to 11 points over Muscle Milk Team CytoSport’s Klaus Graf. He and Greg Pickett placed third, 90 seconds behind the winning car.

The Level 5 Motorsports duo of Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker won for the third time in LMP Challenge. Bouchut crossed the finish line in the first of Level 5’s two ORECA FLM09s a lap ahead of Gunnar Jeannette in Green Earth Team Gunnar’s entry. Bouchut and Tucker lead Jeannette, who drove with Christian Zugel, by 11 points in the class championship.

“It was a really good race. Scott did a good job to open and it was important to watch the tires,” said Bouchut, who led for the majority of his stint. “The car was really good all weekend and very easy to drive. Sometimes you make mistakes because you are not focused on what you are doing. I decided to drive easy sometimes and made some mistakes and then regained my focus. It’s easy to get in to the trap of then pushing too hard and making risky moves.”

As has been the case at each event this season, LMPC teams had to adjust to a track on which many had not raced and that the ORECA FLM09 had never turned a lap. With four races in the course of six weeks, the team that can adapt the quickest will have the biggest advantage. So far, that has been Level 5.

“This really goes back to our team,” said team owner Tucker. “They take a lot of time preparing our cars. We’ve had to make a few modifications to handle endurance racing. Overall we’ve been very fortunate to be where we are. My hat’s off to them. Our team is going to be back at home base for two days over the next 45 days. We have to keep those guys focused and happy.”

Max Hyatt and Alex Figge placed third in class for PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. The duo, racing together for the first time, led in LMPC early and finished on the same lap as the GETG entry.

Risi Competizione won its second race of the season in GT with a victory for Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni. The first of Risi’s red Ferrari F430 GT was 21 seconds clear of BMW Rahal Letterman Racing’s second-place BMW M3 GTR of Bill Auberlen and Tommy Milner.

It was the first victory for Bruni and Melo since a season-opening victory at Sebring in March when they teamed with Pierre Kaffer. Bruni qualified on the class pole position and swapped the lead in the early goings with the BMW before he and Melo settled into a steady and consistent rhythm. It was something that had been missing at Long Beach and Mazda Raceway earlier this year.

“We needed this victory,” said Bruni, who won in his first race at Miller Motorsports Park. “Jaime and I have had such bad luck the last two or three months, wherever we’ve been. We’ve had three consecutive pole positions in the ALMS and more in Europe but we had to win - we couldn’t finish second. We dominated every practice, qualifying and the race, leading unless because of a pit stop. We had to win, there’s no question about it.”

The victory moved Melo and Bruni into the class championship lead by two points over Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Jörg Bergmeister and Patrick Long. They were fifth in their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

“I drove the last hour and a half so it was quiet warm, but the tires were so good and very impressive,” said Melo, who won for Risi at the circuit in 2006. “It was important for us, especially after the bad result in Le Mans. It’s really important (to have a second Risi car in the race)… It would be beneficial for the rest of the year. I think there were the four Ferraris in the top 10. So that is great for Ferrari and great for Michelin, a good showing for both brands.”

Corvette Racing’s Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell placed third in class. Four manufacturers – Ferrari, BMW, Chevrolet and Porsche – made up the GT top-five.

Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tim Pappas won their second straight GT Challenge race for Black Swan Racing. Bleekemolen finished nearly a full minute ahead of TRG’s Andy Lally and Henri Richard, who were hampered late by a penalty for a pitlane infraction. The Black Swan car took advantage of a separate pit strategy that resulted in the Porsche stopping one less time than the TRG entry, which made the difference.

“The guys at Black Swan have been spending a lot of time working hard with a lot of preparation,” said team owner Pappas. “We chased our tails a little bit on the test day but things really came together on the test day and Jeroen put in a great lap for qualifying. For me, there was pressure starting out front. Some teams stopped early and I was able to stay out for awhile. The team consistently did the fastest pit stops of our class. When you’re beating everyone in the pits by 20-30 seconds, that makes a big difference.”

Black Swan led the entire six-hour race at Mazda Raceway to earn its initial win. A repeat performance would have been unrealistic, Bleekemolen said but the biggest goal ended up being the end result.

“I had a great stint. I had the car in the lead and was able to keep it there for a long time,” the Dutch driver said. “We were on a little different strategy than the others so we weren’t going to lead the whole way. I was pretty disappointed when (the World Cup final) was tied after 90 minutes and I had to get in the car. There are probably a lot of people back home who are crushed. But I’m very happy with our win. It’s much more important to me to win this race!”

Alex Job Racing’s Butch Leitzinger and Juan Gonzalez had finished second but were excluded in post-race inspections following a ride-height violation. TRG moved to second, and the WERKS II entry of Robert Rodriguez and Galen Bieker placed third. Leitzinger and Gonzalez still retained their championship lead in the class.
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Post by mlittle » Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:26 pm

Current American LeMans Series Standings



~~~LMP Standings
---LMP Drivers Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]David Brabham, 91 pts(3 wins)
t-1st}[2]Simon Pagenaud, 91 pts(3 wins)
3rd} Klaus Graf, 80 pts(1 win)
4th} Chris Dyson, 60 pts
5th} Greg Pickett, 59 pts
t-6th}[6]Jonny Cocker, 54 pts(1 win)
t-6th}[7]Guy Smith, 54 pts
t-8th}[8]Sascha Maassen, 51 pts(1 win)
t-8th}[9]Marino Franchitti, 51 pts
10th} Emanuele Pirro, 46 pts(1 win)
---LMP Chassis Standings
1st} HPD, 91 pts(3 wins)
2nd} Porsche, 80 pts(1 win)
3rd} Lola, 77 pts
---LMP Engine Standings
1st} HPD, 91 pts(3 wins)
2nd} Porsche, 80 pts(1 win)
3rd} Mazda, 60 pts
4th} Judd, 54 pts
5th} AER, 35 pts

~~~LMP Challenge Standings
t-1st}[1]Scott Tucker, 91 pts(3 wins)
t-1st}[2]Christophe Bouchut, 91 pts(3 wins)
3rd} Gunnar Jeannette, 80 pts(1 win)
4th} Elton Julian, 64 pts(1 win)
5th} Tom Sutherland, 57 pts
6th} Mark Wilkins, 55 pts
7th} Kyle Marcelli, 49 pts
t-8th}[8]Mitch Pagerey, 43 pts
t-8th}[9]Brian Wong, 43 pts
10th} J.R. Hildebrand, 36 pts

~~~GT Standings
---GT Drivers Standings(top-10)
t-1st}[1]Jaime Melo, 75 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Gianmaria Bruni, 75 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[3]Jorg Bergmeister, 73 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[4]Patrick Long, 73 pts(2 wins)
t-5th}[5]Bill Auberlen, 63 pts
t-5th}[6]Tommy Milner, 63 pts
t-7th}[7]Dirk Muller, 62 pts
t-7th}[8]Joey Hand, 62 pts
t-9th}[9]Jan Magnussen, 53 pts
t-9th}[10]Johnny O'Connell, 53 pts
---GT Manufacturers' Standings
1st} BMW, 76 pts
2nd} Ferrari, 75 pts(2 wins)
3rd} Porsche, 73 pts(2 wins)
4th} Chevrolet, 60 pts
5th} Ford, 18 pts

~~GT Challenge Standings
t-1st}[1]Butch Leitzinger, 68 pts(2 wins)
t-1st}[2]Juan Gonzalez, 68 pts(2 wins)
t-3rd}[3]Henri Richard, 55 pts
t-3rd}[4]Andy Lally, 55 pts
t-5th}[5]Bill Sweedler, 51 pts
t-5th}[6]Romeo Kapudjia, 51 pts
7th} Shane Lewis, 49 pts
t-8th}[8]Tim Pappas, 48 pts(2 wins)
t-8th}[9]Jeroen Bleekemolen, 48 pts(2 wins)
t-10th}[10]Robert Rodriquex, 47 pts
t-10th}[11]Galen Bieker, 47 pts
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Michelin Goes Asymetrical For Lime Rock..........

Post by mlittle » Thu Jul 22, 2010 5:50 pm

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-----The closest thing to an oval track on the American Le Mans Series schedule, Connecticut’s picturesque Lime Rock Park provides a truly unique venue and one that requires an innovative approach by Michelin and its technical partner teams.

"The keys to success at Lime Rock are choosing the right tires for each corner of the car and finding the right balance of performance for all of the variables that the track throws at you,” said Karl Koenigstein, Michelin ALMS technical team leader. “You can’t afford to compromise on a set-up at Lime Rock because it is so easy to go a lap down."

Lime Rock is both the shortest and quickest track of the ALMS season. The nature of the 1.53-mile track means that teams must be aggressive through every inch of the track to maintain, gain, or protect track position, especially in traffic in the record 36-car field.

The character and flow of the track, with a clockwise direction and mostly right hand turns means that a simply standard road racing set up and tire choice may not be successful. "If you set up for the predominately right hand turns, you will be vulnerable on the lefts and the chicanes. If you go with too soft a tire compound, you will be vulnerable on longer runs," said Koenigstein. "That is why I expect that most of our Michelin technical partner teams will choose an asymmetric approach on tire compounds, or camber settings or tire pressures to help find the right balance of performance for the race."

Points will be at a premium at Lime Rock as the two-hour 45-minute ALMS Northeast Grand Prix (July 24) marks the mid-point of the 2010 American Le Mans Series with championship battles fully joined and a post Le Mans schedule packing five events into an eight-week span.

A deep and powerful GT category championship battle is especially tight as Risi Ferrari’s Jaime Melo and Gianmaria Bruni moved into the driver championship lead at the recent Utah Grand Prix over previous leaders, Flying Lizard Porsche’s Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long. Despite both teams' success, it is the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team that leads the GT class manufacturers' championship.
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Highcroft on point in Lime Rock

Post by mlittle » Sun Jul 25, 2010 1:43 pm

Image

Patrón Highcroft Racing’s David Brabham won a stunning wet qualifying session Friday at Lime Rock Park for his second overall pole position in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. Brabham turned in a best lap of 58.106 (92.934 mph) in the HPD ARX-01c that he will drive with Simon Pagenaud. He outpaced Muscle Milk Team CytoSport’s Klaus Graf by 0.64 seconds.

Brabham and Patrón Highcroft scored their first overall victory in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón two years ago at Lime Rock. He and Pagenaud currently are on a three-race win streak and lead the LMP championship. And oh yes…Patrón Highcroft is on home ground this weekend. So far, so good for Danbury’s finest.

“We have a lot of family and friends and a lot of guests from Patrón and GE. So it was nice to go out and get the pole position,” Brabham said. “We don't run too much in the wet. We couldn't remember the last time we did. It was certainly tough in these conditions.” “These conditions” were periods of light to moderate rain during the morning and afternoon. By the time the prototypes began their qualifying session, the rain had stopped but the track still remained damp throughout.

“We really had to fight the car sometimes and snap back,” Brabham said. “As the track dried, the car was changing and we made some adjustments to get rid of the understeer I was having. So the team did a great job getting us the pole. I knew Klaus would be our closest competition. They have less weight, more downforce - we've moved to the lower downforce - we were certainly up against him and these conditions. Like I said before the whole team is getting stronger and stronger and this was a fantastic performance by the team.”

And Brabham rewarded his crew with five of the six fastest laps in the session. Graf’s best lap was a 58.746 (91.921 mph) in the Porsche RS Spyder that he will share with team owner Greg Pickett. Dyson Racing’s Guy Smith sat third with a lap of 59.951 in the Mazda-powered Lola coupe that he will drive with Chris Dyson.

Christophe Bouchut picked up his second LMP Challenge pole of the season for Level 5 Motorsports. His best lap of 1:03.020 (85.687 mph) was just 0.567 seconds better than Intersport Racing’s Kyle Marcelli, who will drive with Brian Wong.

Bouchut, who leads the class with Level 5 teammate and team owner Scott Tucker has never raced at Lime Rock, and neither has the ORECA FLM09. But there were no problems for either in qualifying.

“On this track for sure, it is not easy for overtaking especially coming from Europe,” Bouchut said. “It is one of those particular aspects you have to play with. You have to find the slower corners to overtake; that is the key here. It is really, really hard. When it is raining, it makes execution even worse. The weather changing also changes the setup. But we'll never really know. So we just have to stay on the track. (Saturday) will be difficult because we have not been able to test the car in really dry conditions. So we'll have to adjust very quickly. But again, that will be the same for everybody.”

Through four rounds, the Bouchut/Tucker duo has established itself as the pairing to beat. They won at Sebring, Mazda Raceway and Utah, and were second in class at Long Beach. Bouchut, an overall winner at Le Mans in 1993, has posted the fastest LMPC lap in each of the last three races in addition to his Long Beach pole position.

“It’s all a combination of the car, driver and team,” he said. “Everything is working so well. I think that is also why we are leading the championship. We worked really hard in all of the practices for the setup. I was pushing the maximum and the results were great.”

Alex Figge, driving PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ entry with Tom Papadopoulos, qualified third in class at 1:04.082 (84.267 mph).

Patrick Long earned his second Lime Rock pole position with a lap of 1:03.904 (84.502 mph) in one of Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs. Porsche’s lone American factory driver was the class pole-winner in 2005 and will go for his third victory at the circuit Saturday with teammate Jörg Bergmeister.

Porsche will start first and second in class for the second time this season; the German marque was 1-2 on the grid in the season-opening race at Sebring. It also hasn’t lost at Lime Rock since 2004.

“It's fast and it’s dangerous. Racing at Lime Rock is very, very challenging,” Long said, “especially across all of the classes. I really like the fact that it’s really technical. You have to concentrate on your steering and work with your aero, so there's a big aspect to setup and style. The rain is one of those things that is the same for everybody. I feel like Michelin puts us in a class of our own when it comes to rain tires. Jörg has been really working hard on the set-up and gave me a really good car.”

Wolf Henzler qualified second in class for Team Falken Tire in its Porsche that he will share with Bryan Sellers. Henzler, a winner in GT2 at Le Mans this year, set a best lap of 104.378 (83.880 mph). Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo was third in one of the team’s two Ferrari F430 GTs at 1:04.391 (83.863 mph). He will drive with Gimmi Bruni, a Lime Rock rookie.

Five different teams were in the top-seven, a testament to what is the most difficult class in the Series. “It’s been tough racing in the last couple of races, so hopefully tomorrow will be a better day,” Long said. “I think the competition recently shows the depth of GT. On a bad day, instead of having a third or fourth at worst, you're in seventh or eighth. Just losing a few positions can really change the championship standings. But that also means more gratifying victories.”

Jeroen Bleekemolen captured his third straight GT Challenge pole position with a best lap of 1:08.129 (79.261 mph) in Black Swan Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry. The Dutch pilot was on the class pole at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Miller Motorsports Park, and was the fastest qualifier in the team’s 2010 debut at Long Beach before the car was moved to the back of the grid due to a technical infraction.

The Bleekemolen/Pappas duo went flag-to-flag for a six-hour victory in Monterey and won again two weeks ago at Utah. Bleekemolen, a past LMP2 winner at the Le Mans 24 Hours and Porsche Supercup champion, is racing at Lime Rock for the first time. The circuit is the home track for Pappas and Black Swan, however.

“It was a great session and great day for us,” he said. “The weather made it interesting… to see how much the conditions were changing from second to second. You had to be aware of that during qualifying. You never knew what was going to happen. The traffic was not so bad. But we are the slowest class and it’s so hard to overtake here as there is not a lot of places to get by.

Bleekemolen qualified 0.604 seconds ahead of TRG’s Andy Lally, who will drive with Henri Richard. Velox Motorsport’s Shane Lewis was third at 1:09.689 (77.487 mph). Lally and Richard sit second in the class championship and could take the points lead with a good showing. But a third straight win for Black Swan might put Bleekemolen and Pappas near the top as well.

“It's going to be very hard for the championship,” Bleekemolen said. “We weren't at Sebring and then we didn't score at all at Long Beach. But we'll never give up until there is no hope anymore.”
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