Corvette Racing (Photo Credit: Richard Prince/Corvette Racing Photo)

 As the 60^th Anniversary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring draws nearer, Corvette Racing have a pair of potential aces up their sleeves to pilot the new Compuware Corvette C6.Rs. 

The No. 3 Corvette C6.R will retain Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia as full-season pilots while adding Jordan Taylor as a third for the team’s endurance efforts (Sebring, Le Mans, and Petit Le Mans). The No.4 C6.R will see the duties split between Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, and Richard Westbrook.  Westbrook will participate in the three endurance events.

GM Racing Director, Mark Kent shares the team philosophy and review of off season number crunching, “As part of our comprehensive review of Corvette Racing, we considered every element of the program, from the chassis and engine to the driver pairings. Preseason testing and data analysis suggest that a revised driver alignment could improve the team’s overall performance.  Certainly physical size is a factor in minimizing the time required for driver changes during pit stops, but we also evaluated other drivers’ individual styles and their preferences on chassis setups. With these pairings, we can minimize compromises and maximize driver confidence.”

Kent went on to add, “This new alignment also combines experienced and younger drivers.  We expect veteran drivers to mentor the younger drivers, accelerating the process of learning and development.”

The shuffling of drivers has not been a major upset and drivers are getting promotions within the team.   The 38 year old Magnussen returns to the No. 3 Corvette C6.R that he drove from March 2007 to August 2010.  Antonio Garcia moves from the “third” position driving role that he began in 2009, to a full-season endeavor in the American Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The third driver slot will be filled by Jordan Taylor, a 20-year-old from Apopka, FL.

When Tommy Milner joined Corvette Racing in 2011, he was the full-season driver for the No. 3 Corvette.  He now takes up his duties in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R with Oliver Gavin.  Gavin has driven for Corvette Racing since 2002.  Richard Westbrook will celebrate his second year as the No. 4 Corvette C6.R third.

On February 8-9, Corvette Racing will introduce their new driver lineup at the Sebring Winter Test.  The test is in preparation for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 17.

Corvette C6.R #4 was driven to 5th in GT class by Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen - Photo Credit: Richard Prince/Corvette Racing Photo

Corvette Racing have qualifed eighth and ninth in class for the Petit Le Mans this weekend, despite an improvement of over a second from last year.

The two C6.R’s also set times that were under that of last years pole time, but both found themselves stuck in eighth and ninth places.

Jan Magnussen qualified the No.4 C6.R eighth with a fastest lap of 1.19.586, while Tommy Miller in the No.3 car set a time of 1.19.619.

“That was the absolute maximum, the fastest we’ve gone since we arrived, and it was good enough for eighth,” said Magnussen. “That’s not satisfying at all, but that’s what we’ve got. We gave it our best. The competition is very strong, and it’s going to be a long, hard race. I think we have a good race car, and in the areas where we need to race people, we’re strong.”

Magnussen turned his quickest time on his fourth flying lap around the 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit. Milner completed three laps, then pitted for a suspension adjustment. He then posted his best time on his seventh lap.

“We’ve been really good all week long, just trying to make the car incrementally better,” Milner said. “We had some understeer that we wanted to dial out of the car, but in qualifying we went a little too far. I came in for a quick change, went back out, and set a decent time.

“The car felt really good, I could have improved a little, but this track is just so tough to get everything right,” Milner noted. “I’m not unhappy. We’re only a tenth of a second away from P5. We’ve had great race cars all year long, and I’m looking forward to a great race tomorrow.”

There will be 53 cars at the start of the Petit Le Mans and this is a worry for Magnussen.

“It’s going to be crowded,” he observed. “Up front there’s a vicious battle between the leading prototypes, and in our category there is a battle for second in the championship. There are many European teams that want to do well in the ILMC. It’s going to be wild.”

Engineering Director Doug Louthwas no satisfied with the performance of his cars, but proud of the team effort.

“We’re not happy with the Corvettes’ qualifying positions today, but we’re very proud of the team,” he said. “We left nothing on the table – both drivers said the cars were very good, the best they’ve had all week. The drivers and engineers have made great progress through the week. Today’s qualifying was all that we have right now with the regulations as they are.”

Aston Martin will be looking to round out the season with a strong results

Aston Martin racing will start the legendary Petit Le Mans endurance race from eighth place in a highly competitive 58 car grid.

Fresh from victory in Leguna Seca two weeks ago, the 007 DBR1-2 will start the race from fourth row of the grid . The time set by Stefan Mucke of 1.10/485 was just three tenths off the fastest petrol competitor around the 2.54mile Road Atlanta circuit.

A second V12-powered DBR1-2 – which is run by official partner team Muscle Milk Racing- will start from 11th place.

“I am happy with our position today; it is a long race tomorrow and we’ve had a good amount of running to acclimatise ourselves to this circuit,” said Team Principal George Howard-Chappell.

“The drivers are reporting that the car’s setup is about optimum at the moment, and we will aim to stay out of trouble on what will be a very busy circuit.”

Mücke who qualified the car said: “I had a bit of traffic during the qualifying period, but no surprises there. The car ran really well, it was perfectly balanced and I have to say thanks to the team as they have done a brilliant job.

“I think we have to be happy with P3 in the ‘petrol’ class, we are not far off the pole petrol. It’s a long race and I am really looking forward to it.”

Aston Martin Racing is also represented in the GTE AM category by its official team partner Gulf AMR Middle East. The team qualified its Vantage GT2 in 6th in its class.

JaguarRSR

The final event of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron is this week at Road Atlanta.  Petit Le Mans – 10 hours or 1,000 miles is the second longest endurance race on the ALMS schedule.

JaguarRSR have placed the pitfalls of this season behind them and are fully focused on the task at hand: winning. For the season-ender, the team has added a third driver to each of its JaguarRSR XKR GTs. Former ALMS LMP2 champion Ian James and popular Sports Car veteran Shane Lewis will join the fray behind the wheel.

Ian James reflects on being connected to the Jaguar legacy, “It is an honor to be driving for the JaguarRSR team and the #99 car at Petit Le Mans. Being British, driving for such a marque steeped in patriotic history really is a fulfillment of a long held ambition. The RSR team seems to have really got to grips with the car and I look forward to experiencing the car firsthand. I have raced the Petit Le Mans on numerous occasions with a class pole position in 2004. This will be my sixth Petit Le Mans start and I am hoping to get on the podium in what is truly one of the great endurance races. Road Atlanta is one of the most picturesque circuits in the world with rolling hills and elevation changes. Both rewarding and challenging, especially with the estimated 53 starters in this year’s race. I hope to provide a positive contribution to the team and get a result we can all be proud of.”

Because of the length of the race and the fatigue that Road Atlanta brings to anyone who dares getting behind the wheel for a stint, a third driver is extremely important in effectively tackling Petit Le Mans.  Combine those two daunting factors with the sheer number (53) of the quickest prototype sports cars in the world, and it becomes instantly clear that you want not only the best pilots you can gather, but you want them as well-rested as possible.

Shane Lewis shares his outlook, experience and excitement at his opportunity: “It is a true pleasure to be driving for JaguarRSR. Paul (Gentilozzi) and his organization have had so many years of great success and I can’t wait to add to that history. To be driving the Jaguar XKR, one of the most iconic bands in the automotive world at one of the most prestigious races in the world, well it just doesn’t get any better than this!”

Lewis’ enthusiasm continued, “This will be my seventh race start at the Petite Le Mans event. I have come so close so many times to winning this event in the past. I have several race wins, poles and fastest race laps in other events here, but want that win at Petit. Road Atlanta is one of the most challenging tracks in North America offering big elevation changes, coupled with high-speed corners and technical braking zones. It is the gold standard for what drivers look for in a track. Petit Le Mans is a very grueling event. It’s an endurance race that is run flat out all the time. The track changes through the day and night and there are multiple car classes, which means traffic at every corner.  To finish well here survival is as important as performance. I want to see that checkered flag at the finish. We do that and it will be a great success.”

Lewis will join PJ Jones and Rocky Moran Jr. at the wheel of the No. 98 JaguarRSR XKR GT and James will share the duties with Bruno Junqueira and Ken Wilden in the No. 99. With the car reliably running the full six hours at Laguna Seca, things are looking up for the XKR. Both Junqueira and Moran will be racing at Road Atlanta for the first time in their careers.

Citing his decade long desire to race at Road Atlanta, Rocky Moran Jr. said, “This will be my first time at Road Atlanta. I have heard so many great things about this track and I really enjoy high speed, flowing road courses. This is a track I have wanted to race at for over ten years, so I can’t wait to jump in the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT and go to battle for a full 1000-mile race. This is my first Petit Le Mans event, so I look forward to the increased car count and deeper overall fields that will come with this prestigious event. We are overdue for some better luck and after finishing the 12 Hours of Sebring early in the year, I see no reason why we cannot do it again and record our best finish of the season. The entire team and crew has worked so hard, I really want to thank them with a great finish at this last event, so we can conclude on a high note and build momentum for 2012.”

“To have a good car for the Petit Le Mans isn’t that different than what we did at Laguna Seca,” said John Gentilozzi, JaguarRSR Technical Director. “However, at Road Atlanta the corners are all tied together. You really have to work on the cars ability to transition between left and right, and with the higher speeds you concentrate a little more on braking performance and horsepower. To be successful in the race you need to be able to run a good, consistent pace and stay out of trouble. You can really do well by just finishing the race.”

Gentilozzi continued, “We were fortunate to have tested earlier in the season at Road Atlanta with our tire partner Dunlop. We were able to run the tire combination we will use for the race as well as work on the setup. That gives us a lot of confidence that we can unload a competitive car to start the event.”

United Autosports LMP (Image Credit: United Autosport)

One of the most diverse teams in auto racing, United Autosports are partnering with the respected and experienced DAMS (Droit-Associes MotorSport)to build/race a Pescarolo-Judd LMP2 car in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans.

So far in 2011, United Autosports have competed in the FIA GT2 European Championship, British GT Championship, Daytona 24-Hours, and the Spa 24-Hours. In July, while at Le Mans, the team was afforded the opportunity to get the feel of the car that co-owner/driver Zak Brown, Mark Patterson, and ex-F1 driver Stefan Johansson, will be piloting this week at Road Atlanta. Brown and Patterson will be making their debut in a Le Mans Prototype (LMP) car at the event.

Mark Patterson, clearly excited at the prospect said, “Our challenge is to learn enough to get the most out of the car, as a class win guarantees a Le Mans grid spot – the ultimate cherry in sports car racing. Zak told me the biggest leap of faith is learning to trust the carbon brakes, which allow you to start slowing down well after your heart has already stopped – just so much deeper into the big corners than a steel brake car permits.”

Patterson closed with, “I’ve studied coach Danny Watts’ Road Atlanta notes like an 8 year old’s multiplication tables the night before exams and hope that my maiden LMP bum-in-seat experience lasts more than a lap and ultimately quick lap times.”

Zak Brown commented on his team’s partnership with DAMS, “I’m very much looking forward to my debut in a LMP2 car. I really enjoy driving with Stefan and Mark and think the United Autosports partnerships with DAMS should make for a competitive outing.”

With the addition of Stefan Johansson, United Autosports gains a wealth of experience from across the racing spectrum. Johansson has won the Le Mans 24-Hour, made the podium in the American Le Mans Series in both LMP1 and LMP2 classes, with a second place at Petit Le Mans in 2006 and possesses a career in the FIA Formula One World Championship.

Speaking towards his strengths, the Swede said, “Petit Le Mans has developed into one of the premier events in North American racing, together with Sebring for the sports car arena and it’s great to be back there in a prototype. LMP is the type of racing I’ve been enjoying the most for the past ten years so I’m delighted to be back out in one. Zak and I tested the car at Le Mans earlier in the year and it felt very good. It’s a pretty good car so we’re looking forward to the weekend and hopefully we’ll have a good run.”

Audi R18 TDI (Photo Credit: Audi Motorsport)

After third place at Imola and second place at Silverstone there is just one goal for Audi at the U.S. classic on October 1: Victory.

Audi Sport engineers have left nothing to chance in the development of the new car. The Audi R18 TDI is packed with innovative technology – from the compact 3.7-liter V6 TDI engine with a mono-VTG charger, the full LED headlights through to ultra-lightweight design that is becoming increasingly important in production cars too.

At Le Mans Audi triumphed in June after 24 hours with an advantage of merely 13.854 seconds. At the 6-hour race at Silverstone the fastest lap times of the top four vehicles were within 202 thousandths of a second. And with 56 teams having submitted entries, the track at Road Atlanta will be pretty packed, with numerous overtaking maneuvers posing a permanent risk of body contact.

Audi Sport Team Joest is fielding two vehicles at the first overseas event for the R18 TDI. Each will car will have three drivers due to the length of the race. Timo Bernhard and Marcel Fässler, who have been forming a driver team in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC) since the round at Imola and have been on the podium twice, will be supported by Romain Dumas. Joining Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish will be Dindo Capello – the most successful driver of the American classic with a track record of five overall victories (2000, 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

Last year Capello became the victim of a strange incident. While he was leading the race an insert in his helmet that is prescribed by the regulations came loose and caused the fireproof balaclava to slip over his eyes. The unscheduled pit stop cost Audi a possible victory.

Never one to be braggadocios, Capello said, “For Road Atlanta I’m returning to the cockpit of the R18 TDI. I tested the car just a few weeks ago. That was very nice because I last drove the car on a warm-up lap for Le Mans. ‘Petit Le Mans’ is one of the races I enjoy most. I’m holding a victory record there. And it would be nice if I could add another success to my track record. We’re at least on a par with our competitor Peugeot but have to cover the distance without any problems to achieve a good result.”

Nine times Audi has won the event which alongside the Daytona 24 Hours and the Sebring 12 Hours is the most important endurance race in North America. From 2000 to 2005 the Audi R8 was unbeatable at the race that is run over 1000 miles or for a maximum of ten hours. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 the Audi R10 TDI triumphed three times in a row. After unfortunate defeats in the past two years with the R15 TDI, Audi is set on returning to victory lane with the new R18 TDI at Road Atlanta.

Tens of thousands of spectators lining the track at Road Atlanta will be watching the two R18 TDI cars with their whispering V6 TDI engines. Since its inaugural round in 1998, “Petit Le Mans” has evolved into one of North America’s biggest racing events that is meanwhile attracting more than 100,000 fans.

“You reach an incredible speed on this track. Except for turn seven all the corners are very fast,” Timo Bernhard assesses the Road Atlanta. ”The many directional changes within a lap also stand out. Particularly the ‘Esses’ are very challenging. It’s difficult to find a good set-up for them. After you’ve been at the wheel for a long time you can really tell what you’ve accomplished because of the high ’g’ forces. In addition, there are many differences in elevation. You often can’t see the track behind the crests. It’s very dusty when it’s dry and it floods the circuit when it’s wet. The best places for overtaking are in turns 10 and 11. But watch out, if you overtake a car in the left-hand turn it is normally perfectly placed to counter in the next right!”

Ever enthusiastic Allan McNish commented; “It’s always nice to return to the ‘Petit Le Mans race.’ I already contested the inaugural round in 1998. I’ve enjoyed every single race so far. The atmosphere is like a carnival. The track is wonderfully fast and has seen some very thrilling races. At three or four rounds only seconds or even tenths of seconds made the difference in the end. I’m expecting an extremely tough competition. The American fans will turn the event into a huge festival again. It’ll be a cracker – guaranteed!”

Kristensen could be easily labeled as “The Face of Victory” for Audi: “We’re all looking forward to Road Atlanta. ‘Petit Le Mans’ is the grand slam of the sports car scene, along with Sebring and the Le Mans 24 Hours. The track is an extreme challenge. It’s like a roller-coaster with crests, downhill stretches, raised and dropping corners where you can’t see the apex in some cases. And the track is relatively narrow. There are also a lot of directional changes. The fans really support the race and make for a spectacular show. Almost 60 cars are jostling for a place in the field. That’ll be strenuous for us in the cockpit because we’re fighting for every centimeter, if not to say millimeter, on the track. The competition between Audi and Peugeot is extremely close. Small things make the difference. I’m hoping for us to be able to fully use our potential and to bring the big trophy home.”

“I’m personally very much looking forward to Road Atlanta,” said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, head of Audi Motorsport. ”I like this race track and think it’s one of the nicest circuits for the sports prototypes. It’s a track on which Audi has celebrated major successes before. And after Imola, where things didn’t go so well for us, we were fully competitive again, most recently at Silverstone. But there our good work went unrewarded. I’m hoping that we’ll be showing a good performance with the R18 TDI in America and achieve victory. At the same time, I’ll be in permanent phone and email contact with Valencia where Martin Tomczyk might be able to clinch the DTM title early for Audi – it’ll be an important, exciting and busy weekend for Audi Sport.”

Ralf Jüttner the team’s technical director suggests there is just one strategy: “For Road Atlanta, there can only be one aim: all-out attack! We’ve got to finally win there again. At Silverstone, we were simply struck by misfortune. Even without that factor it would have been incredibly tight and we don’t know what the outcome would have been. Road Atlanta is a special event. We’ve run there before, in the IMSA. ‘Petit Le Mans’ was launched in 1998, and we contested it even back then. It’s a classic and the longest race after Le Mans and Sebring. The ten-hour race is held on an incredibly beautiful and challenging track. It also enjoys an extremely high level of prestige today. It’s called ‘Petit Le Mans’ and that also includes a piece of Le Mans. That’s why we’ve simply got to win there.”

Peugeot 908 (Photo Credit: Peugeot Sport)

The battle for victory intensifies with every race. The pace quickens. The cars are very close to one another in terms of performance, but the determination of the team during pit stops and the dogged determination of the drivers in their on-track battles provide ample evidence of the high standards on offer during this 2011 season, with a very tough rival. Team Peugeot Total has collected a series of race wins and points since the start of the season and hopes to go all the way.

The sixth round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta is an unusual, complex, spectacular and fast race. Team Peugeot Total will compete in this event for the fourth time with the chance of securing a second consecutive manufacturers’ title. Up against some very tough opponents and in a series which goes from strength to strength with every round, Peugeot will need to score 13 points to secure the title ahead of November’s final round in China.

Peugeot is hedging its bets and bringing in familiar powerhouse drivers. In the Peugeot 908 no.7, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud will be looking for their first win at Road Atlanta. For Bourdais, winner this season at Imola and at Silverstone, this will be his first outing at this track in a Peugeot. Anthony Davidson (2nd in 2010), back to racing after recovering fully from his bike accident, and Simon Pagenaud, Peugeot’s “local” driver, will be looking to secure a second win of the season in the Peugeot 908.

The Peugeot 908 no.8 will be entrusted to Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin and Alexander Wurz. Returning to the series for the first time since the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Austrian teams up with the two-time winners of the race. The three drivers have never raced together before, although Wurz and Sarrazin were team-mates in 2008 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Just like at Sebring, Spa and Le Mans, Peugeot will also be represented by the No. 10 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP entered by Team Oreca-Matmut, winner at Sebring in the year’s first race. The car will as usual be driven by Nicolas Lapierre, who will be joined by two factory Peugeot Sport drivers, Marc Gené and Nicolas Minassian. After carrying the message  ”I Love U.S. Racing ” at Sebring, Team ORECA-Matmut has decided to once again honor their fans with a new slogan,  ”Thank You Fans” on the front cover of the No. 10 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.

Road Atlanta is a very unusual track and has a truly unique atmosphere. This hilly four-kilometer track, featuring 12 corners, is covered in a little over a minute by the prototypes. With 60 cars on track during free practice and qualifying, and 53 in the race, traffic is set to play a decisive role. The safety car periods will also be key, of which there are likely to be many during the race’s 1,000 miles or 10 hours. Last year, there were no fewer than nine safety car periods!

With two one-two finishes from three entries, Team Peugeot Total knows all about the particular demands of this race. The last two editions were both very closely contested, but also very different from one another. In 2009, Peugeot achieved a one-two with Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin winning from Pedro Lamy and Nicolas Minassian, after a race that was cut short by several hours due to torrential rain. In 2010, this time after a cut-throat race with Audi, the trio of Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy took the win, ahead of Anthony Davidson, Alexander Wurz and Marc Gené.

Olivier Quesnel, Peugeot Sport Director is primed and ready to take his team to Atlanta: “We are having a great season. It is worth underlining the exemplary reliability of our cars so far, because the only mechanical repairs that have been carried out during the races were due to racing incidents. The Peugeot 908s have made it to the end of every race they have taken part in, and that is one of the keys to our success. We now lead the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ standings, with two rounds to go. We hope to keep our momentum going and demonstrate in the USA and especially in China the full potential of the Peugeot cars and the team. We have a clear goal: win the championship and win races.”

The same two Peugeot 908s head off for the USA, after being given a thorough service on their return from England. With an average speed of around 215kph, the Road Atlanta racetrack is as quick as Spa-Francorchamps whilst the cars are at full engine load for close to 75% of the race, a ratio almost identical to that at Le Mans. This is why the aerodynamic set-up will be halfway between the set-ups used at these two tracks.

The No.7 will be equipped with the chassis No. 03 (winner at Imola and Silverstone) while the No.8 will be equipped with the chassis No. 04 (winner at Spa).

In order to prepare as well as possible for this event, much loved by Team Peugeot Total for its specific features and its strategic complexity, Peugeot has scheduled two test days on Sunday 25 September and Monday 26. The team will then get into the specific context of the meeting, especially with the incredible amount of traffic to deal with during free practice, qualifying and the race itself.

“Given the incredible pace at which the races have been run at each ILMC round this season, there is every reason to expect another intense race”, predicts Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director. “The standard moves up a notch at every race. We must therefore continue to work on all areas, because every little detail counts. Petit Le Mans is a very difficult race, because your race strategy has to be constantly adapted according to, amongst other things, the safety car periods. Sure, we only need to score 13 points to win the championship, but once the race is underway, it will be one ‘almighty scrap’. We’ll have to fight every step of the way if we want to win, but also to make sure the cars finish the race. Just like we did at Silverstone, where the team showed exceptional determination, during the pit stops, on the track where we saw some fantastic driving, and even off the track, with the determination of Franck Montagny. After he went off at the beginning of the race, he demonstrated incredible tenacity to move the car off the gravels, getting out of the car twice to call the stewards and attempting to move the 908 himself!”

BMW Team RLL -Sebring - (Photo Credit: BMW Team RLL)

With seven of nine races totaling more than 26 hours of hard fought competition in this season’s 2011 American Le Mans Series now complete, BMW Team RLLheads to Laguna Seca Raceway for this weekend’s American Le Mans Monterey six-hour sports car race. The team won the first three events and has finished on the podium in every race thereafter to lead all GT championships, but the defense of its 2010 Manufacturer and Team titles begins in earnest at the classic Northern California 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course and the penultimate round of the championship.

Joey Hand and Dirk Muller, in the No. 56 M3 GT, have led the Driver standings since their victory at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring (shared with Andy Priaulx) and did finish second in last year’s race at Laguna Seca. As season progresses, the competition is getting more intense. With five extra points available at this race and 10 extra at the seasonending Petit Le Mans, their 25 point lead is not yet enough to secure the team’s first Driver’s title. BMW Team RLL BMW  Performance Parts Teammates Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner, in the No. 55 M3 GT, stand third in GT driver standings – now 11 points from second – after feeling more than simply the heat of the competition at the Baltimore Grand Prix. The resulting contact from a overly optimistic pass attempt by a competitor took Auberlen out of the lead and a probable victory in the closing laps of the race. Auberlen was able to salvage a fifth-place finish at the new street circuit, but it ended the duo’s streak of three consecutive podium finishes.

“Everyone involved with BMW Team RLL knows what is on the line for us at Laguna Seca,” said Bobby Rahal, Team Principal. “We have had a great season so far and lead all three GT championships, but it could all go for naught if we don’t put up a good result at Laguna Seca. The track is always been one of my favorites, and we feel that we should have a good car there, but it is a long race and anything can happen. If we can minimize our mistakes, we are confident in our ability to have a good weekend!”

Bill Auberlen, driver No. 55 M3 GT –“Baltimore proved to be an awesome street circuit in which Dirk and I experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. We started on the pole and the race went really well, with excellent pitstops putting us into the overall lead. That hit by a competitor ended any chance to capitalize, but that is behind us now. I think Laguna Seca will be just what we need. The BMW M3 GT is well suited for this high speed track and a six-hour race should give us an extra advantage with the team’s ability to combine excellent strategy and fast pit stops.”

Dirk Werner, driver No. 55 M3 GT – “I am really looking forward to Laguna Seca. This is one of the greatest circuits we race this year. Of course everybody knows the famous ‘Corkscrew’, but this track offers a lot more. I think that we will be very competitive there – like at all other races this year. So far, our car was always well prepared and really fast. This is a 6hour-race which means that you have to change your approach slightly. The qualifying will not be that important. But of course we will try to continue the streak and fight for pole position. In the race itself it will be crucial not to risk too much in the early stages, in order to still be in the position to fight for victory in the finish. And it is important that the car is still quick when it gets dark and cooler in the last stage of the race.”

Four of the six CORE autosport drivers have not driven an LMPC car on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit, known for turns 8 and 8a, otherwise known as “The Corkscrew,” which drops five and a half stories in a mere 450 feet.  #05 drivers Montecalvo and Bennett have driven there in the IMSA Cooper Tires Prototype Lights series, while #06 drivers Gonzalez and Junco competed in the ALMS GTC class in 2010, as well as in other series.

Three drivers will pilot each CORE autosport entry.  In the #05 Bayshore Recycling / Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 will be former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andy Wallace joining regulars Frankie Montecalvo and team founder Jon Bennett for the first time.

The sister #06 Excel Consultants / Composite Resources machine will feature Road America LMPC winner Rudy Junco along with driver championship points leaders Gonzalez and Jeannette.  The #06 lineup comes back together after a podium finish at the first-ever American Le Mans Series race for CORE autosport, the 2011 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

After mixed results in Baltimore which narrowedthe American Le Mans Series LMPC standings to a one-point lead for CORE autosport drivers Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette over Eric Lux, and a mere two point lead for the team championship over Genoa Racing, CORE autosport is taking no chances as they approach the six-hour ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey presented by Tequila Patrón.

Gunnar Jeannette appeared determined: “The perfect headline for this race for us is ‘crunch time.’ Here we are going into the second to last race of the year and there’s only a few points separation in the driver and team championships.  Combine that with more points that are available in longer races and it’s going to be a close run to the championship.”

Jeannette continued, “I’m very glad to be driving with my teammate Ricardo Gonzalez and to have Rudy Junco back on board.  I’m hoping that Rudy can bring to us some of his recent luck from his LMPC drives with other teams and get us into a leadership position. I love Mazda Raceway.  There’s nothing not to like about it – it’s picturesque and great to drive with a mix of high and low speed sections.  The ‘corkscrew’ is going to be a fun passing zone – it can be difficult in multi-class racing like we have in ALMS. Six hours of racing there will be difficult, but it’s the challenge which is why we do what we do, not because it’s easy.”

Owner/Driver Jon Bennett is clearly excited as the team enters the penultimate round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series season: ”CORE autosport had another successful weekend in Baltimore, scoring both the pole position for the race and another podium for the team coming from the #05 car with Frankie. 

“We’re trying to get as many points as we can to finish out the year strong and looking at the last two races of the season, CORE autosport is poised to have a good showing.
“All of us at CORE autosport are looking forward to having two new teammates on our squad for the Laguna round, with Rudy in the #06 and Andy in the #05.  Adding these two super-qualified teammates will improve our chances at what’s going to be a very challenging six hour race.
“We want to run well and get more podiums, which will set us up for a great run at the season finale, Petit Le Mans.”

“I’ve never raced at Mazda Raceway in an LMPC car, but I have driven the track in a Prototype Lites car.  I love the track, the area and the atmosphere.” says Frankie Montecalvo

“There are many tracks you visit where the actual course is great and the grounds are fun, but when you leave for the day there’s not much to do.  Not in Monterey though, it’s a beautiful town right on the water and there’s always something to do.
“Mazda Raceway is obviously known for the ‘corkscrew’ and man, when I drove it for the first time at speed it was hold-your-breath time.  It’s going to be a great race for the fans and exciting for the team.
“Speaking of the team, I’m very excited to be co-driving with Andy Wallace.  He’s a great racer and he’ll add a lot to the team for the six-hour race, especially his knowledge of how to get through traffic.
“I’m just working hard, staying in shape and getting ready to drive.  I think we’re ready for it.”

Just like his teammate, Ricardo Gonzalez has never raced an LMPC car at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca: “Mazda Raceway is now the only track on the schedule that I haven´t driven in the LMPC car and one that I’m really looking forward to.

“We’ve had our share of bad luck in the last three events and we are ready to put that behind us and go out and clinch the championship in the last two races of the year.  
“We’ll have a very strong package at Laguna, Rudy Junco is joining us as our third driver.  He’s already proven how good he is by winning at Road America, and Gunnar and I are always the guys to beat, now we just need a little bit of luck!  
“This is going to be a special weekend for us because we are celebrating Mexico’s independence and we’ll carry the Mexican colors on our car throughout the weekend.  This is something that makes me really proud and winning this race for my country would be a huge accomplishment for me.  
“I want to invite everybody to come to the track and celebrate with us!”

Round 8 of the American Le Mans Series season will be contested on a track reflects the harsh reality of top-level motorsports competition, a circuit with enough ups and downs to qualify as America’s fastest amusement park ride. Corvette Racing understand the progress and pitfalls of the 2011 season, with both victory celebrations and bitter disappointments.  When the season ends, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen intend to be the last ones standing.

Second in the standings going into the series’ eighth round, the drivers of Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Corvette C6-R are focused on success at Laguna Seca. “We’ve got to perform at the top of our game, while keeping in mind that we have to score maximum points and not take any unnecessary risks,” said Oliver Gavin, who co-drives with Jan Magnussen. “Jan and I have been in this position before with championships on the line. You’ve got to be smart, respect the machinery, and keep one eye on a good result in the race and the other on the championship. These final rounds are always gut wrenching.”

Gavin and Magnussen are second in the standings on the strength of consistent podium finishes: a win in Mosport, runner-up finishes in Long Beach and Mid-Ohio, and third on the streets of Baltimore. Now the pair must overcome a 25-point lead held by Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand in the next two rounds, while Chevy must overcome BMW’s 30-point margin in the manufacturer race. With 55 points on the line in the series’ season-ending events, the objective is clear.

“We’re still very much in the championship hunt and we definitely have a chance to win the title, but we need a good result and the BMWs to be a bit unlucky,” Magnussen said. “It can be done, and the whole team is pushing in that direction.”

“A six-hour race suits Corvette Racing’s strengths – speed and reliability, getting the strategy right, and making consistently quick pit stops,” the Dane explained. “I have high hopes for this race, and I’m looking forward to racing at Laguna Seca.”

“The hairpin at the end of the pit straight and Turns 3, 4, and 5 through the infield are vitally important to getting a fast lap,” Gavin said. “Similarly, getting off Turn 6 that takes you up the hill to the Corkscrew is crucial.” 

Magnussen agreed: “The medium speed corners are the key – Turns 3, 4, 5, and 6. There’s time to be gained and lost in every one of them. When the car is working well, the track has a natural flow, and I get into a zone that I don’t experience at many other circuits. So for me, Laguna Seca is just super enjoyable – in fact, it’s my favorite track in the U.S.” 

Sunset on the Monterey Peninsula will arrive at 7:12 p.m. on Saturday evening, and the closing laps will be run in twilight until the checkered flag falls at 7:30 p.m. The combination of gloaming light and a cooling track will add to the degree of difficulty in the final minutes.

“We learned a lesson at Road America when the temperature changed more than we had anticipated and affected the balance of the car,” Magnussen said. “This time we’ll strive to make the right decisions at the right time.” 

“The last stint when you’re racing at dusk can be quite brutal,” Gavin added. “It can be difficult to make out the line between the edge of the track and the dirt that borders the circuit because they are similar in color at twilight. That can lead to drivers going off the track and dragging sand onto the surface, and then cars going off on that.” 

With six hours of hard racing in store, this year’s race at Laguna Seca promises to be another physical and emotional roller coaster. “It’s a fantastic place to race, and usually we’re quite competitive there,” Magnussen said. “We’ve had some great races there and some interesting finishes. It should be good.”

Excellent strategy, fantastic driving and steady development on the car and the team’s Yokohama tires have all contributed to the recent run of success.  What will also help is the fact that Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is familiar territory for both Miller and Maassen. Miller finished fifth in the GTC class in last year’s ALMS race at the venue and has also finished third in the 2007 GRAND-AM race at MRLS. Maassen holds 11 ALMS starts in Monterey, scoring three class victories (GT in 2002 and 2003, LMP2 in 2005), five class poles (GT in 2000 and 2003, LMP2 in 2005, ’06 and ’07) and a second-place overall result just last year.

“Our team is really thrilled with our five consecutive top-10 performances and we are coming off a high from our fourth place at Baltimore,” said Bryce Miller. “Yokohama has delivered a new iteration tire for us to use this weekend and we should see a good step forward. We’ve shown we can scrap for the positions so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

The 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit is another one of the world’s most famous racetracks with dramatic elevation changes and legendary features such as the Andretti Hairpin (Turn 2) and The Corkscrew (Turns 8 and 8a). Its location on the Monterey Peninsula also makes it a favorite stop for many racers.

“Laguna Seca is my favorite racetrack for many reasons,” Maassen said. “I like the layout with almost no straights, and the area is beautiful too. I also like it, of course, because I had so many good memories there. I had my first race and win with the RS Spyder (in 2005), winning the championship there in 2006 and my three consecutive pole positions from 2005 till 2007.”

“I really enjoy Laguna Seca,” said Miller. “The scenery of the area and the sensation the track provides with its Corkscrew complex is spectacular. I enjoy the entire experience. Racing history is rich here and I’ve enjoyed some good success at the track but I’d like to find some more this weekend.”

Flying Lizard Motorsports-Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (Photo Credit: Flying Lizard Motorsports)

Round 8 of the American Le Mans Series gets underway this weekend and the crew of Flying Lizard Motorsports is primed.  The Lizard driver lineup for the six-hour race on Sept. 17 is Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick Long in the No. 45 and Seth Neiman and Marco Holzerin the No. 44. Bergmeister and Long are sixth in the ALMS GT drivers championship with 51 points, Neiman is ninth and Holzer is tenth. Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand of the No. 56 BMW lead with 124 points. Flying Lizard is fifth in the team championship. There are 55 points remaining: 25 at Laguna Seca and 30 at Petit Le Mans.

For the Northern California based Lizards, the 2.238 mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit is the closest to a home track on the ALMS schedule. Flying Lizard chief engineer Craig Watkins discussed setting up the Porsches, “One of the biggest setup challenges here is that the track has very low mechanical grip and it’s hard to get the heat into the tires. The driver has to be more aggressive with the car during the period of poor handling while the tires come up. To help with this we’ll add downforce which will generate more heat and pressure in the tires and help performance in the fast turns. In the slow-speed turns like Turn 2 and Turn 11, the rear-engine 911s are especially good at getting the power down without invasive traction control or requiring that the driver be gentle on the throttle.”

Watkins continued, “The Porsches have historically been very reliable in the long distance races. Hopefully we’ve used up our bad luck this season and will have a solid result here with both Porsches. We aren’t in contention for the championship win, but need to put as many points on the board as we can to help Porsche in their hunt for the manufacturers’ title.”

JaguarRSR, Baltimore - Photo Credit: Hal Messer

From Baltimore to the Monterey Bay, Round 8 of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron, moves into endurance mode for the six-hour event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

On the streets of Baltimore, JaguarRSR achieved its sesason’s best qualifying of 7^th and 9^th on the grid. Unfortunately, neither car would survive the turn-1 melee that ensued immediately after the green flag flew.

For more than 50 years, the Monterey Peninsula has been host to the most competitive sports car racing that the world has ever seen.  The picturesque Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road course possesses one of the most challenging single corners in all of racing, let alone the ALMS season; the famous downhill Corkscrew Turn. With the knowledge that they can push the JaguarRSR XKR GT to within the top-10 qualifying spot, the whole team is primed to go the distance.

“The corners at Laguna Seca are exact opposite of the corners in Baltimore,” said John Gentilozzi, JaguarRSR Technical Director. “Whereas Baltimore was a lot of stop, 90-degree turn and go again, a lot of Laguna’s corners are flowing, high-speed turns. We will place emphasis on downforce and platform stability to try and maintain that downforce as the JaguarRSR XKR GT moves under acceleration, braking, and cornering. Strategically in a six-hour race at a track that is difficult to make passes on, we have to be smart about our pit strategy and conserving our drivers’ energy.”

American Le Mans Series fans will get a special treat this weekend.  For the first time since beginning in 1999, ALMS will have 39 cars on the grid. This appearance will mark the third start for the XKR at Laguna Seca since it began racing the course in 2009.

Bruno Junqueira, will be bringing multi-genre auto racing experience to the field at Monterey.  He has made four Champ Car starts at the course and has consecutive second-place finishes in his last to visits. He will be combining his efforts with Ken Wilden in the No. 99 JaguarRSR XKR GT. Wilden has an impressive resume of experience and genre that he brings to the team with his seven starts at Laguna Seca.  His experience behind the wheel of the challenging course includes open-wheel (Atlantics), Trans-Am, Grand-Am (Prototype and GS class). His achievements on the circuit include two poles and two victories.

When asked about the upcoming event, here’s what Bruno Junquiera had to say, “I like the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca race track a lot. It is a beautiful area, has a lot of great race fans and is a challenging track. I have had great success in the past during my open-wheel era. This year I started a new chapter of my racing career in sports car racing and I am looking forward to returning to this track behind the wheel of the Jaguar GT car – it will be a whole new experience. I also look forward to it being an endurance event; six hours will make for a long race and a good fight. I hope our XKR will run strong and we can have a good finish to keep with my good results at Laguna Seca.”

Continuing to push the limits of the No. 98 JaguarRSR XKR GT will be the Americans Rocky Moran, Jr. and PJ Jones. Moran considers Laguna Seca his home track, as he was born in Pasadena and currently resides with his family in Ladera Ranch, California. Moran essentially began his racing career on the famed 2.238-mile course. From competition in the Jim Russell Mazda series to Barber Dodge and then Atlantics, he recorded multiple fast laps, podiums and front row starts, including a victory in Atlantics. Jones’ is also no stranger to this venue, having won the pole and race while competing in the IMSA GTP Championship and multiple starts in the Champ Car World Series.

“I absolutely love Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.” said Moran, “It is where I learned to race cars originally and I consider it my home track. I love the elevation the track has to offer and I love turn 4, turn 6, turn 9, and turn 10, which are all very full wood corners. Turn 6 is one of the best corners in motorsports when you hit it right. The JaguarRSR team has gained some valuable knowledge from the last two events and I expect this to translate into the best result of the year at Laguna Seca. It is a very long race; both PJ and I have extensive experience at this track, so we will be standing on the gas the entire time. Right now our car seems to be best in medium and slower corners, so we will work on developing the balance platform for the high-speed corners we will be navigating through at Laguna.”

PJ Jones, being more than happy to be racing in Monterey said, “My most favorite race track in the country is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. I have a lot of great memories there from my GTP days; we set the all-time track record, won pole and the race. With the track being in central California, my home state, it is picturesque, has a lot of elevation changes, and truly is just one of the best race tracks. To have a place where my dad (Parnelli Jones) has raced a lot – there is just so much history for me and my family which adds to why this is such a special place to me. I am looking forward to going there behind the wheel of the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT. Being a six hour race, I think, helps us because our reliability has been getting progressively better and better. The longer the race the better chances we have to earn a solid finish. It will be interesting to see how our cars are going to be there, I have a strong feeling that we should be pretty competitive because of the layout and how it should suit the strengths in the Jaguar. I have confidence in the team that we will finish the race with a good result.”

Ken Wilden shares his brief point-of-view on this week’s race, “I enjoy competing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. I’m looking forward to the elevation changes on the track, the JaguarRSR XKR GT did very well at Mosport under the same conditions. I think the AJ133 power will pull us well up the hill to the corkscrew. My hope is that we finish this race and continue to develop and learn. The team is persistent – doing a great job on development and working super hard. To have a good finish would be a good boost for them and great for Jaguar.”

Bryan Sellers, Willow Springs (Photo Credit: Bryan Sellers/Falken Tire)

The 2.238-mile, 11-turn natural terrain road course could not be more different than the street course layout in Baltimore. With its sweeping turns and elevation changes – including the world-renown, multi-story drop known as the “Corkscrew” – Mazda Raceway presents a whole different set of challenges from the sea-level, Maryland circuit. However, like Baltimore, whose new-to-everyone design made all teams equal, the endurance nature of the ALMS Monterey helps balance the 13-car GT class field. It has been on these even-footing events: the 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach Grand Prix, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Baltimore that the former open-wheel racing champion has excelled. All of these venues have required precision driving and smart racecraft, areas in which Sellers is gifted, and the results have borne that out. A new Falken racing slick to be introduced this weekend will further benefit Team Falken Tire in the final two races of the year. The newest iteration of the tire is a product of Sellers’ testing efforts in Japan and the United States over the summer months.

Having won his second-career American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón race – the Baltimore Grand Prix – in commanding fashion on the East Coast, Bryan Sellers is at all-time high. He now readies for the ModSpace ALMS Monterey presented by Patrón on the Monterey, CA Peninsula at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, one of the county’s premier road courses. On September 17, Sellers joins teammate Wolf Henzler in the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3 RSR for the penultimate event of the ALMS season; six hours of endurance sports car racing.

With his second victory of the season, Sellers is tied with teammate Henzler for fourth in the GT class Driver Points Championship. The duo is just 11 markers out of third-place with 55 points available at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The steady drive toward the top-three in points has come from a string of top-six finishing positions dating back to Lon Beach. The only time Team Falken Tire has finished worse than sixth was at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring where a late gearbox failure dashed the expectations of a guaranteed podium. The year has set the standard not only for Sellers but Team Falken Tire as well which had never finished better than fourth entering 2011. The organization, led by Derrick Walker, now stands as the highest-ranked Porsche in the field.

Sellers, clearly amped by the events of the season so far, shared his expectations for the race, “We are currently carrying a lot of momentum into Laguna after winning at Baltimore. I’m not sure what to expect this weekend but I do know that we will have another new batch of Falken tires to try and make another step forward. We were very strong over a long run at Sebring and Road America so with a six hour race hopefully that plays into our favor.”

Showing his reverence for the course, Sellers added, “Mazda RacewayLaguna Seca is very picturesque which sets the scene for a beautiful race. It’s always everybody’s favorite venue. The track is very challenging. It’s very low grip but has a multitude of corners ranging from flat low speed corners to banked high-speed corners. It’s a challenge to drive well for six hours and that is one of the aspects I love the most about it.”

This highlight from Mobil1′s The Grid is an excellent piece on the team from their American Le Mans (ALMS) birth until now.

http://www.grid1.tv/videos/featured/team-falken-tire

Leitzinger, a fiftee-year veteran of Dyson Racing, will join the team for the upcoming six-hour ModSpace American Le Mans Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on September 17th and the 14th annual 1,000 mile/10 hour Petit Le Mans, Powered by Mazda, two weeks later on October 1st . A fan favourite, Leitzinger has thirty-four victories driving for Dyson Racing, winning the 24 Hours of Daytona twice, the IMSA World Sportscar Championship twice and the CanAm championship.

Leitzinger said: “I have been very impressed with how quickly both Humaid and Steven have come to grips with the car. From their first race at Lime Rock, they have been right on the pace. And when you look at the results from any session, they always have the speed. It is a credit to both of them that they have been able to jump right in with a new car, a new team and a new series and instantly be fighting for poles and now to win in their fifth race in the series.”

Al Masaood commented: “When we were talking about possible additional drivers for the last two long endurance races of the season, the discussion centered around Butch. There is no one who matches his experience with the team, our cars and the Mazda Raceway and Road Atlanta tracks. It will be great for Steven and myself to be able to draw on his expertise. He does not have to sit in the car two hours to get a handle on it, he gets to the pace instantly, which will allow Steven and I more time to learn these legendary circuits. We feel Butch will help us deliver strong performances at both races.”

Chris Dyson added: “We are thrilled to have been able to help Butch join Oryx Racing for these important races. We couldn’t think of a better fit for Humaid and Steven and the Oryx Mazda. We expect him to be a big contributor to the team’s efforts.”

We spoke with Michelin to get their take on the Labor Day weekend. “Michelin prepared for Baltimore by reviewing the track layout, number of turns and sequence and track surfaces,” said John Love, Michelin ALMS PR officer. “We also reviewed simulations and both the weather history and forecasts. Our engineers also walked the track when it became available to teams on Thursday evening. As Michelin and our technical partner teams were pleased by our performance at Long Beach we used Long Beach tire specification as our primary approach.”

With a highly successful record on road circuits Michelin went in to the race positive.

“We were very pleased with the performance of our tires at Baltimore as evidenced by the Muscle Milk Aston Martin setting fastest lap of the race, and Corvette Racing recording the fastest GT lap. Although the track surfaces varied and some were freshly paved and pothers rather abrasive we did not encounter any tire related issues.”

“The biggest challenge at Baltimore was the same as at any new temporary circuit, the limited track time. Michelin has over one million miles of testing and competition at Le Mans in the past 14 years.”

Unfortunately for Michelin they would be unable to defend their LMP1 record after problems with the Muscle Milk Aston Martin. “Like everyone else, we started Friday afternoon at Baltimore with zero. Due to electrical issues, our sole LMP1 technical partner, the Muscle Milk Aston Martin, started the race with one mile of practice.”

Asked about what Michelin learnt from the inaugural running of the Balitmore Grand Prix the reply was: “The biggest thing that we learned at Baltimore was that the area has a tremendous number of fans. The crowd for Saturday’s ALMS was truly massive.”

Guy Smith lead the way in the #16 G-OIL ModSpace/Construct Corp Lola Mazda that he shares with Chris Dyson to take his third pole position after dominating the two practice sessions. Steven Kane in the sister #20 Oryx Dyson Racing entry secured second place in the car he shares with Humaid Al Masaood.

“Baltimore has done a great job with the circuit,” said Smith. “It is demanding and bumpy but that is what street courses are all about. If they were the same as everywhere else they would not be special. I now have this fast young teammate who is always pushing me. It was a good battle with Steven and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

“My last street race was in Monaco six years ago,” said Kane. “It is great to back on city streets. There is great atmosphere here and the track is a challenge with a variety of slow corners and surfaces. Some parts are new tarmac and are very nice and clean and suit the car, and than you have the parts like the front straight and the back section that are very bumpy and a challenge for the engineers and for us driving and learning the track.”

Steven Kane and Guy Smith celebrate their one-two qualifying result

Peter Weston, Technical Director, has lead the team in their preparation for the new street circuit. “Our job is to produce the best possible car for each individual circuit you go to,” said Weston. “New street tracks are a huge leveler for drivers and engineers alike. The goal is to give the drivers the most drivable package you can so they can just stay out and spend their time learning the track. That is the key. You do not want to bring the driver into the pit to make changes during valuable practice time. So you concentrate on arriving at the track with a car that has the proper gearing, ride height that suits the track, and a car that absorbs the bumps so a driver can put the power down smoothly.”

“A new track like this shows what teams and drivers are made of,” said Rob Dyson. “I cannot be more proud of how hard our guys work. There is a lot of racing still to be run tomorrow, but a win would be very fitting on Labor Day weekend.”

With the qualifying session held up due to a red flag period with only six minutes to go Jeannette hit the track as the session resumed to take pole position in the final minute, securing it by just seven one-hundreths of a second faster than second place Kyle Marcelli.

Jeannette and team-mate Ricardo Gonzalez now head in to the race looking to repeat their winning performance from Long Beach earlier this year to reaffirm their position at the top of the 2011 LMPC drivers championship.

The sister #05 Bayshore Recycling / Composite Resources car will start from fourth position with Frankie Montecalvo and CORE autosport founder Jon Bennett looking to gain as many points for the team with a solid finish in quest for the 2011 LMPC team championship.

The schedule for the day was disrupted due to last-minute track construction following measures taken to reduce damage from the recent hurricanes. The result of this saw the two hour practice session shortened by 45 minutes with the qualifying being combined with the faster LMP1 class in a short 15 minute session.

After running quickest in final practice Magnussen headed in to qualifying with high hopes setting his fastest lap time of 1:31.950 around the 2.04 mile circuit on his fifth flying lap. Milner set a 1:32.224 on his fourth lap to place him fifth quickets in the GT class.

Following the qualifying session the #45 Porsche of Patrick Long was excluded for “unjustifiable risk” moving Milner up to fourth. Dirk Werner set the fastest class time with a 1:31.362.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to make changes or to find a good rhythm, so I’m very pleased with the work that the Corvette Racing engineers did,” Magnussen said. “All in all, I’m happy with the car. Now we have to work with the extra bit of data we have, and I think there is more speed to come. The walls get closer and closer the harder you push – that’s all part of it.

“There are some massive bumps out there, and the cars are taking a beating worse than Sebring,” Magnussen added. “It’s still good fun to drive this circuit, and you’re really feel that you’re racing in the heart of the city with the tall buildings all around. It’s cool, and I enjoy it.”

Milner agreed: “I’m really happy with the car here, no complaints. With so little track time, I’m sure we can make the car a little better here and there, but it’s good just to get some laps in and get comfortable with the track.

“I had a qualifying lap that would have been quicker, but I got into Turn 10 a little wide in the dirty part of the track and had a big, big moment. I was basically drifting through the turn!

“The track’s fun to drive and it will race well, too,” Milner predicted. “There are two good passing spots. It’s going to be tough to pass in GT because everyone is so close, but everything is slow enough that you can rub some fenders and make things happen. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

The two-hour Baltimore Grand Prix will start at 4:30 p.m. ET (9.30 BST) on Saturday, September 3. Live video coverage will be available on ESPN3.com in the U.S. and americanlemans.com for international viewers.

CORE autosport have the LMPC class on lock down. With drivers Ricardo Gonzalez and Gunnar Jeannette piloting the #06 Excel Consultants/Composite Resources ORECA FLM09 LMPC car to the top of the ALMS driver championship points ladder and team founder Jon Bennett, joined by Frankie Monetcalvo lead the team points championship in the #05 Bayshore Recycling / Composite Resources machine, CORE autosport are focused on only one thing… Winning.  While winning the Long Beach ALMS race earlier this year the Core autosport team struggled for a mixed bag of results at Road America less than two weeks ago.

When asked about Road America and the upcoming Baltimore GP Bennett said, “Road America was another challenging race for the CORE autosport team.  We were at or near the top of the timesheets for most of the weekend, but the race itself was tough, with lots of contact with other cars, walls and more.  We did get one car on the podium, and we’re still leading the driver and team championships, which is great.”

He went on to say, “Baltimore is going to be a challenge because small mistakes can be rewarded with big damage.  I’ve not had a lot of experience on temporary street courses, but I really like them. My driving style is precise and calculated, and driving between the walls rewards that type of style.”

Gunnar Jeannette, clearly excited about the prospect of a new course, said, “I’m definitely looking forward to getting to Baltimore for a number of reasons.  The circuit itself will be alive and change during each and every session because there will be so many cars of all different types on the course over the weekend.”

Jeannette, then went into interesting depth about the course in stating, “You’ll have to constantly adjust your driving style and car setup depending on what the track is doing.  So many variables will play into this course. Track surface is key – manhole covers, bumps, transitions from concrete to asphalt – all of that will only come to light behind the wheel of a race car and not a map.  There are even two sections where it looks like we’re crossing railroad tracks, which should be very interesting.”

“All of the drivers going to Baltimore are in the same spot.  Track walks will be a great help, but it won’t be until you get out there for the first practice session before you really know what you have.”

Commenting on this inaugural event, Porsche head of motorsport, Hartmut Kristen said, “The first race on a new circuit is always an interesting task for drivers and teams, and even more so on a street circuit with its very special challenges.  The Baltimore race, with its large urban area is definitely a positive for the American Le Mans Series and a crucial step towards tapping into new markets for the series and extending the fan base.”   Being the head of the most successful GT race car nameplate in recent years, Kristen will be as equally excited for the exposure for Porsche as he is for the fans.

Joerg Bergmeister, who seemed genuinely excited when asked about the new circuit said, ”I’m looking forward to Baltimore.  We don’t know much about the new track and have no experience here whatsoever.  But because the Indycars are driving there too, I assume that it’ll be in good condition and in this regard we don’t expect any issues.  Generally, street circuits suit us.  Like at all city races, it’ll be important in Baltimore to use the short practice session well to find the best set-up for the track.”

Bergmeister  and Long are currently defending their championship status from  6^th place in the American Le Mans GT class; 57 points behind current leaders Dirk Muller and Joey Handof BMW Team RLL.  Residing in 5^th place, ahead of Bergmeister and Long, 2011 Mid-Ohio winner, Wolfe Henzler and Bryan Sellers pilot the Falken Tire 911 GT3 RSR.  Darren Law and Seth Neiman, both Americans, pilot the second Flying Lizard Porsche while Bryce Miller and Sascha Maassen  team up in the Paul Miller Racing 911 GT3 RSR.

Providing his thoughts on the new circuit, Henzler said, “The first race on a new track is always a challenge. At the moment everything is running smoothly for us.  After winning in the rain at Mid-Ohio we followed up in Elkhart Lake with our best result on a dry circuit. This shows that we’re working in the right direction.  I’m heading to Baltimore feeling confident and hope that we can continue our positive trend.”

Co-owners Zak Brown and Richard Dean expect United Autosports to be a formidable competitor in LMP2 at Road Atlanta.  Brown will be accompanied by FIA GT3 Championship fixture Mark Patterson  and former F1 driver/24 Hours of Le Mans winner Stefan Johansson.  Patterson will be making his LMP2 debut as the three men push their limits towards victory at Petit Le Mans.

United Autosports co-owner Richard Dean said, “Road Atlanta is a legendary track and this year’s entrants are top-shelf; I speak for all of the United Autosports drivers when I say that we are thrilled to be a part of this field and eager to get out there and run against some of the top Le Mans Prototype teams in the world.”

Dean went on to say, “This is a prime opportunity for us because ultimately it’s our goal to get to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so we are looking forward to going out there and shaking this field up a little bit.”

In their bid for a coveted invitation to the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, United Autosports will attempt the perfect symbiosis between man and machine to cover a respective maximum of 10 hours or 1000 punishing miles in the late summer smelter of Atlanta, Georgia.

The Porsche 911 GT3 RSR pair are aiming for a race win in the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge on August 6 at the Lexington circuit which has been a fixture in the ALMS calendar since 2001.

The Flying Lizard Motorsports team are well aware of the problems that could arise from the weekend with Indycar sharing the track and laying down rubber causing changing grip levels on a lap by lap basis.

Bergmeister is optimistic about his chances and is aiming for a good grid slot as priority number one around the 3.6km circuit.

He said: “It is a classic race track with long straights and tight corners. It’s demanding and great fun. It’s important to get a good grid position in Mid-Ohio and above all to find the right set-up.”

“We’ll have to work particularly hard with our engineers, because the Indycars leave a lot of rubber on the track and that constantly changes the grip level. You have to have the right touch.”

And teammate Long is backing the team to find the golden setup once more and give himself and Bergmeister the best shot at the podium.

He added: “Our team has managed to find the right set-up for our car on every track to now. Hopefully, the boys will do it again in Mid-Ohio, even if it’s especially tricky there. We’ve already shown that this circuit suits us very well.”

Porsche will also be represented by a trio of other cars on the grid in Ohio, Americans Seth Nieman and Darren Law will race the second car and Porsche works driver Wolf Henzler will line-up alongside Bryan Sellers in the Falken Tire’s Porsche.

Sascha Maassen and Bryce Miller round off Porsche’s ALMS entry in a Paul Miller Racing run Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.

The two-hour, 45-minute race at the Canadian track was an action packed event, with incident, accident and penalty all playing their part in deciding the outcome of the race.

Gavin, starting the no.4 car made steady progress during the first hour of the race, moving from the sixth starting spot to second taking advantage of pit penalties for other team before grabbing second when the Porsche running in second went off track.

Once in second the Briton came up against Risi Competizione driver Toni Vilander in a battle for the lead, as Gavin describes: “We started coming on these big clumps of traffic, and things started getting crazy. I had this mad battle with Toni, where he passed me going into Turn 2 and then he went around the outside of a GTC car. I managed to undercut them both and come back around the outside into Turn 3 – it was fantastic racing!”

The scrap was cut short by contact with an hour of the race remaining, Gavin having to pit to replace a punctured, handing the car to Magnussen in the same pit visit.

The Dane was able to do what Gavin hadn’t – passing the Risi Ferrari – to take second and inherited the lead when the no.55 BMW was penalised for avoidable contact with GTC class car.

“I knew that for us to get a good result out of this race, we had to be 100 percent focused every second,” Magnussen said. “We could never relax, just push all the time. To pull a win from where we were after qualifying is just fantastic. These guys have done it before and they’ll do it again – you can never count Corvette Racing out. The way this team pushes, I’m so proud to be part of it.”

Gavin attributed the success to the whole team, with the enforced stop after the contact with Vilander especially crucial.

“We had 10 seconds for everyone to get ready,” said crew chief Brian Hoye. “The guys know what to do and they were ready to go. We knocked out a quick stop, kept the car in contention, and we ended up with a victory. We used every session to make the car the best it could be for the race, and it turned out be a spectacular result.”

The second Corvette, shared by Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta, finished sixth after being knocked out of contention by contact, again with a GTC car. The hit damaged the Corvette’s suspension, the necessary repairs putting the no.3 car laps down from which it was unable to recover.

The Corvette crew also collected the Michelin Green X Challenge for the GT class for the fastest, cleanest more efficient race in the GT ranks.

“As the inaugural winner of the Michelin Green X Challenge, it’s always an honor when Corvette Racing collects one of these trophies,” said Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan. “It’s a testament to how hard our engine group, our chassis group, and our aero group have worked to maximize the efficiency of the Corvette. It’s also a testament to Chevrolet’s willingness to race with cellulosic E85, and as the world’s largest producer of flex-fuel vehicles, it’s only appropriate that the Chevrolet team won the Green X Challenge today.”

Regular driver and team-co-owner Andrea Robertson will be joined for the two-hour, 45 minute enduro in their #40 Ford GT by her friend and experienced GT star Melanie Snow, with Andrea’s husband and normal co-driver David Robertson stepping aside.

Snow, currently fifth in the IMSA GT3 Challenge, last raced in the ALMS back in 2009 when she clinched the GT Challenge class but also won on debut in the main GT class at Sebring 12 years ago.

Snow is delighted to get the chance at Lexington and is hoping a good weekend performance will ensure girl power is not a one-off affair.

She said: “Andrea and I have been friends for a while and always joked about forming an all-girl team. It was something I never really expected though so when I got an email out of the blue it was a shock, but also a nice surprise.

“Obviously a lot has changed since I last raced in what was the original GT class, but the Challenge cars aren’t too far way in terms of performance so hopefully it won’t be much of a step up.

“Having said that I’m expecting the Ford to handle completely different to the Porsche I usually race. I’m sure I’ll get to grips with it during the test so we can hit the ground running in Free Practice.

“At the moment the deal is just for Mid-Ohio but we’ll play it by ear and see what happens for the rest of the season.”

And Team Manager Andrew ‘H’ Smith is pleased the opportunity to field the historic female line-up has been presented to them and like Snow is not ruling out further races later in the season.

He concluded: “It’s great to have Melanie onboard for Mid-Ohio. She has a lot of experience in GT cars so I’m confident it won’t be long before she’s up to speed in the Ford.

“Andrea had expressed an interest in her joining the team and I think it’s a great opportunity for them to show how well they stack up against their male counterparts.

“We’ve had lots of women racers take part in the ALMS over the past 12 years so it’s about time an all-female crew was given their chance.

“We’re not ruling out running Melanie again later in the season but at the moment Mid-Ohio is the only round scheduled.”

Ken Wilden had qualified the no.99 Jaguar, but with Junqueira taking the car for the start of the race it had moved into the top ten by lap 17, while setting similar lap times to the class leaders. A full course caution, bunching the field up, should have allowed the rapid Brazilian to advance further up the field, but a split oil line forced the sacrifice of nearly half an hour to make repairs before returning to track.

Now, unfortunately, out of contention for the top ten finish his pace perhaps deserved Junqueira resumed his charge. Even at the end of his stint in the car, which lasted nearly until the two hour mark in the race, Junqueira was still setting quick laps, turning the fastest GT lap of the race – 1:18.102 – in the final lap before passing the car to Wilden for the final stint. The Canadian took the checkered flag in 15th place.

“The car was real good today,” said Junqueira after his run. “I really enjoyed driving here at Mosport, this was a great event. It was such a shame about the oil leak because our race pace was really good and we would have finished sixth or so. I am happy that the car is getting better and better and I look forward to our next race. Our Dunlop tires were fantastic today, consistent and fast for the entire stint, obviously good enough to help us achieve the fastest race lap.”

“We knew that we would be good at this race track,” Paul Gentilozzi, JaguarRSR principal partner said. “We worked through the first technical bugs and obviously we had a very fast car in the race – the fastest GT car in lap time. But more importantly, early in the race Bruno was passing guys, catching the field and when we look at the fifth and sixth place cars, he was catching them throughout the race. So we were really glad to show that. It was a failed oil line that caused the problems, the guys took it back to the truck, fixed it and got it back out – we don’t quit.”

The sister Jaguar XKR of P.J. Jones and Rocky Moran Jr. had a less eventful race, starting from inside the top ten. The pair spent most of the race chasing ninth place, running consistent laps – though Moran Jr had to avoid the wall during what he admitted was one “really exiting moment” at turn eight.

However the all-American team were robbed of a top ten finish by a puncture that dropped them down to eleventh.

“It’s wonderful that for two races running we’ve managed to stand on the podium,” said team manager Andrew ‘H’ Smith. “Le Mans is a huge event but this result has greater significance given that it was in the overall GT class as there’s no Am division, as well as it being our first in the ALMS.”

The David Murry and Anthony Lazzaro crewed no.04 ran in fourth place in the closing stages, taking advantage of the problems other teams had had during the two-hour 45-minute race at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut. Conduct in traffic was around the 1.5 track, several of the leading contenders knocked out of the battle for the podium after an early crash.

Lazzaro survived his own brush with traffic, the no.01 Extreme Speed Motorsport Ferrari tipping him into a spin at turn one, but with no damage he was able to continue and was in fourth chasing down the Team Falken Tire Porsche for third in the closing laps of the race. Exiting the Diving Turn – the course’s final corner, a sweeping right hander – for the final time Lazzaro tried to pull up on the outside of the Porsche, which weaved across the track to block the passing attempt, keeping the Ford behind by a fraction of a second at the finish line.

However, the over-defensive driving almost immediately earned the Porsche 90 second penalty promoting Murry and Lazzaro into third behind the winning BMW and Flying Lizard Motorsports. The Robertson racing pair also collected the GT class’ Michelin Green X Challenge.

Smith added; “Murry did a great job early on to keep the leaders honest before Lazzaro drove the pants off the car at the end. Clearly the Porsche blocked us on the final lap. I can understand that he was desperate to hang on for the podium but you’re only allowed to move once which is why I immediately went to Race Control. We would always prefer to cross the finish line first but when manoeuvres, which include contact, prevent that, you have no choice. All in all though it’s been a great day.”

The only low point of the race was the sister no.40 car of Andrea and David Robertson, which was forced out of the race with 45 minutes remaining due to a mechanical problem.

Dyson led from the drop of the green flag, but with Lucas Luhr tucked almost directly under the rear win of the Lola-Mazda following the American as the pair sliced through traffic on the 1.5 mile bullring of a race track. With traffic management the crucial point Luhr briefly stole the lead when Dyson was delayed by a slower GT car. However, it was almost immediately Luhr’s turn to get blocked by the same GT car, handing the advantage back to Dyson.

Luhr was able to wrestle the lead more decisively from Dyson on a handful off occasions, and crucially the Lola-Aston Martin, with Klaus Graf now in the cockpit, was able to beat Smith out of the pits when the two leaders pitted together under a full cause caution brought out by the GTC pole sitter stopping at turn 1.

However, soon after the race went back to green Graf was clipped by the GMG Racing GTC class Porsche. The slight contact, which came around the long corners that begin a Lime Rock lap, was enough to push Graf into a spin, handing the lead to Smith and Dyson Racing, ultimately for good.

“It was great fun,” Dyson said of his opening stint. “Lucas and I were going back and forth from the get-go. It was all about where you positioned yourself. It felt a bit like a video game. Our Mazda was fantastic from the start. I think the car really came into its own at the end of the race. We were lucky to catch the yellow when we did. They fought us hard all the way like they always do.”

Humaid Al Masaood and Steven Kane claimed third overall on their ALMS bow, though the second Dyson Racing entry was five laps off the pace after a number of spins during the race and an electrical problem that forced them to start from the pitlane, putting them a lap down early on.

BMW Team RLL kept up their dream 2011 in GT, the Joey Hand/Dirk Muller combo converted pole position into a race win, holding of Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Patrick Long and Jorg Bergmeister. Long had squeezed the Porsche into the BMW 1-2 from qualifying in the early laps, and hounded the rear bumper of the BMW for almost the race’s entire duration. Bergmeister was chasing down the BMW ahead in the closing stages of the race, but the chase was cut short when the Porsche works driver had to pit with a puncture.

Perhaps the biggest turning point in the GT battle was a chain reaction accident in the first hour that knocked both Corvettes – running fourth and fifth early on – the second BMW and the no.02 Extreme Speed Motorsport Ferrari out of contention. The field at the front thinned somewhat, different team where given the chance to run for podiums. Team Falken Tire were the team to make the most of the slice of luck, Wolf Henzler chasing down the lead duo with pace to spare.

An earlier pitstops than the leaders dented the team’s aspirations of victory, but kept them in with a chance of a podium. The turquoise and blue Porsche did cross the line in third, but was given a 90 second penalty for some vociferous and obvious blocking out of the final turn of the final lap to try and stop Anthony Lazzaro from taking third. Lazzaro lost out on track – suffering front bodywork damage as he sought a way round the Porsche – but gained another podium for Robertson Racing to match their GTE-AM Le Mans accolade.

Eric Lux and Elton Julian won the LMPC class while TRG recorded a 1-2 finish in GTC after a topsy-turvy final lap during which the top four in class re-arranged themselves. Dion von Moltke came out of the Diving Turn first in the car he shared with Mike Piera, relegating the sister car of Spencer Pumpelly and Duncan Ende to second.

“That was the craziest race I’ve ever done,” von Moltke on americanlemans.com described what happened in the final turns. “With two hours left we were a lap down but kept fighting to the lead lap. The call that really won us the race was from the TRG guys to take left-side tires.”

“I guess luck fell our way. The Falken car was really slow in a straight line but would get by us in the corners. He got by Spencer and then Spencer went to the outside at West Bend to overtake. They went two wide and I shoved it in there at the Downhill.”

Butch Leitzinger and Bill Sweedler completed the class podium ahead of the Black Swan Racing entry that had held the lead for much of the race before a late race pitstop – reportedly to close the rear deck lid on the Porsche – dropped them down the order.

“I was lying in fifth when my pit crew requested me to come in. But my gut feeling told me that I could do better. So I stayed out for another lap and that lap was then perfect,” said Long. “It felt just a good as my fastest lap last year where I secured pole position. It’s just that the gap to the cars at the front is simply too big. We just can’t match their pace due to the balance of performance regulations.”

The session started on a slightly damp track following an earlier rain shower but quickly dried up. Marco Holzer secured sixth place despite having limited running on the dry track. “My quickest lap was just my seventh on the dry track in Lime Rock,” he said. “We’re very pleased with this and think we’ve found a very good set-up for the race, regardless of whether it rains or not.”

The Falken Tire squad with Bryan Sellers and Wolf Henzler claimed the ninth quickest time.

The race starts on Saturday at 14.05 hours local time and runs over 2:45 hours.