The No. 48 Chopard/Marquis Jet/TOTAL/IPC Porsche 911 GT3 RSR of Paul Miller Racing heads to Laguna Seca this weekend with its full compliment of team and drivers. Bryce Miller and Sascha Maassen will attempt to enhance the momentum gained this summer and push towards the top of the leader boards. Paul Miller Racing is among the top GT teams competing in North American sports car road racing.
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.”
